Page 2 - Cardiff Book 2019

Cardiff-by-the-Sea History
Cardiff-by-the Sea was founded by J. Frank Cullen, a painter from Boston, turned developer in 1910. The land was cultivated by Hector McKinnon who settled here in 1875 and was the only farmer between Oceanside and San Diego, along the coast. Cullen purchased the land from McKinnon and began selling plots.
There are different accounts about how Cardiff received its name. Reportedly, Frank Cullen wanted to give his little town a Spanish name but was persuaded by his wife to name the community, “Cardiff” after her native Cardiff, Wales. According to Cardiff101.com it may have been a German musician named Victor Kremer who was developing the area above Birmingham who added “by the Sea” to Cardiff’s name. The origination of this may have been taken from the song “By the Beautiful Sea.” Many streets in Cardiff bear the name of streets after places in the British Isles.
In 1912, Clarence Cole established a kelp works along the bluffs of San Elijo Lagoon, which provided the area with an industry other than farming. This same year, Cullen built an ocean pier and a hotel overlooking the ocean. This was followed by the establishment of the Cardiff School District in 1913, the first Cardiff Library opening in 1914, and the addition of a post office and train station in the 1920’s.
02/2019 - INFORMATION IS DEEMED RELIABLE, BUT NOT GUARANTEED. 1