Town History

Oceanside is the third largest city in San Diego County, with a population of 173,303. Oceanside, Vista, and Carlsbad make up the Tri-City area. The city is just south of U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, the busiest military base in the United States http://www.cpp.usmc.mil/cpao/pages/baseinformation.asp. .

The Oceanside Pier was built in 1888, and is the longest wooden pier on the western U.S. coastline. It is 1,954 feet (596m).

In the 20th century, Oceanside was a beach town devoted to activities on its 6-mile stretch of beaches. The Downtown and residential areas were built in the 1890s, South Oceanside was built in the 1920s and 1930s and the developments east of Interstate 5 were built after World war II (that area was remodeled and is now largely preserved as these houses are considered to have historical value).

The nature grounds of Mount Ecclesia were established in 1911 for the international headquarters of the Rosicrucian Fellowship, a fraternal and service organization.

Camp Pendleton was established in 1928, and in the 1950s Oceanside had an ammunition manufacturing facility in the city.

After 1970, development in Oceanside was largely suburban, with a focus on affordability. In 2005, the Wall Street Journal rated Oceanside the number one vacation home market in the country. Today, Oceanside properties are valued over the $500,000 mark for the city's proximity to San Diego and the Pacific coast.

In 1986, Oceanside was one of the filming locations for the movie Top Gun.