Encinitas got its start as a coastal town in the 1880's. Today it is an incorporated city, 20 miles north of San Diego, and includes the neighborhoods of Cardiff (sometimes called Cardiff-by-the-Sea), Leucadia, and Olivenhain. The city's name comes from the Spanish, and refers to the small oak trees that grow in the area. Its population, according to the 2000 census, is approximately 57,000.