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Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach History

   Singers Jan and Dean honored Huntington Beach in their '60s hit “Surf City.” But few visitors realize that the town owes less to sand and surf than it does another natural resource: oil.
   Huntington Beach began as a part of an 18th-century Spanish land grant. Horses and cattle were raised on the land, which was known as Shell Beach until the late 1800s. By 1901, the town was called Pacific City, but the name changed again in 1904. Community leaders decided to honor developer Henry Huntington, who made the city a stop on his Pacific Electric "Red Car" Railway line, and the town was renamed Huntington Beach.
   In 1920, oil was discovered in Huntington Beach. The small community became a boomtown, with rows of derricks lining the city's shores. The town garnered a new nickname -- "Oil City" -- and even the local high school took the name "Oilers" as its mascot. Oil drilling became a major source of employment in the area, and it remains so today.
   When the Pacific Coast Highway opened in 1925, visitors flocked to the city's nine miles of virgin beaches, and Huntington Beach soon gained another nickname: "Surf City." The area became renowned for its excellent climate and surfing conditions, and by the 1950s, Huntington Beach had become the fastest-growing city in America. Surfing remains popular today. The city hosts several annual international surfing championships, many of which are televised, and it's home to the International Surfing Museum.
   Huntington Beach's famous pier was closed in 1988 after officials found it structurally unsafe. It was rebuilt to resemble its original 1914 design, blending reinforced steel with the traditional concrete to keep it strong well into the next century.

Activities

   Huntington Beach, aka "Surf City," is truly a surfers' mecca. Grab your board and catch some waves along the city's nine miles of beachfront. Because the coast curves so strongly at Huntington Beach, the beach actually faces south, making it one of the most pleasant, sunny beaches on the West Coast.
   If you'd rather stay on land, you can watch top surfers "hang ten" during the U.S. Open of Surfing or one of the other annual surfing championships held in Huntington Beach. Visit the International Surfing Museum for exhibits on everything from surf music to skateboarding. Or sit back and watch a movie during the annual three-day Surf Film Festival.
   The city also hosts several other annual sporting events, including AVP Pro Beach Volleyball and the Core Tour Extreme BMX Bike and Skate Competition.
   Huntington Beach Pier is California's longest concrete municipal pier. You can fish, swim, bike or skate, or just take a stroll along the nearby beach. Pierside Pavilion, just north of the pier, offers theaters, shops and restaurants.
   The Central Library, located in the city's Central Park, houses almost a half-million volumes, as well as a theater, gift shop and fountains. Central Park is also home to Talbert Meadows, the Huntington Beach Community Theater, the Shipley Nature Center and the Monarch Butterfly Habitat.
   Beachgoers can visit Huntington State Beach to the south, the pier-centered City Beach in the middle of town, and Bolsa Chica State Beach on the city's north side. And if your canine is along for the ride, he or she will love Dog Beach at Huntington Cliffs.
   Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is the largest salt marsh in Southern California and home to a wide variety of plants, birds and animals. A walk-bridge lets visitors take a closer look at sharks, stingrays, snails, crabs and other marine life. The reserve is also one of the best bird-watching locations in the state.

Huntington Beach Fast Facts

   Location: Huntington Beach is located 15 miles south of Long Beach, about 36 miles from downtown Los Angeles
 *Total area: 31.56 square miles (26.39 square miles land area; 5.17 square miles water area)
  *Population: 189,594
  *Housing units: 75,662
   Average annual rainfall: 13.84 inches
   Average temperatures: 74ºF in summer, 58ºF in winter
*Information provided by 2000 Census

Schools

   There are 33 public schools in Huntington Beach: 21 elementary schools, seven middle/intermediate schools and five high schools.
   Golden West College is the local community college.

Beaches

• Bolsa Chica State Beach, located at Pacific Coast Highway between Golden West Street and Warner Avenue
• Huntington Cliffs/Dog Beach, located at Pacific Coast Highway at Sea Point Avenue
• Huntington Beach Pier, located at Pacific Coast Highway at Main Street
• Huntington State Beach, located at Pacific Coast Highway between Beach Boulevard and Brookhurt Street

Maps of Huntington Beach

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