Huntington Beach, California
Encyclopedia
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County
in Southern California
. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the southwest, by Seal Beach
on the northwest, by Costa Mesa
on the east, by Newport Beach
on the southeast, by Westminster
on the north, and by Fountain Valley
on the northeast.
It is known for its long 8.5 miles (13.7 km) beach, mild climate, and excellent surfing
. The waves are a unique natural effect caused by edge-diffraction of ocean swells by the island of Catalina
, and waves from distant hurricanes.
The area was originally occupied by the Tongva people. European settlement can be traced to a Spanish soldier, Manuel Nieto
, who in 1784 received a Spanish land grant of 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²), Rancho Los Nietos
, as a reward for his military service and to encourage settlement in Alta California
. Nieto's western area was reduced in 1790 because of a dispute with the Mission San Gabriel, but he retained thousands of acres stretching from the hills north of Whittier
, Fullerton
and Brea
, south to the Pacific Ocean, and from today's Los Angeles River
on the west, to the Santa Ana River
on the east.
The main thoroughfare of Huntington Beach, Beach Boulevard, was originally a cattle route for the main industry of the Rancho. Since its time as a parcel of the enormous Spanish land grant, Huntington Beach has undergone many incarnations. One time it was known Shell Beach, the town of Smeltzer, and then Gospel Swamp for the revival meetings that were held in the marshland where the community college Golden West College
can currently be found. Later it became known as Fairview and then Pacific City as it developed into a tourist destination. In order to secure access to the Red Car lines that used to criss-cross Los Angeles and ended in Long Beach, Pacific City ceded enormous power to railroad magnate Henry Huntington, and thus became a city whose name has been written into corporate sponsorship, and like much of the history of Southern California, boosterism
.
Huntington Beach incorporated on February 17, 1909 under its first mayor, Ed Manning. Its original developer was the Huntington Beach Company (formerly the West Coast Land and Water Company), a real-estate development firm owned by Henry Huntington. The Huntington Beach Company is still a major land-owner in the city, and still owns most of the local mineral rights.
An interesting hiccup in the settlement of the district occurred when an encyclopedia company gave away free parcels of land, with the purchase of a whole set for $126, in the Huntington Beach area that it had acquired cheaply. The lucky buyers got more than they had bargained for when oil was discovered in the area, and enormous development of the oil reserves followed. Though many of the old wells are empty, and the price of land for housing has pushed many of the rigs off the landscape, oil pumps can still be found to dot the city.
Huntington Beach was primarily agricultural in its early years with crops such as celery and sugar beets. Holly Sugar
was a major employer with a large processing plant in the city that was later converted to an oil refinery.
The city's first high school, Huntington Beach High School
was built in 1906. The school's team, the Oilers, is named after the city's original natural resource.
Meadowlark Airport
, a small general aviation airport, existed in Huntington Beach from the 1940s until 1989.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 31.9 square miles (82.6 km²). 26.7 sq mi (69.2 km²) of it is land and 5.1 sq mi (13.2 km²) of it (16.10%) is water.
The entire city of Huntington Beach lies in area codes 657 and 714, except for small parts of Huntington Harbour
(along with Sunset Beach, the unincorporated community adjacent to Huntington Harbour), which is in the 562 Area Code
.
(Köppen climate classification
Csb). The climate is generally sunny, dry and cool, although evenings can be excessively damp. In the morning and evening, there are often strong breezes, 15 mph (24.1 km/h). Ocean water temperatures average 55 °F (12.8 °C) to 65 °F (18.3 °C). In the summer, temperatures rarely exceed 85 °F (29.4 °C). In the winter, temperatures rarely fall below 40 °F (4.4 °C), even on clear nights. There are about 14 inches (355.6 mm) of rain, almost all in mid-winter. Frost occurs only rarely on the coldest winter nights. The area is annually affected by a marine layer
caused by the cool air of the Pacific Ocean meeting the warm air over the land. This results in overcast and foggy conditions in May and June.
Construction of any kind on the beach is prohibited without a vote of the people, allowing Huntington Beach to retain its natural tie to the ocean rather than having the view obscured by residential and commercial developments.
Between Downtown Huntington Beach and Huntington Harbour
lies a large marshy wetland, much of which is protected within the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. A $110 million restoration of the wetlands was completed in 2006. The Reserve is popular with bird watchers and photographers.
South of Downtown, the Talbert, Brookhurst and Magnolia Marshes, which lie across the street from Huntington State Beach, had restoration completed in 2010.
The northern and southern beaches (Bolsa Chica State Beach
and Huntington State Beach
, respectively) are state parks. Only the central beach (Huntington City Beach) is maintained by the city. Camping and RVs are permitted here, and popular campsites for the Fourth of July
and the Surfing Championships must be reserved many months in advance. Bolsa Chica State Beach is actually a sand bar fronting the Bolsa Bay and Bolsa Chica State Ecological Reserve.
The Orange County run Sunset Marina Park next to Huntington Harbour is part of Anaheim Bay. It is suitable for light craft, and includes a marina, launching ramp, basic services, a picnic area and a few restaurants. The park is in Seal Beach
, but is only reachable from Huntington Harbour. The Sunset/Huntington Harbour area is patrolled by the Orange County Sheriff's Harbor Patrol.
The harbor entrance for Anaheim Bay is sometimes restricted by the United States Navy
, which loads ships with munitions at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station
to the north of the main channel.
was 5,959.1 people per square mile (2,300.8/km²). The racial makeup of Huntington Beach was 145,661 (76.7%) White, 1,813 (1.0%) African American, 992 (0.5%) Native American, 21,070 (11.1%) Asian, 635 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 11,193 (5.9%) from other races
, and 8,628 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32,411 persons (17.1%).
The Census reported that 189,102 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 487 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 403 (0.2%) were institutionalized.
There were 74,285 households, out of which 21,922 (29.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 36,729 (49.4%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 7,685 (10.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3,804 (5.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 4,386 (5.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 504 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 18,489 households (24.9%) were made up of individuals and 6,527 (8.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55. There were 48,218 families
(64.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.07.
The population was spread out with 39,128 people (20.6%) under the age of 18, 15,906 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 54,024 people (28.4%) aged 25 to 44, 53,978 people (28.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 26,956 people (14.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
There were 78,003 housing units at an average density of 2,446.5 per square mile (944.6/km²), of which 44,914 (60.5%) were owner-occupied, and 29,371 (39.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%. 115,470 people (60.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 73,632 people (38.8%) lived in rental housing units.
was 7,183.6 inhabitants per square mile (2,773.9/km²). There were 75,662 housing units at an average density of 2,866.8 per square mile (1,107.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.2% White
, 0.8% Black
or African American
, 0.7% Native American
, 9.3% Asian
, 0.2% Pacific Islander
, 5.8% from other races
, and 3.9% from two or more races. 14.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
of any race.
There were 73,657 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples
living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $76,527, and the median income for a family was $94,597. Adult males had a median income of $50,021 versus $33,041 for adult females. The per capita income
for the city was $40,183. About 5.1% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
will cease and tourism will replace it as the primary revenue source for resident industry.
The city is discussing closing off Main Street to cars from PCH through the retail shopping and restaurant areas, making it a pedestrian zone only. Other shopping centers include Bella Terra
, built on the former Huntington Center site, and Old World Village, a German-themed center.
Huntington Beach has an off-shore oil terminus for the tankers that support the Alaska Pipeline. The terminus pipes run inland to a refinery in Santa Fe Springs. Huntington Beach also has the Gothard-Talbert terminus for the Orange County portion of the pipeline running from the Chevron El Segundo refinery.
Several hotels have been constructed on the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1)
within view of the beach, just southeast of the pier
.
Huntington Beach contains a major installation of Boeing
, formerly McDonnell-Douglas. A number of installations on the Boeing campus were originally constructed to service the Apollo Program
, most notably the production of the S-IVB
upper stage for the Saturn IB
and Saturn V
rockets, and some nearby telephone poles are still marked "Apollo Dedicated Mission Control Line."
Huntington Beach contains a small industrial district in its northwest corner, near the borders with Westminster and Seal Beach.
USA" trademark
in November 2004. The idea was to market the city by creating an authentic brand based on Southern California's beach culture and active outdoor lifestyle while at the same time creating a family of product licensees who operate like a franchise family producing a revenue stream that could also be dedicated to promoting the brand and city. A ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office released on May 12, 2006 awarded three trademark registrations to the Bureau; nine additional trademark registrations have been granted since this time and ten other Surf City USA trademarks are now under consideration. One of the first products the Bureau developed to promote its brand was the Surf City USA Beach Cruiser by Felt Bicycles in 2006. The product has sold out every year in markets worldwide and created demand for a second rental bicycle model that will be marketed to resort locations across the globe starting in 2009. The Bureau now has dozens of other licensed products on the market from Surf City USA soft drinks to clothing to glassware. As of April 2008, the Bureau had more than 20 licensing partners with over 50 different products being prepared to enter the market over the next 18 months. Four of the Bureau's registrations of the trademark are now on the principal register
and the remaining ten trademark applications are expected to follow. The Bureau is actively considering registration of the Surf City USA trademark in several different countries and anticipates a growing market for its branded products overseas in coming years.
An ongoing dispute between Huntington Beach and Santa Cruz, California
over the trademark garnered positive national publicity in 2007 when a law firm representing Huntington Beach sent a cease-and-desist letter to a Santa Cruz t-shirt vendor. A settlement was reached in January, 2008, which allows the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau to retain the trademark.
The downtown district includes an active art center, a colorful shopping district, and the International Surfing Museum. This district was also the home of the Golden Bear
from 1929–1986. Originally a fine dining restaurant opened by Harry Bakre in 1929, the Golden Bear became a nightclub in 1963 and hosted famous-name entertainment until it was demolished in 1986. The list of artists who performed there includes BB King, Janis Joplin, Steve Martin, Charles Bukowski, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Huntington Beach Pier
stretches from Main Street into the Pacific Ocean. At the end of the pier
is a Ruby's Diner.
The Surf Theatre, which was located one block north of the pier, gained fame in the 1960s and 1970s for showing independent surf films such as The Endless Summer
and Five Summer Stories
. The Surf Theatre was owned and operated by Hugh Larry Thomas from 1961 until it was demolished in 1989. A newer version of The Surf Theatre is now closed, but the International Surf Museum has preserved its memory with a permanent exhibit featuring vintage seats and screening of surfing movies once shown at a Huntington Beach theater.
BJ's Restaurant & Brewery is also based in Huntington Beach.
is featured on the south side of the pier. Huntington Beach was a stop on the AVP
beach volleyball tour. A biathlon (swim/run) hosted by the Bolsa Chica & Huntington State Beach Lifeguards takes place in July, early at dawn. The race begins at the Santa Ana River
Jetties and ends at Warner Avenue, Bolsa Chica State Beach
. Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard day camp
s are held which teaches pre-adolescents and adolescents ocean swimming, running, and first-aid medical knowledge.
In addition to the beach-focused events, the Fourth of July parade has been held since 1904. The SoCal Independent Film Festival takes place every September.
During the winter the annual Cruise of Lights Boat Tour is held in the Huntington Harbour
neighborhood. This is a parade of colorful lighted boats as well as boat tours to view the decorated homes. The annual Kite Festival is held just north of the pier in late February.
Huntington Beach hosts car shows such as the Beachcruiser Meet and a Concours d'Elegance
. The Beachcruiser Meet is held in March, attracting over 250 classic cars displayed along Main Street and the Pier parking lot. A Concours d'Elegance is held at Central Park in June and benefits the public library. An informal "Donut Derelicts
" car show occurs every Saturday morning at the intersection of Adams and Magnolia Street.
Surf City Nights is held every Tuesday night during the entire year. The Tuesday Surf City Nights is a community-spirited event that features a farmer's market, unique entertainment, food, kiddie rides and a carnival atmosphere. Surf City Nights and the Downtown Huntington Beach Art Walk are presented by the Huntington Beach Downtown Business Improvement District (HBDBID) and the City of Huntington Beach. The Tuesday night Surf City Nights event takes place in the first three blocks of Main Street from Pacific Coast Highway to Orange Avenue.
Huntington Beach is the site of the world surfing
championships, held in the summer every year. The city is often referred to as "Surf City" because of this high profile event, its history and culture of surfing. It is often called the "Surfing Capital of the World", not for the height of the waves, but rather for the consistent quality of surf. Gordon Duane established the city's first surf shop, Gordie's Surfboards, in 1955.
Huntington Beach's Ocean View Little League won the 2011 Little League World Series
championship, beating Japan 2-1.
and that of the United States. Huntington Beach has four different facing beaches: Northwest, West, Southwest, and South. Northwest consists of Bolsa Chica State Beach
with a length of 3.3 miles (5.3 km), the West consist of "The Cliffs" or "Dog Beach", Southwest is considered everything north of the pier which is operated by the City of Huntington Beach. South consists in everything south of the pier which primarily focuses on Huntington State Beach
(2.2 Miles), which almost faces true South.
Bolsa Chica State Beach
is operated by the State of California
, Dept. Parks & Recreation, and the Bolsa Chica State Beach Lifeguards. The beach is very narrow and the sand is very coarse. Bolsa Chica tends to have better surf with NW/W swells during the winter season. During the summer months the beach picks up south/southwest swells at a very steep angle. Due to the bottom of the beach, surf
at Bolsa Chica tends to be slowed down and refined to soft shoulders. Longboards are the best option for surfing in the Bolsa Chica area.
"The Cliffs" or "Dog Beach" is also another popular surf spot. This segment of Huntington Beach obtains these names because dogs are allowed around the cliff area. Beach is very restricted and often is submerged with high tides. Surf at this location tends to be even bigger than Bolsa Chica during the winter and often better. During the summer most of the South/Southwest swells slide right by and often break poorly. The best option is to take out a longboard, but shortboards will do at times. Dolphins have also been sighted in this area.
Just north and south of the Huntington Beach Pier are some well defined sandbars that shift throughout the year with the different swells. Southside of the Pier is often a popular destination during the summer for good surf, but the Northside can be just as well during the winter. Around the Pier it all depends on the swell and the sandbars. Shortboard is your best option for surfing around the Pier.
South Huntington Beach, also known as Huntington State Beach
, is where all the south swells impact the coastline. Huntington State Beach is operated by the State of California, Department of Parks & Recreation, and Huntington State Beach Lifeguards. This beach
is very wide with plenty of sand
. Sandbars dramatically shift during the spring, summer and fall seasons, thus creating excellent surf conditions with a combination South/West/Northwest swell. Due to the Santa Ana River
jetties located at the southern most end of the beach, large sandbars extend across and upcoast, forcing swells to break extremely fast and hollow. Best seasons for surfing at this beach is the summer and fall. The best option for surfing in this area is a shortboard.
Huntington Beach is also a popular destination for kite surfing, and this sport can be viewed on the beach northwest of the pier.
Huntington Beach is the host city of the National Professional Paintball League
Super 7 Paintball Championships. The NPPL holds its first event of the year traditionally between the dates of March 23 through March 26.
Huntington Beach also hosts the annual Surf City USA Marathon and Half-Marathon, which is usually held on the first Sunday of February.
(low water use) plants, and inhabited by native wildlife. Thick forests encircling the park are supplemented with Australian trees, particularly Blue Gum Eucalyptus
, a high water use plant.
The Huntington Beach Public Library
is located in Central Park in a notable building designed by Richard Neutra
and Dion Neutra
. It houses almost a half-million volumes, as well as a theater, gift shop and fountains. The library was founded as a Carnegie library
in 1914, and has been continuously supported by the city and local activists, with new buildings and active branches at Banning, Oak View, Main Street, and Graham. The library has significant local historical materials and has a special genealogical
reference collection. It is independent of the state and county library systems.
The park is also home of Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center, a top class boarding facility that also offers horse rentals to the public, with guided trail rides through the park. There is also a "mud park" available for kids. The world's second oldest disc golf course is available in the park, as are two small dining areas, a sports complex for adult use, and the Shipley Nature Center.
The Bolsa Chica Wetlands
, which are diminishing rapidly due to development, contains numerous trails and scenic routes. The wetlands themselves have recently been connected with the ocean again, in effort to maintain its previous, unaltered conditions.
The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:
Huntington Beach is located in the 35th Senate
District, represented by Republican
Tom Harman
, and in the 67th Assembly
District, represented by Republican Jim Silva
. Federally, Huntington Beach is located in California's 46th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of R +6 and is represented by Republican Dana Rohrabacher
.
As of June 1, 2010, the city has 127,660 registered voters. 45.8% are registered Republican
s, 28.5% are registered Democrat
s, 20.7% are decline to state, and the balance are registered with third parties. Like much of Orange County
, Huntington Beach politics are dominated by Republicans.
, which offers two-year associates of arts degrees and transfer programs to four year universities.
Huntington Beach is in the Huntington Beach Union High School District
, which includes Edison High School
, Huntington Beach High School
, Marina High School
, and Ocean View High School
in the city of Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley High School
in the city of Fountain Valley
, and Westminster High School
in the city of Westminster
.
The district also has an alternative school, Valley Vista High School, and an independent study school, Coast High School.
Huntington Beach High School
, which is the district's flagship school, celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2006.
The city has two elementary school districts: Huntington Beach City with 9 schools and Ocean View with 15. A small part of the city is served by the Fountain Valley School District.
Huntington Beach is also home to The Pegasus School
, a nationally recognized blue ribbon school
.
Brethren Christian Junior/Senior High School
is a private independent school with about 400 students living within 25 miles (40.2 km) of the school.
{| class="wikitable"
song Surfin' Safari
and in Surfer Joe by The Surfaris
.
Live cameras are set up at the Huntington Beach Pier
and shown on screens at the California-themed Hollister
apparel stores. The store pays the city for the cameras, with the money used to fund marine safety equipment. The cameras are also used by lifeguards.
The public television station KOCE-TV
operates from the Golden West College campus, in conjunction with the Golden West College Media Arts program.
Two weekly newspapers cover Huntington Beach: The Huntington Beach Independent and The Wave Section of The Orange County Register
.
Ashlee Simpson
's music video for "La La
" was filmed in Huntington Beach.
Fire protection in Huntington Beach is provided by the Huntington Beach Fire Department
. Law enforcement is provided by the Huntington Beach Police Department. Huntington Beach Marine Safety Officers and its seasonal lifeguards are recognized as some of the best in the world with a top notch safety record. It has an active Community Emergency Response Team
training program, that trains citizens as Disaster Service Workers certified by Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) as a part of a free program run by the fire department's Office of Emergency Services.
Emergency services are also provided at State Beach locations. Peace Officers and lifeguards can be found at Bolsa Chica and Huntington State Beach. Such services consist of: aquatic rescues, boat rescues, first aid and law enforcement. All services are provided by the State of California, Dept. Parks & Recreation.
In 1926, the Santa Ana River
dam failed, and flash-flooded its entire delta
. The southern oceanic terminus of this delta is now a settled area of Huntington Beach. The distant dam is still functional, but silting up, which is expected to reduce its storage volume, and therefore its effectiveness at flood-prevention. The flood and dam-endangered areas are protected by a levee, but lenders require expensive flood insurance in the delta. There have been serious discussions to eliminate the need for flood insurance and this requirement has already been waived in some areas and may one day no longer be considered a credible threat.
Since it is a seaside city, Huntington Beach has had tsunami
warnings, storm surge (its pier
has been rebuilt three times), sewage spills, tornadoes and waterspouts. The cold offshore current prevents hurricanes. The Pier that was rebuilt in the 1990s was engineered to withstand severe storms or earthquakes.
Large fractions of the settled delta are in earthquake liquefaction zones above known active faults. Most of the local faults are named after city streets.
Many residents (and even city hall) live within sight and sound of active oil extraction and drilling operations. These occasionally spew oil, causing expensive clean-ups. Large parts of the developed land have been contaminated by heavy metals from the water separated from oil.
The local oil has such extreme mercury contamination that metallic mercury is regularly drained from oil pipelines and equipment. Oil operations increase when the price of oil rises. Some oil fields have been approved for development. The worst-polluted areas have been reclaimed as parks. At least one Superfund site, too contaminated to be a park, is at the junction of Magnolia and Hamilton streets, near Edison High School.
, Aichi, Japan Waitakere
, New Zealand
Huntington Beach also has youth exchange programs with both cities, sending four teenagers on an exchange student basis for two weeks in order to gather different cultural experiences.
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the southwest, by Seal Beach
Seal Beach, California
-Neighborhoods:Seal Beach encompasses the Leisure World retirement gated community with roughly 9,000 residents. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S...
on the northwest, by Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
on the east, by Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
on the southeast, by Westminster
Westminster, California
-Government:In the state legislature Westminster is located in the 34th, Senate District, represented by Democrat Lou Correa and Republican Tom Harman respectively, and in the 67th and 68th Assembly District, represented by Republicans Jim Silva and Van Tran respectively...
on the north, and by Fountain Valley
Fountain Valley, California
Fountain Valley is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 55,313 at the 2010 census. A classic bedroom community, Fountain Valley is a middle-class residential area.- History :...
on the northeast.
It is known for its long 8.5 miles (13.7 km) beach, mild climate, and excellent surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
. The waves are a unique natural effect caused by edge-diffraction of ocean swells by the island of Catalina
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
, and waves from distant hurricanes.
History
Manuel Nieto
Jose Manuel Nieto was a soldier from the Presidio of San Diego who was assigned to the Mission San Gabriel at the time his land was granted by the Spanish Empire in 1784.-Spanish soldier:...
, who in 1784 received a Spanish land grant of 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²), Rancho Los Nietos
Rancho Los Nietos
Rancho Los Nietos was one of the first, and the largest, Spanish land concession in Alta California. Located in present day Los Angeles County and Orange County, California. Rancho Los Nietos was awarded to Manuel Nieto in 1784...
, as a reward for his military service and to encourage settlement in Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
. Nieto's western area was reduced in 1790 because of a dispute with the Mission San Gabriel, but he retained thousands of acres stretching from the hills north of Whittier
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
, Fullerton
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
and Brea
Brea, California
Brea is a city in Orange County, California. The population, as of the 2010 Census was 39,282.The city began as a center of crude oil production, was later propelled by citrus production, and is now an important retail center because of the large Brea Mall and the recently redeveloped Brea Downtown...
, south to the Pacific Ocean, and from today's Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
on the west, to the Santa Ana River
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
on the east.
The main thoroughfare of Huntington Beach, Beach Boulevard, was originally a cattle route for the main industry of the Rancho. Since its time as a parcel of the enormous Spanish land grant, Huntington Beach has undergone many incarnations. One time it was known Shell Beach, the town of Smeltzer, and then Gospel Swamp for the revival meetings that were held in the marshland where the community college Golden West College
Golden West College
Golden West College or GWC, is a community college providing two-year associate of arts degrees, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges and universities...
can currently be found. Later it became known as Fairview and then Pacific City as it developed into a tourist destination. In order to secure access to the Red Car lines that used to criss-cross Los Angeles and ended in Long Beach, Pacific City ceded enormous power to railroad magnate Henry Huntington, and thus became a city whose name has been written into corporate sponsorship, and like much of the history of Southern California, boosterism
Boosterism
Boosterism is the act of "boosting," or promoting, one's town, city, or organization, with the goal of improving public perception of it. Boosting can be as simple as "talking up" the entity at a party or as elaborate as establishing a visitors' bureau. It is somewhat associated with American small...
.
Huntington Beach incorporated on February 17, 1909 under its first mayor, Ed Manning. Its original developer was the Huntington Beach Company (formerly the West Coast Land and Water Company), a real-estate development firm owned by Henry Huntington. The Huntington Beach Company is still a major land-owner in the city, and still owns most of the local mineral rights.
An interesting hiccup in the settlement of the district occurred when an encyclopedia company gave away free parcels of land, with the purchase of a whole set for $126, in the Huntington Beach area that it had acquired cheaply. The lucky buyers got more than they had bargained for when oil was discovered in the area, and enormous development of the oil reserves followed. Though many of the old wells are empty, and the price of land for housing has pushed many of the rigs off the landscape, oil pumps can still be found to dot the city.
Huntington Beach was primarily agricultural in its early years with crops such as celery and sugar beets. Holly Sugar
Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based in Sugar Land, Texas, with sugar refinery operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana....
was a major employer with a large processing plant in the city that was later converted to an oil refinery.
The city's first high school, Huntington Beach High School
Huntington Beach High School
Huntington Beach High School is a public high school in Huntington Beach, California. Opened in 1906, it is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. HBHS is a California Distinguished School...
was built in 1906. The school's team, the Oilers, is named after the city's original natural resource.
Meadowlark Airport
Meadowlark Airport
Meadowlark Airport was a small general aviation airport in Southern California, about a mile east of the Pacific Ocean in Huntington Beach. Meadowlark's IATA airport code was L16...
, a small general aviation airport, existed in Huntington Beach from the 1940s until 1989.
Geography
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 31.9 square miles (82.6 km²). 26.7 sq mi (69.2 km²) of it is land and 5.1 sq mi (13.2 km²) of it (16.10%) is water.
The entire city of Huntington Beach lies in area codes 657 and 714, except for small parts of Huntington Harbour
Huntington Harbour, Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Harbour is a community in the north end of Huntington Beach in Orange County, California. Huntington Harbour is a residential development of consisting of five manmade islands with waterways used for boating.-History:...
(along with Sunset Beach, the unincorporated community adjacent to Huntington Harbour), which is in the 562 Area Code
Area code 562
Area code 562 is a California telephone area code that was split from area code 310 on January 25, 1997. It is the area code for much of southeastern Los Angeles County, California, and parts of northern Orange County, California.-History:...
.
Climate
Huntington Beach has a Mediterranean climateMediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Csb). The climate is generally sunny, dry and cool, although evenings can be excessively damp. In the morning and evening, there are often strong breezes, 15 mph (24.1 km/h). Ocean water temperatures average 55 °F (12.8 °C) to 65 °F (18.3 °C). In the summer, temperatures rarely exceed 85 °F (29.4 °C). In the winter, temperatures rarely fall below 40 °F (4.4 °C), even on clear nights. There are about 14 inches (355.6 mm) of rain, almost all in mid-winter. Frost occurs only rarely on the coldest winter nights. The area is annually affected by a marine layer
Marine layer
A marine layer is an air mass which develops over the surface of a large body of water such as the ocean or large lake in the presence of a temperature inversion. The inversion itself is usually initiated by the cooling effect of the water on the surface layer of an otherwise warm air mass...
caused by the cool air of the Pacific Ocean meeting the warm air over the land. This results in overcast and foggy conditions in May and June.
Natural resources
Between Downtown Huntington Beach and Huntington Harbour
Huntington Harbour, Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Harbour is a community in the north end of Huntington Beach in Orange County, California. Huntington Harbour is a residential development of consisting of five manmade islands with waterways used for boating.-History:...
lies a large marshy wetland, much of which is protected within the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. A $110 million restoration of the wetlands was completed in 2006. The Reserve is popular with bird watchers and photographers.
South of Downtown, the Talbert, Brookhurst and Magnolia Marshes, which lie across the street from Huntington State Beach, had restoration completed in 2010.
The northern and southern beaches (Bolsa Chica State Beach
Bolsa Chica State Beach
Bolsa Chica State Beach is a beach in the state park system of California, USA. It is located in the Huntington Beach community of Sunset Beach in Orange County....
and Huntington State Beach
Huntington State Beach
Huntington State Beach is a protected beach in Southern California, located in the City of Huntington Beach in Orange County.The California State Park extends two miles from Newport Beach north to Beach Blvd. where the Huntington City Beach begins.This beach is a popular destination for many...
, respectively) are state parks. Only the central beach (Huntington City Beach) is maintained by the city. Camping and RVs are permitted here, and popular campsites for the Fourth of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
and the Surfing Championships must be reserved many months in advance. Bolsa Chica State Beach is actually a sand bar fronting the Bolsa Bay and Bolsa Chica State Ecological Reserve.
The Orange County run Sunset Marina Park next to Huntington Harbour is part of Anaheim Bay. It is suitable for light craft, and includes a marina, launching ramp, basic services, a picnic area and a few restaurants. The park is in Seal Beach
Seal Beach, California
-Neighborhoods:Seal Beach encompasses the Leisure World retirement gated community with roughly 9,000 residents. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S...
, but is only reachable from Huntington Harbour. The Sunset/Huntington Harbour area is patrolled by the Orange County Sheriff's Harbor Patrol.
The harbor entrance for Anaheim Bay is sometimes restricted by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, which loads ships with munitions at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach is a United States Navy weapons and munitions loading, storage and maintenance facility located in Seal Beach, California with detachments in Concord, Fallbrook, and San Diego, all also in California...
to the north of the main channel.
Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Huntington Beach had a population of 189,992. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 5,959.1 people per square mile (2,300.8/km²). The racial makeup of Huntington Beach was 145,661 (76.7%) White, 1,813 (1.0%) African American, 992 (0.5%) Native American, 21,070 (11.1%) Asian, 635 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 11,193 (5.9%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 8,628 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32,411 persons (17.1%).
The Census reported that 189,102 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 487 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 403 (0.2%) were institutionalized.
There were 74,285 households, out of which 21,922 (29.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 36,729 (49.4%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7,685 (10.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3,804 (5.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 4,386 (5.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 504 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 18,489 households (24.9%) were made up of individuals and 6,527 (8.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55. There were 48,218 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(64.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.07.
The population was spread out with 39,128 people (20.6%) under the age of 18, 15,906 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 54,024 people (28.4%) aged 25 to 44, 53,978 people (28.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 26,956 people (14.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
There were 78,003 housing units at an average density of 2,446.5 per square mile (944.6/km²), of which 44,914 (60.5%) were owner-occupied, and 29,371 (39.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%. 115,470 people (60.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 73,632 people (38.8%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
At the 2000 census The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 7,183.6 inhabitants per square mile (2,773.9/km²). There were 75,662 housing units at an average density of 2,866.8 per square mile (1,107.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.2% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.8% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.7% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 9.3% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.2% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 5.8% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.9% from two or more races. 14.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 73,657 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $76,527, and the median income for a family was $94,597. Adult males had a median income of $50,021 versus $33,041 for adult females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $40,183. About 5.1% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Huntington Beach sits above a large natural fault structure containing oil. Although the oil is mostly depleted, extraction continues at a slow rate, and still provides significant local income. There are only two off-shore extraction facilities left, however, and the day is not far off when oil production in the cityHuntington Beach Oil Field
The Huntington Beach Oil Field is part of rich pools of oil found along the West Coast of the United States in the early 1920s stretching from Huntington Beach, California to Santa Barbara, California....
will cease and tourism will replace it as the primary revenue source for resident industry.
The city is discussing closing off Main Street to cars from PCH through the retail shopping and restaurant areas, making it a pedestrian zone only. Other shopping centers include Bella Terra
Bella Terra
Bella Terra is an outdoor shopping mall in Huntington Beach, California. It was built on the site of the former Huntington Center.* 1966: Opened as the enclosed Huntington Center...
, built on the former Huntington Center site, and Old World Village, a German-themed center.
Huntington Beach has an off-shore oil terminus for the tankers that support the Alaska Pipeline. The terminus pipes run inland to a refinery in Santa Fe Springs. Huntington Beach also has the Gothard-Talbert terminus for the Orange County portion of the pipeline running from the Chevron El Segundo refinery.
Several hotels have been constructed on the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1)
California State Route 1
State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
within view of the beach, just southeast of the pier
Huntington Beach Pier
The Huntington Beach Pier is a municipal pier located in Huntington Beach, California. At in length, it is one of the longest public piers on the West Coast....
.
Huntington Beach contains a major installation of Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, formerly McDonnell-Douglas. A number of installations on the Boeing campus were originally constructed to service the Apollo Program
Project Apollo
The Apollo program was the spaceflight effort carried out by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration , that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon. Conceived during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Apollo began in earnest after President John F...
, most notably the production of the S-IVB
S-IVB
The S-IVB was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company and served as the third stage on the Saturn V and second stage on the Saturn IB. It had one J-2 engine...
upper stage for the Saturn IB
Saturn IB
The Saturn IB was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for use in the Apollo program...
and Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
rockets, and some nearby telephone poles are still marked "Apollo Dedicated Mission Control Line."
Huntington Beach contains a small industrial district in its northwest corner, near the borders with Westminster and Seal Beach.
Surf City USA trademarks
While Huntington Beach retains its 15-year trademark of Surf City Huntington Beach, the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau filed four applications to register the "Surf CitySurf City (song)
"Surf City" is a surf song which, as recorded by Jan and Dean, was a #1 hit record in July 1963 for two weeks.The first draft of the song, with the working title "Goody Connie Won't You Come Back Home", was written by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. He gave it to Jan Berry and Dean Torrence of Jan...
USA" trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
in November 2004. The idea was to market the city by creating an authentic brand based on Southern California's beach culture and active outdoor lifestyle while at the same time creating a family of product licensees who operate like a franchise family producing a revenue stream that could also be dedicated to promoting the brand and city. A ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office released on May 12, 2006 awarded three trademark registrations to the Bureau; nine additional trademark registrations have been granted since this time and ten other Surf City USA trademarks are now under consideration. One of the first products the Bureau developed to promote its brand was the Surf City USA Beach Cruiser by Felt Bicycles in 2006. The product has sold out every year in markets worldwide and created demand for a second rental bicycle model that will be marketed to resort locations across the globe starting in 2009. The Bureau now has dozens of other licensed products on the market from Surf City USA soft drinks to clothing to glassware. As of April 2008, the Bureau had more than 20 licensing partners with over 50 different products being prepared to enter the market over the next 18 months. Four of the Bureau's registrations of the trademark are now on the principal register
Lanham Act
The Lanham Act is a piece of legislation that contains the federal statutes of trademark law in the United States. The Act prohibits a number of activities, including trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and false advertising.-History:Named for Representative Fritz G...
and the remaining ten trademark applications are expected to follow. The Bureau is actively considering registration of the Surf City USA trademark in several different countries and anticipates a growing market for its branded products overseas in coming years.
An ongoing dispute between Huntington Beach and Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
over the trademark garnered positive national publicity in 2007 when a law firm representing Huntington Beach sent a cease-and-desist letter to a Santa Cruz t-shirt vendor. A settlement was reached in January, 2008, which allows the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau to retain the trademark.
Tourism
Golden Bear (nightclub)
The Golden Bear was a nightclub in Huntington Beach, California from 1923 to 1986. It was located on Pacific Coast Highway just south of Main Street...
from 1929–1986. Originally a fine dining restaurant opened by Harry Bakre in 1929, the Golden Bear became a nightclub in 1963 and hosted famous-name entertainment until it was demolished in 1986. The list of artists who performed there includes BB King, Janis Joplin, Steve Martin, Charles Bukowski, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Huntington Beach Pier
Huntington Beach Pier
The Huntington Beach Pier is a municipal pier located in Huntington Beach, California. At in length, it is one of the longest public piers on the West Coast....
stretches from Main Street into the Pacific Ocean. At the end of the pier
Huntington Beach Pier
The Huntington Beach Pier is a municipal pier located in Huntington Beach, California. At in length, it is one of the longest public piers on the West Coast....
is a Ruby's Diner.
The Surf Theatre, which was located one block north of the pier, gained fame in the 1960s and 1970s for showing independent surf films such as The Endless Summer
The Endless Summer
The Endless Summer is a 1966 film in the surf movie genre.Director Bruce Brown follows two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, on a surf trip around the world. Despite the balmy climate of their native California, cold ocean currents make local beaches inhospitable during the winter...
and Five Summer Stories
Five Summer Stories
Five Summer Stories is a surfing film by Jim Freeman and Greg MacGillivray starring David Nuuhiwa, Eddie Aikau, Gerry Lopez, and Sam Hawk. It was released in 1972. The soundtrack is by Honk....
. The Surf Theatre was owned and operated by Hugh Larry Thomas from 1961 until it was demolished in 1989. A newer version of The Surf Theatre is now closed, but the International Surf Museum has preserved its memory with a permanent exhibit featuring vintage seats and screening of surfing movies once shown at a Huntington Beach theater.
Top employers
According to Huntington Beach's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boeing Boeing The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001... |
4,478 |
| 2 | Cambro Manufacturing | 951 |
| 3 | Quiksilver Quiksilver Quiksilver, Inc. , is an American company based in Huntington Beach, California, one of the world's largest manufacturers of surfwear and other boardsport-related equipment... |
705 |
| 4 | Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach | 641 |
| 5 | C & D Aerospace | 555 |
| 6 | Huntington Beach Hospital Prime Healthcare Services Prime Healthcare Services is a hospital management company in Southern California. Founded by Dr. Prem Reddy in 2001, it is based in Ontario, California... |
503 |
| 7 | Rainbow Disposal | 408 |
| 8 | Verizon | 290 |
| 9 | Walmart | 255 |
| 10 | Westec Intelligent Surveillance, Inc. | 230 |
BJ's Restaurant & Brewery is also based in Huntington Beach.
Special events
Many of the events at Huntington Beach are focused around the beach during the summer. The U.S. Open of SurfingU.S. Open of Surfing
The U.S. Open of Surfing is a week-long surfing competition held annually during the summer in Huntington Beach, California. Generally held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, the U.S...
is featured on the south side of the pier. Huntington Beach was a stop on the AVP
Association of Volleyball Professionals
The Association of Volleyball Professionals, or AVP, is a beach volleyball tour which takes place throughout the United States. The summer tour starts in April and continues almost every weekend until the end of October....
beach volleyball tour. A biathlon (swim/run) hosted by the Bolsa Chica & Huntington State Beach Lifeguards takes place in July, early at dawn. The race begins at the Santa Ana River
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
Jetties and ends at Warner Avenue, Bolsa Chica State Beach
Bolsa Chica State Beach
Bolsa Chica State Beach is a beach in the state park system of California, USA. It is located in the Huntington Beach community of Sunset Beach in Orange County....
. Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard day camp
Day camp
Day camps are geared for schoolchildren. They offer activities in a larger social setting, usually in the children's home town or nearby and the children return home in the evenings...
s are held which teaches pre-adolescents and adolescents ocean swimming, running, and first-aid medical knowledge.
In addition to the beach-focused events, the Fourth of July parade has been held since 1904. The SoCal Independent Film Festival takes place every September.
During the winter the annual Cruise of Lights Boat Tour is held in the Huntington Harbour
Huntington Harbour, Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Harbour is a community in the north end of Huntington Beach in Orange County, California. Huntington Harbour is a residential development of consisting of five manmade islands with waterways used for boating.-History:...
neighborhood. This is a parade of colorful lighted boats as well as boat tours to view the decorated homes. The annual Kite Festival is held just north of the pier in late February.
Huntington Beach hosts car shows such as the Beachcruiser Meet and a Concours d'Elegance
Concours d'Elegance
A Concours d'Elegance dates back to 17th Century French aristocracy, who paraded horse-drawn carriages in the parks of Paris during Summer weekends and holidays...
. The Beachcruiser Meet is held in March, attracting over 250 classic cars displayed along Main Street and the Pier parking lot. A Concours d'Elegance is held at Central Park in June and benefits the public library. An informal "Donut Derelicts
Donut Derelicts
Donut Derelicts is an informal weekly car show held in Huntington Beach, California, United States since approximately 1986.The event takes place in the parking lot on the north-east corner of the intersection of Magnolia Street and Adams Avenue on Saturday mornings between approximately 6:30 am...
" car show occurs every Saturday morning at the intersection of Adams and Magnolia Street.
Surf City Nights is held every Tuesday night during the entire year. The Tuesday Surf City Nights is a community-spirited event that features a farmer's market, unique entertainment, food, kiddie rides and a carnival atmosphere. Surf City Nights and the Downtown Huntington Beach Art Walk are presented by the Huntington Beach Downtown Business Improvement District (HBDBID) and the City of Huntington Beach. The Tuesday night Surf City Nights event takes place in the first three blocks of Main Street from Pacific Coast Highway to Orange Avenue.
Sports
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
championships, held in the summer every year. The city is often referred to as "Surf City" because of this high profile event, its history and culture of surfing. It is often called the "Surfing Capital of the World", not for the height of the waves, but rather for the consistent quality of surf. Gordon Duane established the city's first surf shop, Gordie's Surfboards, in 1955.
Huntington Beach's Ocean View Little League won the 2011 Little League World Series
2011 Little League World Series
The Little League World Series took place in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania between August 18 and 28. Eight teams from the United States and eight from throughout the world competed in the 65th edition of this tournament...
championship, beating Japan 2-1.
Surf and beaches
Apart from sponsored surf events, Huntington Beach has some of the best surf breaks in the State of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and that of the United States. Huntington Beach has four different facing beaches: Northwest, West, Southwest, and South. Northwest consists of Bolsa Chica State Beach
Bolsa Chica State Beach
Bolsa Chica State Beach is a beach in the state park system of California, USA. It is located in the Huntington Beach community of Sunset Beach in Orange County....
with a length of 3.3 miles (5.3 km), the West consist of "The Cliffs" or "Dog Beach", Southwest is considered everything north of the pier which is operated by the City of Huntington Beach. South consists in everything south of the pier which primarily focuses on Huntington State Beach
Huntington State Beach
Huntington State Beach is a protected beach in Southern California, located in the City of Huntington Beach in Orange County.The California State Park extends two miles from Newport Beach north to Beach Blvd. where the Huntington City Beach begins.This beach is a popular destination for many...
(2.2 Miles), which almost faces true South.
Bolsa Chica State Beach
Bolsa Chica State Beach
Bolsa Chica State Beach is a beach in the state park system of California, USA. It is located in the Huntington Beach community of Sunset Beach in Orange County....
is operated by the State of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Dept. Parks & Recreation, and the Bolsa Chica State Beach Lifeguards. The beach is very narrow and the sand is very coarse. Bolsa Chica tends to have better surf with NW/W swells during the winter season. During the summer months the beach picks up south/southwest swells at a very steep angle. Due to the bottom of the beach, surf
Breaking wave
In fluid dynamics, a breaking wave is a wave whose amplitude reaches a critical level at which some process can suddenly start to occur that causes large amounts of wave energy to be transformed into turbulent kinetic energy...
at Bolsa Chica tends to be slowed down and refined to soft shoulders. Longboards are the best option for surfing in the Bolsa Chica area.
"The Cliffs" or "Dog Beach" is also another popular surf spot. This segment of Huntington Beach obtains these names because dogs are allowed around the cliff area. Beach is very restricted and often is submerged with high tides. Surf at this location tends to be even bigger than Bolsa Chica during the winter and often better. During the summer most of the South/Southwest swells slide right by and often break poorly. The best option is to take out a longboard, but shortboards will do at times. Dolphins have also been sighted in this area.
Just north and south of the Huntington Beach Pier are some well defined sandbars that shift throughout the year with the different swells. Southside of the Pier is often a popular destination during the summer for good surf, but the Northside can be just as well during the winter. Around the Pier it all depends on the swell and the sandbars. Shortboard is your best option for surfing around the Pier.
South Huntington Beach, also known as Huntington State Beach
Huntington State Beach
Huntington State Beach is a protected beach in Southern California, located in the City of Huntington Beach in Orange County.The California State Park extends two miles from Newport Beach north to Beach Blvd. where the Huntington City Beach begins.This beach is a popular destination for many...
, is where all the south swells impact the coastline. Huntington State Beach is operated by the State of California, Department of Parks & Recreation, and Huntington State Beach Lifeguards. This beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
is very wide with plenty of sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
. Sandbars dramatically shift during the spring, summer and fall seasons, thus creating excellent surf conditions with a combination South/West/Northwest swell. Due to the Santa Ana River
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
jetties located at the southern most end of the beach, large sandbars extend across and upcoast, forcing swells to break extremely fast and hollow. Best seasons for surfing at this beach is the summer and fall. The best option for surfing in this area is a shortboard.
Huntington Beach is also a popular destination for kite surfing, and this sport can be viewed on the beach northwest of the pier.
Huntington Beach is the host city of the National Professional Paintball League
National Professional Paintball League
The National Professional Paintball League is one of two American paintball national tournament series that travel throughout the United States each year, and was also the largest professional seven-man paintball league in the world.-History:...
Super 7 Paintball Championships. The NPPL holds its first event of the year traditionally between the dates of March 23 through March 26.
Huntington Beach also hosts the annual Surf City USA Marathon and Half-Marathon, which is usually held on the first Sunday of February.
Parks and recreation
Huntington Beach has a very large Central Park, located between Gothard and Edwards Streets to the east and west, and Slater and Ellis Avenues to the north and south. The park is vegetated with xericXeriscaping
Xeriscaping and xerogardening refers to landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation...
(low water use) plants, and inhabited by native wildlife. Thick forests encircling the park are supplemented with Australian trees, particularly Blue Gum Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus globulus
The Tasmanian Blue Gum, Southern Blue Gum or Blue Gum, is an evergreen tree, one of the most widely cultivated trees native to Australia. They typically grow from 30 to 55 m tall. The tallest currently known specimen in Tasmania is 90.7 m tall...
, a high water use plant.
Huntington Beach Public Library
The Huntington Beach Public Library and Cultural Center is located in Huntington Beach, California. This medium-sized public library offers free wireless access, online databases, books, children's programs, computers, DVD movies, CD music for the residents of Huntington Beach, California....
is located in Central Park in a notable building designed by Richard Neutra
Richard Neutra
Richard Joseph Neutra is considered one of modernism's most important architects.- Biography :Neutra was born in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Vienna, Austria Hungary, on April 8, 1892. He was born into both-Jewish wealthy family...
and Dion Neutra
Dion Neutra
Dion Neutra is a modernist / International style American architect and consultant who worked originally with his father, Richard Neutra .Dion started at age 11...
. It houses almost a half-million volumes, as well as a theater, gift shop and fountains. The library was founded as a Carnegie library
Carnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
in 1914, and has been continuously supported by the city and local activists, with new buildings and active branches at Banning, Oak View, Main Street, and Graham. The library has significant local historical materials and has a special genealogical
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
reference collection. It is independent of the state and county library systems.
The park is also home of Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center, a top class boarding facility that also offers horse rentals to the public, with guided trail rides through the park. There is also a "mud park" available for kids. The world's second oldest disc golf course is available in the park, as are two small dining areas, a sports complex for adult use, and the Shipley Nature Center.
The Bolsa Chica Wetlands
Bolsa Chica State Ecological Reserve
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is a nature reserve in the city of Huntington Beach, California. It is designated by the California Department of Fish and Game to protect a coastal wetland, with its resident threatened and endangered species...
, which are diminishing rapidly due to development, contains numerous trails and scenic routes. The wetlands themselves have recently been connected with the ocean again, in effort to maintain its previous, unaltered conditions.
Local government
According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’s various funds had $295.6 million in revenues, $287.7 million in expenditures, $1,046.6 million in total assets, $202.8 million in total liabilities, and $87.1 million in cash and investments.The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:
| City department | Director |
|---|---|
| City Manager | Fred Wilson |
| Deputy City Administrator | Paul Emery |
| Deputy City Administrator | Robert Hall |
| Community Relations Officer | Laurie E. Payne |
| Director of Library Services | Stephanie Beverage |
| Director of Human Resources | Michele Carr |
| Director of Building and Safety | Ross D. Cranmer |
| Director of Community Services | Jim B. Engle |
| Director of Planning | Scott Hess |
| Director of Public Works | Travis Hopkins |
| Director of Information Services | Jack Marshall |
| City Attorney | Jennifer McGrath |
| Fire Chief | Patrick McIntosh |
| Police Chief | Kenneth W. Small |
| Director of Economic Development | Stanley Smalewitz |
| Director of Finance | Dan T. Vilella |
Politics
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Huntington Beach is located in the 35th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Tom Harman
Tom Harman
Thomas George Harman is an American politician. He is a Republican member of the California State Senate who had previously been a three-term member of the California State Assembly. Both seats represent portions of Orange County....
, and in the 67th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Republican Jim Silva
Jim Silva
James Wayne Silva is a Republican United States politician who represents the 67th Assembly District in the California State Assembly....
. Federally, Huntington Beach is located in California's 46th congressional district
California's 46th congressional district
California's 46th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that covers part of Los Angeles County and Orange County...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of R +6 and is represented by Republican Dana Rohrabacher
Dana Rohrabacher
Dana Tyron Rohrabacher is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 45th and 42nd, serving since 1989. He is a member of the Republican Party...
.
As of June 1, 2010, the city has 127,660 registered voters. 45.8% are registered Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
s, 28.5% are registered Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
s, 20.7% are decline to state, and the balance are registered with third parties. Like much of Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, Huntington Beach politics are dominated by Republicans.
Education
Huntington Beach is the home of Golden West CollegeGolden West College
Golden West College or GWC, is a community college providing two-year associate of arts degrees, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges and universities...
, which offers two-year associates of arts degrees and transfer programs to four year universities.
Huntington Beach is in the Huntington Beach Union High School District
Huntington Beach Union High School District
The Huntington Beach Union High School District is a public school district serving portions of the Orange County cities of Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, and Westminster. It oversees eleven sites, offering courses for students in grades 9-12. The union high school district also offers courses...
, which includes Edison High School
Edison High School, Huntington Beach
Edison High School is a secondary school located in Huntington Beach, California which first began operation in 1969. It is a part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District.-History:...
, Huntington Beach High School
Huntington Beach High School
Huntington Beach High School is a public high school in Huntington Beach, California. Opened in 1906, it is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. HBHS is a California Distinguished School...
, Marina High School
Marina High School
Marina High School is a secondary school located in the northwest corner of Huntington Beach, California which first began operating in 1963. Marina is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District, which includes several other area high schools. The school is located on Springdale Street...
, and Ocean View High School
Ocean View High School
Ocean View High School is located in Huntington Beach, California. OVHS was established in 1976 whose mascot is the Seahawks. Currently, there are approximately 1,600 enrolled students.-International Baccalaureate Magnet School:...
in the city of Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley High School
Fountain Valley High School
Fountain Valley High School is a public high school located in Fountain Valley, California. It was established in 1966 and is a part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District...
in the city of Fountain Valley
Fountain Valley, California
Fountain Valley is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 55,313 at the 2010 census. A classic bedroom community, Fountain Valley is a middle-class residential area.- History :...
, and Westminster High School
Westminster High School (Westminster, California)
Westminster High School is a public secondary school located in Westminster, California. It is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District.-Overview:The school's name and traditions are derived from Westminster Abbey in London, England...
in the city of Westminster
Westminster, California
-Government:In the state legislature Westminster is located in the 34th, Senate District, represented by Democrat Lou Correa and Republican Tom Harman respectively, and in the 67th and 68th Assembly District, represented by Republicans Jim Silva and Van Tran respectively...
.
The district also has an alternative school, Valley Vista High School, and an independent study school, Coast High School.
Huntington Beach High School
Huntington Beach High School
Huntington Beach High School is a public high school in Huntington Beach, California. Opened in 1906, it is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. HBHS is a California Distinguished School...
, which is the district's flagship school, celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2006.
The city has two elementary school districts: Huntington Beach City with 9 schools and Ocean View with 15. A small part of the city is served by the Fountain Valley School District.
Huntington Beach is also home to The Pegasus School
The Pegasus School
The Pegasus School is a co-ed, non-profit, non-sectarian, private, park-like school that is located in Huntington Beach, CA. It was founded in 1984. The average class size is 18-20 students. The total enrollment as of 2010 is 565. The school begins with Pre-Kindergarten and ends in 8th grade and...
, a nationally recognized blue ribbon school
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
.
Brethren Christian Junior/Senior High School
Brethren Christian Junior/Senior High School
Brethren Christian is a private Christian high school located at Huntington Beach, California. It is situated on a site leased from the Huntington Beach School District, formerly the site of Gisler Middle School...
is a private independent school with about 400 students living within 25 miles (40.2 km) of the school.
{| class="wikitable"
Media
The city was featured in the TruTV series Ocean Force: Huntington Beach. Also, the city is mentioned in the Beach BoysThe Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
song Surfin' Safari
Surfin' Safari (song)
"Surfin' Safari" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Released as a single with "409" in June 1962, it peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100...
and in Surfer Joe by The Surfaris
The Surfaris
The Surfaris were an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles, California area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" on the A-side and "Wipe Out" on the B-side of a 45 RPM single.-Career:The original...
.
Live cameras are set up at the Huntington Beach Pier
Huntington Beach Pier
The Huntington Beach Pier is a municipal pier located in Huntington Beach, California. At in length, it is one of the longest public piers on the West Coast....
and shown on screens at the California-themed Hollister
Hollister Co.
Hollister Co., sometimes advertised as Hollister or HCo., is an American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The concept was originally designed to attract consumers aged 14–18 through its SoCal-inspired image and casual wear. Goods are available in-store and through the company's online store...
apparel stores. The store pays the city for the cameras, with the money used to fund marine safety equipment. The cameras are also used by lifeguards.
The public television station KOCE-TV
KOCE-TV
KOCE-TV is a Public Broadcasting Service member Public televisionstation, and is the primary PBS member for Los Angeles and Southern California. KOCE also features programming focused on the communities of Orange County, California. It airs Orange County's only nightly newscast, Real Orange, with...
operates from the Golden West College campus, in conjunction with the Golden West College Media Arts program.
Two weekly newspapers cover Huntington Beach: The Huntington Beach Independent and The Wave Section of The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register is a daily newspaper published in Santa Ana, California. The Register is the flagship publication of Freedom Communications, Inc., which publishes 28 daily newspapers, 23 weekly newspapers, Coast magazine, and several related Internet sites.The Register is notable for its...
.
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
's music video for "La La
La La (song)
"La La" is a song by the American singer Ashlee Simpson from her 2004 album Autobiography. In the U.S., it began its run as the album's third and final single on radio and television in November 2004; in the United Kingdom , a CD single was released in January 2005.-Song information:"La La", the...
" was filmed in Huntington Beach.
Actors
- Willie AamesWillie AamesWillie Aames is an American actor, film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. He played Tommy Bradford on the 1970s’ Eight Is Enough and Buddy Lembeck on the 1980s’ Charles in Charge.-Early life:...
attended Edison High SchoolEdison High School, Huntington BeachEdison High School is a secondary school located in Huntington Beach, California which first began operation in 1969. It is a part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District.-History:...
. - Nicole EggertNicole EggertNicole Elizabeth Eggert is an American actress. Notable roles include Jamie Powell in the television series Charles in Charge and Summer Quinn in the TV Series Baywatch. She was most recently a contestant on the VH1 reality show Celebrity Fit Club.-Early life:Eggert was born in Glendale,...
spent her elementary school years living in Huntington Beach and attended Sowers Middle School. - Amy GrabowAmy GrabowAmy Grabow is an American actress.Amy Grabow grew up in Huntington Beach, California. Amy decided, while still in high school, to pursue an acting career. She studied at the Academy for the Performing Arts in Huntington Beach and currently attends acting classes...
grew up in Huntington Beach and attended the Academy for the Performing Arts. - Jenna JamesonJenna JamesonJenna Jameson is an American entrepreneur and former pornographic actress, who has been called the world's most famous adult-entertainment performer and "The Queen of Porn."...
, famed pornographic actressPornographic actorA pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
, resides in Huntington Harbour with Tito OrtizTito OrtizJacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from April 14, 2000 to September 26, 2003. Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars...
. - Jack KellyJack Kelly (actor)Jack Kelly was an American film and television actor most noted for the role of "Bart Maverick" in the TV series Maverick, which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962...
, most noted for the role of Bart Maverick on the Maverick (TV series)Maverick (TV series)Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
, During the 1980s and early 1990s he served as city councilman and mayor in Huntington Beach. - Jason LeeJason Lee (actor)Jason Michael Lee is an American actor and skateboarder known for his role as the title character on the NBC television series My Name is Earl, his portrayal of Syndrome in the film The Incredibles, his role as Dave Seville in the Alvin and the Chipmunks films, and his work with director Kevin...
, who plays the lead character Earl in the television show My Name is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
, grew up in Huntington Beach and attended Ocean View High School.
Athletes
- Huntington Beach is the home to pro skateboarders Christian HosoiChristian HosoiChristian Rosha Hosoi is an American professional skateboarder. He is also known by the nicknames "Christ" and "Holmes". Hosoi is married to a former night club dancer Jenn Lee and has four sons, James Hosoi, Rhythm Hosoi , Classic Hosoi and Endless Hosoi...
, Geoff RowleyGeoff RowleyGeoff Rowley , is a professional skateboarder and co-owner of Flip Skateboards.- Professional Skateboarder :Rowley started skateboarding at age 12 in Liverpool, England...
, Arto SaariArto SaariArto Saari is a professional skateboarder. He lives in Huntington Beach, California. He was selected as the "2001 Skater of the Year" by Thrasher magazine. His skating stance is regular. He is known for his big and aggressive skating style and also for his lipslides...
, Tosh TownendTosh TownendTosh Townend is a professional skateboarder from Huntington Beach, California. He is married to Nicole Townend, and they have a daughter named Jemmaly . He turned pro at the age of 16...
, Mark AppleyardMark AppleyardMark Appleyard is a professional skateboarder. He currently resides in Huntington Beach, California. He is 6'1", 160 pounds, has a size 11 foot, and his skateboarding stance is goofy. Appleyard is known for his technical skating...
, Brian SumnerBrian SumnerBrian Sumner is a professional skateboarder for Reliance Skateboards, Truth Soul Armor Clothing, Airspeed skate shoes, Rocket Wheels, Independent Trucks, Ninja Bearings, Furnace skate shop, Project Hardware and Fender Guitars...
, and Ed TempletonEd TempletonEdward "Ed" Templeton is a professional skateboarder and a contemporary artist who resides in Huntington Beach, California. -Biography:...
. - Former NHL hockeyHockeyHockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
player John BlueJohn Blue (ice hockey)John T. Blue is a former ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted in the tenth round, 197th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. He played in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres...
is from Huntington Beach, as is professional soccer player Sasha Kljestan. - It is home of mixed martial artistsMixed martial artsMixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
: Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" OrtizTito OrtizJacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from April 14, 2000 to September 26, 2003. Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars...
, Kimo LeopoldoKimo LeopoldoKimo Leopoldo , or simply Kimo, is an American mixed martial artist. He made his MMA debut at UFC 3 in 1994 losing to Royce Gracie by submission. Kimo's fighting style has been described as freestyle, with a mixture of striking and grappling techniques.He was credited with a black belt in Taekwondo...
, David "Tank" AbbottDavid L. AbbottDavid Lee Abbott is an American mixed martial arts fighter and former professional wrestler. He has described his fighting style, which he developed brawling in the bars and streets of Huntington Beach, California, as "street fighting"...
and James IrvinJames Irvin (fighter)James Lee Irvin is an American mixed martial artist who has competed as a Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and currently as a Heavyweight. He is a former World Extreme Cagefighting heavyweight champion...
. - Collin BalesterCollin BalesterCollin Thomas Balester is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball ....
– professional baseball player for the Washington NationalsWashington NationalsThe Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
, attended Huntington Beach High SchoolHuntington Beach High SchoolHuntington Beach High School is a public high school in Huntington Beach, California. Opened in 1906, it is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. HBHS is a California Distinguished School... - Ric DrasinRic DrasinRic Drasin is an American artist, actor, stuntman, writer, personal trainer, former bodybuilder, and retired professional wrestler...
– artist, actor, stuntman, writer, personal trainer, bodybuilder, and professional wrestler - Jessie Godderz – professional bodybuilder with the World Natural Body Building Federation that was also a contestant on Big Brother 10Big Brother 10Big Brother 10 may refer to:* Big Brother Germany , the 2010 edition of the Germany version of Big Brother.* Big Brother 2009 , the 2009 edition of the United Kingdom version of Big Brother....
and Big Brother 11 - Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
grew up in Huntington Beach and attended Huntington Beach High School. - Ian KennedyIan KennedyIan Patrick Kennedy is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks.He is 6' 0" tall and weighs 190 pounds...
– Arizona DiamondbacksArizona DiamondbacksThe Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
pitcher, was born in Huntington Beach. - Jeff KentJeff KentJeffrey Franklin Kent is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman. Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen...
– retired baseball player and recipient of the 2000 MVP Baseball award was raised in Huntington Beach and attended Edison High SchoolEdison High School, Huntington BeachEdison High School is a secondary school located in Huntington Beach, California which first began operation in 1969. It is a part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District.-History:...
. - Jürgen KlinsmannJürgen KlinsmannJürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
– former international professional soccer player, former soccer team coach, former coach of the German national soccer team and current coach of the United States men's national soccer teamUnited States men's national soccer teamThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
. He did move with his family in 2008 to MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany to become the coach of FC Bayern MunichFC Bayern MunichFC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
and has since returned. - Scott LipskyScott LipskyScott Lipsky is a professional tennis player from the United States. He is primarily a doubles specialist....
– professional tennis player, lives in Huntington Beach. - David MartinDavid Martin-Politicians:*David Martin , Republican party U.S. Representative from Nebraska *David Martin , Australian admiral and Governor of New South Wales...
– professional tennis player, lives in Huntington Beach. - Cherokee ParksCherokee ParksCherokee Bryan Parks is an American professional basketball player.A 6' 11" , 240 lbs center, Parks played his college basketball at Duke University under coach Mike Krzyzewski and won the 1992 national title during his freshman year...
– retired professional basketball player, was born in Huntington Beach and attended Marina High SchoolMarina High SchoolMarina High School is a secondary school located in the northwest corner of Huntington Beach, California which first began operating in 1963. Marina is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District, which includes several other area high schools. The school is located on Springdale Street...
. - Joan WestonJoan WestonJoan Weston or Joanie Weston , known as the "Blonde Bomber", "Blonde Amazon", "Golden Girl", and "Roller Derby Queen", was a U.S...
– Roller Derby Blonde Amazon. - Bob WolcottBob WolcottRobert William Wolcott is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners , Arizona Diamondbacks , and Boston Red Sox . He also played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Japan in ....
– former Seattle MarinersSeattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
pitcher, was born in Huntington Beach.
Military
- Violet CowdenViolet CowdenViolet "Vi" Cowden was an American aviator who served as a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II. Cowden was one of the surviving members of the 1,074 WASPs, who were the first women to fly American military planes.Cowden was born Violet Thurn and raised on a farm in...
– Aviator and member of the Women Airforce Service PilotsWomen Airforce Service PilotsThe Women Airforce Service Pilots and its predecessor groups the Women's Flying Training Detachment and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron were pioneering organizations of civilian female pilots employed to fly military aircraft under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces...
during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Musicians
- The rock/metal band Avenged SevenfoldAvenged SevenfoldAvenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
grew up and currently reside here. Lead guitarist Synyster GatesSynyster GatesBrian Elwin Haner, Jr. , better known by his stage name Synyster Gates or simply Syn, is an American musician, best known for being the lead guitarist of the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold.-Early life:...
has said he enjoys nothing more than cruising Huntington Beach on his chopper. - The punk rock band The OffspringThe OffspringThe Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
was formed here in 1984. - The ska punk rock band Reel Big FishReel Big FishReel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...
formed here in 1992. - Dean Torrence, from the 1960s Pop group Jan and DeanJan and DeanJan and Dean were a rock and roll duo, popular from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence...
, who co-authored the famous song "Surf CitySurf City (song)"Surf City" is a surf song which, as recorded by Jan and Dean, was a #1 hit record in July 1963 for two weeks.The first draft of the song, with the working title "Goody Connie Won't You Come Back Home", was written by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. He gave it to Jan Berry and Dean Torrence of Jan...
" (#1 in 1963), said that Huntington Beach embodies the song's spirit of freedom and California fun. - Christian Jacobs, The MC Bat Commander of The AquabatsThe AquabatsThe Aquabats are an American rock band formed in 1994 in Orange County, California. They have released five full-length studio albums and have toured internationally. They are best known for their mythology, in which they claim to be superheroes on a quest to save the world from evil through music...
, resides in Huntington Beach. - Matt CostaMatt CostaMatthew Albert Costa is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California.He has five independent releases: two self-recorded EPs, and three full-length CDs released via Brushfire Records.-Life:...
, the folk pop singer, was born in Huntington Beach. - The VandalsThe VandalsThe Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
, a punk rock band formed in Huntington Beach - All members of the band MillionairesMillionaires (band)Millionaires is a group consisting of two sisters, Melissa Marie and Allison Green, from Orange County, California. The group, formed in August 2007, was widely known for mixing heavily explicit lyrics with a bubbly electropop sound. Their image and lyrics have generated considerable controversy,...
are from Huntington Beach. - David SilveriaDavid SilveriaDavid Randall Silveria is a former-drummer, best known as the drummer for the band Korn from early 1993 until leaving the band in late 2006.-1993 to 2006: Korn:...
formerly from the rock band KornKornKorn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
resides in Huntington Beach - Scott WeilandScott WeilandScott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
, of the Stone Temple PilotsStone Temple PilotsStone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
and formerly of Velvet RevolverVelvet RevolverVelvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
, attended Edison High SchoolEdison High School, Huntington BeachEdison High School is a secondary school located in Huntington Beach, California which first began operation in 1969. It is a part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District.-History:...
. - Joe and Luke McGarry of the indie band Pop NoirPop NoirPop Noir is a Los Angeles-based indie dancerock trio formed by British-born twin brothers Joe and Luke McGarry in 2004, while they were 16-year-old students at the Orange County High School of the Arts...
were born in Manchester, England, but grew up and still reside in Huntington Beach. - The reggae band, The Dirty HeadsThe Dirty HeadsThe Dirty Heads are a Reggae rock band from Southern California with a melodic style that includes hip hop and punk genres. Their debut album, Any Port in a Storm, was released on September 23, 2008, by Executive Music Group .-History:...
was formed in Huntington Beach. - hellogoodbyeHellogoodbyeHellogoodbye is a power pop band that was formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001 by singer Forrest Kline. They were signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! in 2006, in addition to their previously released EP Hellogoodbye...
was formed in Huntington Beach in 2001. - Patrice WilsonPatrice WilsonPatrice Wilson is a Nigerian singer and songwriter and co-founder of ARK Music Factory with Clarence Jey. He also adopted the name Pato as a stage name for his various performances.-Career:...
, rapper, entrepreneur, and founder of Ark Music FactoryARK Music FactoryArk Music Factory is a record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label was co-founded in 2010 by Patrice Wilson, who partnered up with producer/composer and multi-instrumentalist Clarence Jey. In May 2011, Clarence Jey left Ark Music Factory to focus on his own production company Music...
, resides in Huntington Beach. - The band Hed P.E. was formed in the area in 1994.
Safety
Huntington Beach Fire Department
The Huntington Beach Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services, 24/7, 365 for the city of Huntington Beach, California.-History:...
. Law enforcement is provided by the Huntington Beach Police Department. Huntington Beach Marine Safety Officers and its seasonal lifeguards are recognized as some of the best in the world with a top notch safety record. It has an active Community Emergency Response Team
Community Emergency Response Team
In the United States a community emergency response team can refer to* one of five federal programs promoted under the umbrella organization Citizen Corps, which is funded in part by the Stafford Act;...
training program, that trains citizens as Disaster Service Workers certified by Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) as a part of a free program run by the fire department's Office of Emergency Services.
Emergency services are also provided at State Beach locations. Peace Officers and lifeguards can be found at Bolsa Chica and Huntington State Beach. Such services consist of: aquatic rescues, boat rescues, first aid and law enforcement. All services are provided by the State of California, Dept. Parks & Recreation.
In 1926, the Santa Ana River
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
dam failed, and flash-flooded its entire delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
. The southern oceanic terminus of this delta is now a settled area of Huntington Beach. The distant dam is still functional, but silting up, which is expected to reduce its storage volume, and therefore its effectiveness at flood-prevention. The flood and dam-endangered areas are protected by a levee, but lenders require expensive flood insurance in the delta. There have been serious discussions to eliminate the need for flood insurance and this requirement has already been waived in some areas and may one day no longer be considered a credible threat.
Since it is a seaside city, Huntington Beach has had tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
warnings, storm surge (its pier
Huntington Beach Pier
The Huntington Beach Pier is a municipal pier located in Huntington Beach, California. At in length, it is one of the longest public piers on the West Coast....
has been rebuilt three times), sewage spills, tornadoes and waterspouts. The cold offshore current prevents hurricanes. The Pier that was rebuilt in the 1990s was engineered to withstand severe storms or earthquakes.
Large fractions of the settled delta are in earthquake liquefaction zones above known active faults. Most of the local faults are named after city streets.
Many residents (and even city hall) live within sight and sound of active oil extraction and drilling operations. These occasionally spew oil, causing expensive clean-ups. Large parts of the developed land have been contaminated by heavy metals from the water separated from oil.
The local oil has such extreme mercury contamination that metallic mercury is regularly drained from oil pipelines and equipment. Oil operations increase when the price of oil rises. Some oil fields have been approved for development. The worst-polluted areas have been reclaimed as parks. At least one Superfund site, too contaminated to be a park, is at the junction of Magnolia and Hamilton streets, near Edison High School.
Sister cities
Huntington Beach has the following sister city relationships, according to the Huntington Beach Sister City Association: AnjoAnjo, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of August 2011, the city had an estimated population of 179,614 and a population density of 2,090 persons per km²...
, Aichi, Japan Waitakere
Waitakere
Waitakere City was the name of a city which existed from 1989 until 2010 in the Auckland region. It was New Zealand's fifth largest city, with an annual growth of about 2%...
, New Zealand
Huntington Beach also has youth exchange programs with both cities, sending four teenagers on an exchange student basis for two weeks in order to gather different cultural experiences.
External links
- Official City Website
- Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce
- Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau
- International Surfing Museum
- Aerial photograph of Huntington Beach, circa 1950s
- Carnegie Libraries' Web Site Entry for Huntington Beach
- 2004 aerial photo of Huntington Beach from USGS via Microsoft Research Maps
- Historical photos of Huntington Beach
