City (pop., 2000: 161,029), southwestern California, U.S. Located along the Pacific coast on the Gulf of Santa Catalina, north of San Diego , it is a beach resort.
The city was incorporated in 1888, and its growth was spurred in 1942 by the opening of a U.S. Marine Corps base, Camp Pendleton, to the north. Nearby is the restored Mission San Luis Rey (founded 1798).