Oceanside History Timeline
A historical timeline of Oceanside and some of its notable events.
1798 |
Mission San Luis Rey Founded |
1815 |
Present day church building completed |
1834 |
Secularization of Mission property |
1847 |
Sacajawea’s son Jean Baptiste Charbonneau is made Alcalde of San Luis Rey Mission |
1860 |
Mission San Luis Rey falls into ruins |
1870 |
Township of San Luis Rey – early pioneer families move into valley |
1882 |
Railroad construction begins from Riverside to San Diego |
1883 |
Andrew Jackson Myers applies for Homestead Grant on what is now downtown Oceanside |
1886 |
First church built, the Congregational Church on First (Seagaze) and Ditmar |
1887 |
Bank of Oceanside is built along with the South Pacific Hotel |
1888 |
City of Oceanside incorporates July 3, 1888 |
First pier is built on the end of Couts street, now Wisconsin |
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First train depot is built |
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1891 |
First pier destroyed by storm |
1894 |
Second pier built at the end of Third Street, now Pier View Way. |
1896 |
South Pacific Hotel burns down |
1903 |
Third pier built, using railroad steel as pilings |
1904 |
El San Luis Rey Hotel built |
Oceanside Electric built below the bluff, provides electricity to downtown Oceanside and houses the Plunge |
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Dr. Robert S. Reid moves his family to Oceanside, longtime doctor who delivered most babies in North County for over three decades |
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Oceanside Library is established |
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1906 |
Present day Oceanside High School established |
1908 |
Great fleet passes through Oceanside |
1909 |
First graduating class of Oceanside High School |
1911 |
Rosicrucian Fellowship headquartered in Oceanside |
1913 |
Racing on beach from Oceanside to Del Mar |
1916 |
Flood hits San Diego County |
1917 |
First annual Bean Day |
Hill Street is paved by Highway Commission |
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1918 |
Influenza outbreak affects San Diego County, quarantine called |
1919 |
Prohibition begins, traffic from LA to TJ |
1924 |
Palomar Theater Opens |
1925 |
Old bank building torn down, new Bank of Oceanside built |
1927 |
4th pier built |
1928 |
Bank of Italy built |
The Strand paved |
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1929 |
First Fire Station built, designed by Irving J. Gill |
1930 |
The Cottage Hospital opened on Second Street (Mission Ave) by Lillian Henman. |
1931 |
The Americanization School is built by Irving J. Gill |
1933 |
Oceanside Hospital is opened by Golda Lester Zahniser at 615 North Freeman Street |
1934 |
New City Hall built by Irving J. Gill |
1938 |
New Oceanside Hospital is built at Fourth (Civic Center Drive) and Summit |
1942 |
Navy takes over Rancho Santa Margarita, Camp Joseph H. Pendleton |
1946 |
World War II ends, troops return |
Old Depot torn down, new Train Depot dedicated in December |
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1947 |
5th pier built |
1950 |
South Oceanside neighborhoods built and development goes eastward |
1953 |
New Highway 101 opening |
1960 |
Population 21,000 |
Mission Square Shopping Center – first shopping center in North County |
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1961 |
Groundbreaking for Oceanside Harbor Feb. 6 |
Tri City Hospital opened |
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Shopping center construction begins on Mission Avenue and Canyon Drive |
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Erwin Sklar is mayor |
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1962 |
Oceanside Fire Station No. 3 at Oceanside Blvd. open |
1963 |
Oceanside Small Craft Harbor opened in June |
Retirement community of Oceana developed |
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1964 |
Cornerstone laid for new Junior College, to become MiraCosta College |
Groundbreaking for Cape Cod Village at Harbor |
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1966 |
Colonial Inn (formerly El San Luis Rey Hotel) torn down |
1968 |
Howard Richardson is first elected mayor |
1969 |
Vietnam War protests |
The City population increased to 38,000 |
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Newly-created Convention and Visitors Bureau. |
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Ground-breaking ceremonies for A.C.D.C. for their new electronics plant. |
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Construction of Garrison Elementary begins and San Rafael opens |
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Plaza Camino Real Mall opens in March – businesses from downtown move |
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1970 |
Joe Balderrama Park opened |
1971 |
Fire Station No. 4 on Thunder Drive |
1973 |
Fire Station No. 5 on North River Road |
1976 |
Heritage Park opened |
Paul Graham Mayor |
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Pier damaged in storm, later fire destroys Pier Café |
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1978 |
Heavy rains bring flooding to San Luis Rey Valley |
1985 |
Filming begins for the Top Gun movie starring Tom Cruise |
1987 |
6th Pier Opens, dedicated September 9th |
Train Depot torn down, switching yards moved to Camp Pendleton |
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1988 |
Centennial Celebration |
1990 |
New Oceanside Civic Center built |
1995 |
Oceanside Museum of Art opens February 26 |
Coaster train service begins |
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1996 |
Street names changed – Hill Street to Coast Highway |
Highway 76 expressway bypass from I-5 to Foussat Road opened |
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1999 |
Final stretch of Highway 76 to Jeffries Ranch completed |
2000 |
Oceanside Visitors Center becomes official California Welcome Center |
Cheerleading movie “Bring it On” starring Kirsten Dunst is filmed at Oceanside’s Bandshell |
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2003 |
Genentech establishes facility in Oceanside |
2007 |
Marriott Residence Inn opened on September 26 |
2008 |
New addition to Oceanside Museum of Art is dedicated |
Pacific Street Bridge to Oceanside Harbor is built |
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Award winning Fire Station No. 7 is completed |
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Sprinter line opened from Oceanside to Escondido |
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Mance Buchanon park dedicated |
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Oceanside Wyndham Pier Resort is built |
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2009 |
California Surf Museum opens at new location on Pier View Way |
El Corazon Senior Center opens |
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2010 |
VA Center opens on Rancho Del Oro |
2011 |
Courtyard Marriott opens at Ocean Ranch |
2012 |
Mission San Luis Rey retrofit begins |
Ground breaking for Oceanside Marriott Springhill Suites Project |
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2018 Oceanside selected as one of California’s premier state-designated cultural districts by the California Arts Council. |