Old Town is on the Pacific in the northwest. It has expanded to the east with new subdivisions. Through redevelopment, Old Town has been renovated, preserving what could be saved, including the train depot, several hotels and a Victorian restaurant. On summer nights, the promenade is filled with strollers enjoying the restaurants, cafes, sidewalk dining, shops and the nightclubs. Here's where you'll find the oldest homes in Carlsbad, mixed in with new.
Some units are small but well-kept.
The streets are wide and laid out on a grid, the old style. East of Interstate 5, suburbia takes over with a mix of tract homes and apartments. The streets rise into the hills and, with some searching, homes with views can be had. There's a regional shopping plaza at the north end of El Cantino Real. South of Old Town and the Agua Hedionda Lagoon is another small but growing neighborhood with a mix of single homes and apartments around another big lagoon, Batiquitos.