CARLSBAD — Carlsbad celebrated its 70th year of incorporation on July 16. The city offers various resources devoted to preserving the city’s history that residents can use to learn and enjoy the city’s history.
The Carlsbad History Collection at the Georgina Cole Library, 1250 Carlsbad Village Drive, is a treasure trove of personal papers, city records, government reports and oral histories about the city of Carlsbad, as well as old high school yearbooks and newspaper archives on microfilm.
There is also a virtual historic tour of Carlsbad with a map that highlights two dozen historic locations around town and gives a synopsis of each spot.
The city’s Historic Preservation Commission advises the City Council and Planning Commission on anything related to identifying and protecting historic areas in the city. Meetings are streamed live on the city’s website.
A video from the city’s 50th birthday (available to watch below) is full of historical photos and interviews with long-time city residents and former city officials who talk about:
- The dramatic events leading up to incorporation, including a competing effort by Oceanside to annex coastal Carlsbad that nearly passed. (It ended in a tie.)
- The narrow vote to incorporate, which was held on June 24, 1952. Carlsbad officially became a city on July 16, 1952, when the paperwork was filed with the California secretary of state.
- The formation of the city’s police department, fire department and Carlsbad Municipal Water District and other early challenges.
The second part of the video (available to watch below) covers the early growth and expansion of the city from the 1960s onward, including the creation of the city’s first library in 1967, the opening of the Plaza Camino Real mall and Car Country Carlsbad, the annexation of La Costa in 1972 and the city’s approach to planning and managing growth.
