Aside from the aforementioned Pacific Ocean, Carlsbad is also surrounded on all sides by majestic mountain peaks and gorgeous lagoons. All of these natural features combine to provide long time residents as well as first time visitors with stunning vistas that are breathtaking in their natural unspoiled beauty. Indeed, very few places in the country?and even in the whole world?can compare to the awesome natural sights that Carlsbad can offer.

Carlsbad has had a long and colorful history ever since it was established as a small coastal village in the early 1900s. Although it has been around?albeit as a small settlement?since that time, it was only in July 16, 1952 that Carlsbad was incorporated as a city. Even then it remained a fairly small town, especially when compared to other communities around California. It is this small town charm that is really a large part of what makes the city so unique and distinctive even to this day.

When it was incorporated as a city in 1952, Carlsbad had a population of only about 7,000 people and its total land area covered only 7.5 square miles. Over the years, the city has grown both in terms of population and land area, due to the influx of new residents as well as various land annexations. By January 1 of 1998, the city had grown to a land area of more than 42 square miles, with a total population of more than 73,000 people. For better or for worse, this growth in land area is not going to continue any further, as all the surrounding islands in the county have already been annexed. Which is just as well, as the relatively small land area of Carlsbad keeps it from experiencing the negative effects that has befallen so many large cities.

During the November 1986 election by the residents of Carlsbad, it was voted that the maximum number of residential properties in the city would at most be 54,599, housing a combined total of 135,000 people. This will effectively limit the number of new residents in the area, and is intended to preserve the quiet charm and grace of the city. This number of residential areas and population is expected to be achieved by 2010, and the numbers can only be increased by a majority vote of the Carlsbad residents. These measures are in line with the Carlsbad city council's attempts to actively maintain the ?livability? of the city, in an age when living conditions from times past are in danger of being wiped out by commercialization and urbanization.

One of the other means by which Carlsbad residents have sought to preserve the state of their city is by encouraging a more pedestrian oriented community that is less dependent on cars as a means of transport. They also encourage more interaction among neighbors, in the hopes of fostering a more ?people-oriented? community. To achieve these and other lifestyle improvement goals, the city council has implemented four programs: Livable Streets, Traffic Calming, Planned Development, and Neighborhood Design Standards.

The livable streets program calls for planting trees on either side of the road between the edge of the curb and the homeowner's property line. This will allow the trees to form a sort of canopy over the road, which will make drivers drive slower, as well as to make a cooler, cozier and all around more attractive street. The width of the road will also be narrowed down to 34 feet wide as opposed to the old standard of 42 feet.

The Traffic Calming program has been put in place to address the various issues that come with increased automobile traffic in residential streets. This program will entail strict implementation of speed limits, as well as monitoring of present traffic situations in the affected areas and identifying any problems as soon as they come up.

Among other things, the Planned Development Ordinance seeks to increase the land area of public assembly spots and recreational spaces, implement new guidelines that govern the size and usage of private residential properties, and discourage the building of cul de sacs and private gated communities.

Finally the Neighborhood Design Standards program will encourage the building of houses and facades that will encourage more interaction among neighbors.