Oceanside is situated on three miles of sandy beaches and is an ideal mix of an urban and rural environment blessed with almost perfect, year-round weather. Three major freeways, Interstate 5 and Highways 76 and 78, provide easy access to and from Oceanside. The city is also served by Amtrak, which stops in Oceanside, and by Greyhound and Continental Trailways bus lines.
Oceanside's weather, being much like the rest of San Diego, offers the perfect climate for the outdoor enthusiast. Residents have access to numerous golf courses, parks, tennis courts and biking trails as well as facilities for volleyball, basketball and softball. For those who just want to relax, Oceanside Harbor and Harbor Beach are the ideal spots for an afternoon stroll or picnic.
Oceanside has a total of 17 elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools, including one continuation school. Health care for the city is provided by Tri-City Hospital located in Oceanside. For more detailed information, call the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce at 722-1534 or 1-800-350-7873 for visitor information.
Other surrounding communities that support the military from Camp Pendleton are: Carlsbad, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido, Fallbrook, and San Clemente to the north. Call the local Chambers of Commerce for more information on those communities (see listing in this guidebook).
San Diego County is a natural wonder. Mountains, deserts and beaches sparkle under the mellow sunshine and balmy climate, where the average temperature is a moderate 70 degrees. Covering 4,261 square miles, it borders on the Pacific Ocean with 70 miles of beach and scenic coastline. There are 73 miles of inland waterways. Rugged hills with panoramic views of snow-capped mountains in winter, it is a juncture between the pastels of the desert and the hot primary colors of the tropics.
History
Oceanside's first inhabitants were the Luiseno Indians, part of the large Shoshonean tribe. The Luisenos were hunters and food gatherers until the friars taught them farming and other trades. The Indians were instrumental in building the Mission compound.
Mission San Luis Rey was the largest building in California when completed in 1815, and was the most prosperous of the missions. At its peak, the "King of the Missions" had between two and three thousand Indians living and working in the area. The mission itself covered an area of 6 1/2 acres.
When the petition for the first post office was drawn, the name Ocean Side was used, but later changed to Oceanside. According to local tradition this was a place "that just named itself." Before 1884, it had been the custom for families "to Oceanside" here, their favorite location for beach outings.
On July 3, 1888, Oceanside was incorporated with a vote of 74 to 53. The founder of the city, A. J. Myers, was the first to vote. The population at that time was about 1000.
In 1942, a dramatic change occurred with the purchase of the Santa Margarita y Los Flores Rancho by the US Government, to be used as a military base. The building of Camp Joseph H. Pendleton created a boom to end all booms in the sleepy little town. Workers flocked to downtown for food and lodging. The community geared up for war in a big way by supporting the workers and troops.
Oceanside continued to urbanize into the 1950's, bringing the population in 1953 to 20,000 which is now well over 152,000.
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