Beaches
- Fletcher Cove: the main beach, a small protected inlet good for swimming and surfing
- Fletcher Cove Park: a park just up the hill from the water, close to the train station
- Tide Beach Park: a smaller beach to the north
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Living in Solana Beach.
What it's like to live here.
Solana Beach is a small coastal city in North County, between Encinitas and Del Mar. It's home to Fletcher Cove, Tide Beach and the Cedros Design District, with a walkable downtown and a train station right in the middle of it all.
With around 13,000 residents, it has more of a small-town feel than most of the coast. Most people choose Solana Beach for the beach, the walkable shops and restaurants, and how easy it is to get to the rest of San Diego.
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Where The Ultra Wealthy Live In San Diego
Median sale price$1,990,048
Median days on market32 days
Source: Redfin
Solana Beach at a glance.
LocationNorth County coast, along I-5
ZIP code92075
PopulationAbout 13,000
Land areaAbout 3.4 square miles
Main roadsI-5 and Coast Highway 101
Train serviceCoaster and Amtrak
Population and land area from the 2020 U.S. Census.
Things to do around town.
Amenities
- Cedros Design District: more than 85 galleries, boutiques, home stores and cafes
- Belly Up: a live music venue on Cedros Avenue since 1974
- Farmers market: held on Sundays on Cedros Avenue
- Del Mar: the racetrack and fairgrounds are just south of town
Parks and hiking
- San Elijo Lagoon: about 5 miles of trails through a coastal wetland
- Annie's Canyon: a short, steep loop with ocean and lagoon views
- Coastal Rail Trail: a walking and biking path through town
Schools
- Solana Beach School District: includes Skyline and Solana Vista elementary schools
- San Dieguito Union High: includes Earl Warren Middle School, with a high school choice policy
School assignments vary by address, so confirm them with the district.
Getting around.
You can drive or take the train. I-5 runs through town, and Solana Beach station sits right downtown, off Lomas Santa Fe Drive.
Del MarAbout 5 minutes
EncinitasAbout 10 minutes
Downtown San DiegoAbout 25 minutes
San Diego airportAbout 25 minutes
Coaster to downtownUnder 1 hour
AmtrakTrains to Orange County and LA
Drive times are estimates and change with traffic.
Who Solana Beach is right for.
Solana Beach is a strong fit if you want a small coastal town where the beach is close and life feels easy. At just over 3 square miles, it's one of the smaller cities in San Diego County, so the beach, shops and restaurants are never far away.
It's also a great match if you like having somewhere to walk to. Cedros Avenue gives you galleries, boutiques, home stores and cafes, and the Sunday farmers market is a weekly routine for many people here. In the evening, you can catch a show at the Belly Up, which has been hosting live music since 1974.
If you love the outdoors, you have the ocean on one side and San Elijo Lagoon on the north end of town. Fletcher Cove is a great spot to swim, surf or watch the sunset, and Tide Beach Park is a quieter stretch of sand to the north. Annie's Canyon and the lagoon trails are close by when you want a short hike.
Solana Beach also works well if you commute or travel often. I-5 runs through town, and Solana Beach station is served by both the Coaster and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, so you can take the train south to San Diego or north toward Orange County and Los Angeles. Carmel Valley's job centers and Highway 56 are also close by.
Before you decide, keep in mind that Solana Beach is small, so there's a limited number of homes on the market at any given time. Living near the bluffs feels different from living east of I-5, and home types and prices can vary from one street to the next. If you're not sure where you'd fit best, I'm happy to walk you through the options and show you around.
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