Del Mar (; Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, United States, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city was incorporated in 1959. The population was 3,954 at the 2020 census, down from 4,161 at the 2010 census.
The San Diego County Fair is an annual fair held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Horse racing is hosted at the Del Mar Racetrack every summer.
In 1880, the California Southern Railroad was formed to connect San Diego to the national rail network and Del Mar was along the planned route. It was first settled in 1882 by Theodore M. Loop, a railroad official from New York, and his wife Ella. Loop thought the area was "the most attractive place on the entire coast". Ella gave the site its name, inspired by Bayard Taylor's poem "The Fight of Paso del Mar". Instead of moving on when the railroad was completed, Loop decided he wanted to stay. In 1885, Loop met Colonel Jacob Taylor and proposed building a town together. Taylor was a prosperous rancher that had come to the region with his family. He had bought Rancho Santa Maria de Los Peñasquitos and intended to stay there. On seeing the beauty and development potential of the Del Mar area, he changed his plans. He purchased of land from Enoch Talbert, with visions of building a seaside resort for the rich and famous. He installed the first telephone line between Del Mar and Peñasquitos so he could manage his ranch while living on the coast and developing his resort. By 1888, there was a village of about 25 homes with what is now 10th Street as its main corridor. The city built the first dedicated school for the surrounding sparsely populated area, ending the practice of students being taught in barns. The town's development suffered a major setback when Taylor's hotel "Casa del Mar" burned to the ground due to a kitchen fire the following year. Flooding in Southern California had damaged roads, bridges, and railroad tracks causing widespread devastation and leaving Del Mar isolated. San Diego's population fell by half from its 1887 peak by 1890. Despite Taylor's initial pledge to rebuild, he was not only unable to complete the project, he lost his ranch in the subsequent recession and left California. Development stalled and the city closed the century with a population of less than a hundred people.
In 1905, the South Coast Land Company acquired all of Taylor's land. They hired Ed Fletcher, who later became a State Senator, to subdivide the land and lay out a road system. They hired John C. Austin, one of Los Angeles' most prominent architects, to revive Taylor's hotel site for their first building in Del Mar. The hotel site became the Stratford Inn and was completed around 1910. Austin was from Oxfordshire, England near William Shakespeare's home of Stratford-upon-Avon. The hotel name and its Tudor Revival architecture style were meant to evoke Shakespeare's home and era.
Shakespeare was important to the Hollywood silent film stars the South Coast Land Company wanted to attract. Around a quarter of silent films were adaptations of Shakespeare's work. The hotel and town quickly became a favorite of Hollywood stars. Del Mar's first retail center, now called Stratford Square, was built in 1927 across the street using a similar style. Additional Tudor style homes and around a dozen commercial buildings were built and it became a unique and distinctive feature of Old Del Mar. It contrasted with the dominant style of the region, which had become Spanish Colonial Revival. The style had started replacing others after being featured at the PanamaâÂÂCalifornia Exposition as suited to the regional climate. At close of the silent film era, Los Angeles Times Sports editor Pawl Lowry observed that, "Del Mar has class written all over it ... Del Mar has the Spanish touch of Old California, the artistic, aristocratic air of the day of the Dons. The buildings are in keeping from stern to stern."
The United States Navy established an emergency use airfield in Del Mar in the 1920s. Del Mar was not unaffected by the Great Depression of the 1930s, with home building temporarily coming to a halt. In 1933, James E. Franks and Ed Fletcher suggested the land next to the airfield be turned into a permanent home for the San Diego County Fair. It had a golf course and riding stable that were failing financially, as leisure spending greatly declined during the depression. A county agricultural district was able to secure a state grant and the first fair was held in Del Mar in 1936. William Quigley approached Bing Crosby with a proposal to build a horse racing track on site. Crosby agreed and was able to convince many friends and figures from Hollywood to join them on the project. The Del Mar Race Track opened the following year. A line from a song he recorded to play at the race track, "where the turf meets the surf" became a slogan of Del Mar.
With the influx of racing patrons, the neighboring airfield expanded and became Del Mar Municipal Airport in 1938. The facility was turned into a Naval Auxiliary Air Facility for blimps at Del Mar during World War II. Nearby grounds were also used to manufacture parts for Boeing B-17 Bombers. Anti-aircraft batteries were hidden in Eucalyptus groves with fortified positions built into the hillside. The Stratford Inn, renamed the Hotel Del Mar in the 1920s, was used to house military personnel. A pier from 1908, which was later demolished, was used to train thousands of United States Army recruits. United States Marine Corps from Camp Pendleton trained on the beaches. After the war, the Navy facility was decommissioned. The Naval property was transferred to Del Mar for a symbolic $1.00. It was later decided to build a new section of the Interstate 5 Highway through land used by the Del Mar Municipal airport. It shutdown in 1959 and was replaced by the Carlsbad McClellanâÂÂPalomar Airport.
The city incorporated in 1959. A significant motivation for the incorporation was to prevent high rises being built along the coast as had happened in La Jolla when it became part of the City of San Diego. Incorporation meant the city could manage itself, preserve its small town character, and protect the views of existing homeowners. The residents of higher areas of what was then referred to as Del Mar did not have the same degree of interest in being separate from the City of San Diego as their views were not at risk, and there was not the same concern that high rises would be built away from the coast. Opponents of incorporation were concerned over the costs of providing separate city service, which would thereby create an excessive tax burden. A re-vote on incorporation was forced in 1961, but it passed by an even larger margin than the initial vote.
Since only a portion of what was then Del Mar incorporated, it did not include all of the areas that were served by the Del Mar post office. Del Mar postal addresses do not match the incorporated city boundaries and can refer to two separate cities. Del Mar is one of only a few such areas in California. San Diego called the area of Del Mar it incorporated Del Mar Heights, but the old addresses never changed from Del Mar.
The San Diego Freeway opened in 1963 and the entire Interstate 5 was completed in 1966. This allowed vehicle traffic between Los Angeles and San Diego to bypass Del Mar. Along with prior closure of the Del Mar Airport, this led to temporary difficulties for city business district. The Hotel Del Mar closed in 1963. The following years were sometimes known at the Open Spaces Decade. From 1964, there was campaign to expand the Torrey Pines State Park, later the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, into land that then included part of Del Mar. This became the Torrey Pines Natural Reserve Extension in 1970. The Torrey Pine became a specially protected tree in Del Mar and an unofficial symbol of the area. The Torrey pine branch with its needle-like leaves are used as part of the city logo. The tree has also been used by the city in public art. The movement to preserve open spaces and prevent excessive development also led to the establishment of Sea Grove Park.
Much of the population is on the coast and nearby bluff which are vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change. In 2019, the city refused to develop a managed retreat strategy for moving infrastructure and population centers from the water. This decision was made against the recommendation of the California Coastal Commission. Instead the city is planning on using other climate change adaptation strategies, such as seawalls and beach nourishment.
The Surf Line railroad tracks are adjacent to coastal bluffs some above the beach for . Coastal erosion eats away at the bluffs each year. The North County Transit District drove steel beams into the beach at the base of the bluffs in September 2020 to stabilize the face of the bluffs for 20 or 30 years. The city wanted to require the transit agency to cover the shotcrete wall on the bluff with natural soil and native plantings. The city council, the California Coastal Commission, and residents have opposed the district's plans to install a chain-link fence that would stop pedestrians from crossing the tracks to get to the beach. The district considered this to be a safety issue as trespassers along the right-of-way have been hit by trains. This mile-and-a-half stretch (2.4 km) along the southern half of the city does not have legal access to the beach. Due to offshore reefs and wave patterns, this section has some of the best surfing in San Diego County.
Del Mar is one of only two locations where the Torrey pine tree naturally occurs. The Torrey pine is the rarest pine in the United States; only two populations of this endangered species exist, in Del Mar and on Santa Rosa Island. The Soledad Valley at the south of Del Mar severs two colony segments.
At the southern edge of Del Mar is the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon. To the north is the San Dieguito Lagoon and the San Dieguito River, which empties into the Pacific Ocean at Del Mar.
The bluffs along Del Mar's south beach are subject to collapse. Properties on the bluffs are subject to the impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise and coastal erosion. The transportation infrastructure is under threat. The city has a climate change adaptation plan which excludes the option of a managed retreat, the strategy that was recommended by the California Coastal Commission in 2019.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which of it is land and of it (3.08%) is water.
Del Mar's climate is considered mediterranean-subtropical with warm, dry summers and mild, humid winters. Temperatures exceed only on a few occasions throughout the year and rarely drop below . The average yearly temperature in Del Mar is approximately . Del Mar regularly receives heavy marine layer clouds due to its position between two lagoons and bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean.
The 2020 United States census reported that Del Mar had a population of 3,954. The population density was . The racial makeup of Del Mar was 84.8% White, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from other races, and 9.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.9% of the population.
The whole population lived in households. There were 1,932 households, out of which 18.6% included children under the age of 18, 46.7% were married-couple households, 6.8% were cohabiting couple households, 25.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 32.9% of households were one person, and 14.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.05. There were 1,101 families (57.0% of all households).
The age distribution was 12.7% under the age of 18, 5.6% aged 18 to 24, 20.1% aged 25 to 44, 31.3% aged 45 to 64, and 30.3% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 53.9years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males.
There were 2,574 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,932 (75.1%) were occupied. Of these, 57.4% were owner-occupied, and 42.6% were occupied by renters.
The median household income of Del Mar in 2019-2023 was $192,845, in 2023 dollars. About 0.4% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line.
The 2010 United States census reported that Del Mar had a population of 4,161. The population density was . The racial makeup of Del Mar was 3,912 (94.0%) White, 10 (0.2%) African American, eight (0.2%) Native American, 118 (2.8%) Asian, three (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 25 (0.6%) from other races, and 85 (2.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 175 people (4.2%).
There were 2,064 households, with 340 (16.5%) having children under the age of 18, and 927 (44.9%) with opposite-sex married couples living together, 114 (5.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 57 (2.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 124 (6.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 19 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. There were 707 households (34.3%) comprising one individual, and 209 (10.1%) comprising one individual 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02. There were 1,098 families (53.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.57.
The population comprised 564 people (13.6%) under the age of 18, 205 people (4.9%) aged 18 to 24, 1,071 people (25.7%) aged 25 to 44, 1,455 people (35.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 866 people (20.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.1 males.
There were 2,596 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,113 (53.9%) were owner-occupied, and 951 (46.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%. Of the population, 2,398 people (57.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,763 people (42.4%) lived in rental housing units.
The City of Del Mar is governed by a city council of five elected representatives. Each year a new mayor is chosen from among the councilmembers. Terry Gaasterland is the mayor in 2025.
In the California State Legislature, Del Mar is in , and in .
In the United States House of Representatives, Del Mar is in .
Del Mar is served by the Del Mar Union School District, which includes eight KâÂÂ8 schools. High school education is provided by the San Dieguito Union High School District.
The North County Transit District operates their BREEZE bus service. The historic Del Mar station once served passengers on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Surf Line and the Amtrak San Diegan intercity service between the early 1900s until its closure in 1995, due to the opening of the new Solana Beach station two miles north. That station provides Coaster commuter rail and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner service. This trainline is the second busiest passenger rail corridor in the United States.
The railroad tracks were built adjacent to coastal bluffs some above the beach. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is conducting a $3 million study on relocating the rail line farther inland through the city. On August 16, 2020, the California Coastal Commission emphasized the need to move the railroad tracks inland due to the persistent coastal erosion which eats away at the bluff each year. The accelerating rate of sea level rise due to global warming adds urgency to the issue. A tunnel under Del Mar which would cost more than $3 billion is being considered.