If towns were people, Carlsbad would be that friend you want to hate but can’t help admiring: smart, sporty, really good-looking, and ambitious. It’s why Google called this small city, stretching along nearly 7 miles of sandy coastline between Los Angeles and San Diego, a “digital capital of California.” When personal technology blew up in the early ’80s, the idyllic beach location and perfect weather attracted high-tech start-ups that one by one planted themselves here: for instance Viasat, whose satellite provides Wi-Fi on Jet Blue and Air Force One; and, more recently, biotech companies like Thermo Fisher Scientific and Genoptix.
In the past few years, this technology hub has upped its game to embrace both its inner geek and its outdoor enthusiast. An office complex near the water, called Make, houses tenants like GoPro and Verve and has incorporated shipping containers into an indoor-outdoor working space that includes a fitness center, food trucks on Tuesdays, firepits, surfboard racks, and outdoor showers (for, you know, your lunchtime surf break). This spring, Bloc will debut a big, bright coworking space with custom desks, coffee on tap, and local art in the heart of Carlsbad Village, the six-by-ten-block commercial center. No wonder more than 650 patents were issued here in 2016. Call it the Golden Tan Rush circa 2018.
By the Numbers
- Population: 113,952
- Median home price: $745,800
- Unemployment rate: 4.3%
- IT companies: 261
- Parks: 31