Thursday, March 27, 2008

Oceanside History


Oceanside became a town because the extension of the Transcontinental Railroad was planned to come from the Colton, Riverside area to San Diego.
Before that time Indians once roamed through the coastal plain along the streams and rivers in search of food for thousands of years. It wasn't until Spanish explorers led the expedition up 'Alta' California from Mexico to found the Missions that created a stronghold on this new land in 1769. It marked the beginning when Europeans came to settle our area.
In the 1880's the train was planned and built to accommodate the anticipated travelers from across the country. When these travelers stopped in our community some became owners. Some speculated and others stayed, many built beach cottages. The train remained the dominant transportation link until the time of Henry Ford's Model T. Cars would change the landscape of our community and drive demand for more services and create the need for more housing.
Once drivers discovered the coast route between Los Angeles and San Diego Oceanside became an important stopping place for autoist. The car culture in California drove the need for highways and the coastal route soon became US Highway 101. The popularity of the car has changed our state from a small agricultural based economy to the sixth largest economy in the world and has created endless miles of driving adventures.
Oceanside is now a community of 180,000 and with a harbor, miles of sandy beaches and a storied past is poised to make to make history for many decades to come.