Carlsbad, California: Land of Lagoons
Located in the North County region of San Diego, California, Carlsbad is situated less than 100 miles from Los Angeles and less than 50 from downtown San Diego. One of the most affluent cities in both the state and nation, Carlsbad has an ideal coastal location and boasts some 105,000 permanent inhabitants.
Carlsbad is notable for the city laws established here to protect endangered habitat for the local wildlife and its decision to set aside land to be free from any sort of development project. In addition, the municipality has used city funds to repair wildlife habitat that has been damaged by development. This means that tourists staying in vacation homes in Carlsbad can enjoy pockets of natural land even in the urbanized context of the modern coastal city.
Though modern in many respects, Carlsbad also features an entry on the National Register of Historic Places: the Old Santa Fe Railroad Depot. First constructed in 1907, it is still in use today as a visitor information center.
Lagoons
Most coastal cities can offer visitors beach access, but Carlsbad is also notable for also having several lagoons along the shore. The Aqua Hedionda Lagoon, for example, is an important land and water resource for the tidewater goby and provides tourists with a great deal more than a stretch of water to admire. It features a Discover Center, which educates children and adults about the natural history of the coastal region as well as the culture of local Native American tribes.