"To prevent the county from having one more day of being able to make land use decisions, we changed things at the end, and the first act we did was to put a 45-day moratorium on any building permits that were pending in front of the county." That was Richard Hendlin, a member of Solana Beach's first City Council, describing the morning the city began.
The council had planned an evening swearing-in on July 1, 1986. Members learned the county was trying to push through a large batch of building permits before the handover, so they moved the ceremony to sunrise. Forty years later, the anniversary calendar follows the same idea. Almost every place it celebrates is older than the city. The fall events move inland to La Colonia Park, home to a community that had been here for more than six decades when the city was formed.
A city formed over a permit fight
Most residents know the year. Fewer know what drove the vote. According to the Coast News account of the anniversary, a main reason for independence was taking control back from San Diego County, which had supported large commercial development near the San Elijo Lagoon along Coast Highway 101. Three campaigns failed. Proposition N passed in 1986 with nearly 65% of the vote.
Local author Peter House gives the fuller count: "12 years of discussion, two failed San Dieguito efforts, one failed Solana Beach-only vote, and, finally, a successful campaign built on local confidence." He calls incorporation the moment the town learned "to tie its own shoes."
The first council took the oath above Fletcher Cove. Mayor Margaret Schlesinger, Deputy Mayor Jack Moore, and council members Richard Hendlin, Marion Dodson and Celine Olson were sworn in by San Diego Mayor Susan Golding. At this summer's anniversary proclamation, Mayor Lesa Heebner said 24 people have served on the council over those 40 years.
So the anniversary's first big moment took place where the city was sworn in. On July 2, hundreds of people came to Fletcher Cove for a one-night special edition of Concerts at the Cove. BetaMaxx and Atomic Groove played 1980s hits, and Parks and Recreation handed out hot dogs and cupcakes. The second half of the year moves to the oldest ground of all.
Every stop on the calendar is older than the city
The city fit the 40th into its regular community-event calendar instead of building a separate festival. The early schedule listed Fiesta del Sol, the July birthday concert and Beach Blanket Movie Night, followed by fall and holiday events. If you line up the remaining events against the history of each place, a pattern shows up.
| Place | How far back it goes | Its role in the 40th year |
|---|---|---|
| La Colonia de Eden Gardens | Developed 1919–20 | Día de los Muertos, Oct. 18; tree lighting, Dec. 13 |
| Fletcher Cove | Opened 1924 | Birthday concert, July 2; tree lighting, Dec. 6 |
| Cedros Avenue Quonset huts | Early 1950s | Belly Up partnered with the city on the summer concert series |
| Solana Beach | Incorporated July 1, 1986 | The anniversary itself |
Each of these places has its own founding story. La Colonia de Eden Gardens was developed in 1919 and 1920 for Mexican workers who tended the Rancho Santa Fe citrus groves. The cove came a few years later. Col. Ed Fletcher bought 201 acres from farmer George H. Jones in 1922 and cut a notch through the bluff to reach the beach. The opening celebration in 1924 included horse races. Surfers still call it "Pillbox." The Solana Beach Civic & Historical Society tells of a local artist who hid his board there so he could catch dawn-patrol waves before school.
The people who campaigned for cityhood in 1986 wanted local control over what happened to places like these. This year's celebrations are being held in them.
Oct. 18 is the main event, and it's at La Colonia Park
The city's featured history display for the 40th is set for La Colonia Park, 715 Valley Avenue, during the annual Día de los Muertos celebration on Sunday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The city and the La Colonia Community Foundation chose the anniversary as this year's theme. Photos from across the city's history will be the featured display, and the day includes a cake cutting and a limited-edition mug giveaway.
The anniversary pieces sit inside an event that is much older than any city milestone:
- The altars. More than 40 altars will honor family and friends who have passed away. Danza Azteca San Luis Rey blesses them starting at 10 a.m.
- The car show. The Viejitos Car Club hosts a classic car show.
- The music and dance. MiraCosta Ballet Folklórico Club, Los Gringos Muertos Band, Smooth Groove Band, Ilusión Norteña, JoJo Productions and Mariachi Del Mar.
- The contests. Catrin and Catrina costumes, dog costumes and face masks, plus a piñata, a scavenger hunt and crafts for kids.
The city says parking will be limited. It encourages carpooling, biking, walking or public transit, and asks guests to bring their own picnic chairs and blankets. Mexican American food and drinks, plus handmade goods from vendors, will be for sale. The Solana Beach Farmers Market runs that same Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at 444 S. Cedros Avenue, and Belly Up has moe. on its calendar that night. With La Colonia in the morning and Cedros in the afternoon and evening, Oct. 18 covers most of the town's history in a single day.
The Quonset curve you pass every day
Cedros Avenue is part of this story too, even though its anniversary role was mostly in summer. The street's Quonset huts were built for defense contractor Bill Jack in the early 1950s. Belly Up opened in one of them in 1974, the Design District association formed in the early 1990s, and the arches went up in 1997. Belly Up opened on Sept. 28, 1974, at 143 South Cedros Ave. The historical society says Dave Hodges picked the name as a reply to people who predicted the bar would fail.
The train depot at 105 North Cedros Avenue, finished in 1995, picks up the same shape. Rob Wellington Quigley gave it the curved Quonset form, a nod to the street's industrial past. The station opened nine years after incorporation, and its design borrows from buildings that were already about 40 years old. Long before this anniversary, the city was building new things to fit what was already here.
What's left on the 40th-year calendar
After Oct. 18, the remaining dates move back and forth between the cove and La Colonia:
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. A clothing swap tied to World Kindness Day on the Fletcher Cove Community Center lawn, 133 Pacific Ave. A Fixit Clinic inside the center offers help with clothing, bicycles, lighting, gadgets and small appliances.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 4:30 p.m. The Fletcher Cove Holiday Tree Lighting. Mayor Heebner and the council switch on the lights, and Santa is scheduled to arrive by fire truck at 5:20 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 13, 5–7 p.m. The La Colonia Holiday Tree Lighting at La Colonia Park, hosted by the city and the La Colonia Community Foundation, with Mexican hot cocoa and Santa arriving at 5:20 p.m.
Some early coverage listed Nov. 13 and Dec. 12. The city's current event pages give Nov. 14 and Dec. 13.
If you want the longer history behind these places, Peter House expanded his 2025 book into Making Great Better: 100 Years of Creating a California Coastal City for the anniversary. Drawing on the historical society's digital archives, it follows how Fletcher Cove, Highway 101, Cedros Avenue, La Colonia, the suburbs and the smaller commercial centers changed over time. He offers it as a free illustrated PDF. It's worth reading before Oct. 18, so the photos at La Colonia Park have context.
At Modern Homes Team, we see a home's history as part of its value, from a Quonset curve on Cedros to a house on one of Solana Beach's early subdivisions. If you own a home here and want to know how its story and design affect today's market, request a complimentary home valuation.
