Huntington Beach has a long 9.5-mile (15.3km) stretch of sandy beach, mild climate, conditions considered ideal for surfing, and a strong beach culture. Swells generated predominantly from the North Pacific in winter and from a combination of Southern Hemisphere storms and cyclones in the summer focus on Huntington Beach, creating consistent surf all year long, hence the nickname "Surf City".[1]
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. Once it was known as 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 stands. Later it became known as Fairview and then Pacific City, as it developed into a tourist destination. In order to secure access to the Pacific Electric Red Car lines[20] that used to criss-cross Los Angeles and ended in Long Beach, Pacific City ceded enormous power to railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington, and thus became a city whose name has been written into corporate sponsorship, and like much of the history of Southern California, boosterism.
20th century
The original Huntington Beach Pier was built in 1904 and was a 1,000-foot-long timber structure.[21][22] Huntington Beach was incorporated on February 17, 1909, during the tenure of its first mayor, Ed Manning. Its first developer was 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 owns most of the local mineral rights. The company is wholly owned by the Chevron Corporation.[23]
At one time, an encyclopedia company gave away free parcels of land (with the purchase of a complete set for $126) in the Huntington Beach area.[24] 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 reserves are depleted, and the price of land for housing has pushed many of the rigs off the landscape, oil pumps still dot the city.
Huntington Beach was primarily agricultural in its early years with crops such as lima beans, asparagus, peppers, celery and sugar beets. Holly Sugar was a major employer with a large processing plant in the city that was later converted into an oil refinery.
The city's first high school, Huntington Beach High School, located on Main Street, 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.[25]
In 2023, Huntington Beach became involved in a lawsuit against California governor Gavin Newsom. In March 2023, the state sued Huntington Beach for failing to comply with state housing regulations. The suit brought by the state argued that the city’s ban on the processing of Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) applications violated state housing laws. The state law required Huntington Beach to zone for 13,368 units to be built inside the city limits from October 2021 to 2029.[27] The state had submitted and amended a complaint as of April 10, 2023, arguing that the city is in violation of the Housing Element Law. The state was seeking both penalties and injunctive relief. In addition to relief, the state was seeking the suspension of the city’s permitting authority and mandating the approval of certain projects.[28] On September 12, 2025, the Fourth Circuit of the California Courts of Appeal ruled against Huntington Beach's claim of exemption from consequences, and ordered the trial court to impose a 120-day deadline for the city to update its plan as well as state preemption of city permitting and zoning laws until the city complies with the law.[29]
The city responded to the state's lawsuit with a federal countersuit that argued it is not subject to state housing laws.[30] Huntington Beach's lawsuit describes overturning the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) which determines how housing needs are allocated, and challenged RHNA on federal constitutional grounds. Huntington Beach council members have argued that local zoning should be left in control of the city.[31] The state filed a motion on June 22, 2023, to dismiss the city’s federal lawsuit. As of November 15, 2023, a federal judge has dismissed Huntington Beach’s lawsuit against the state over housing mandates,[32] and a petition by the city for an en banc rehearing of the case was denied by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on April 21, 2025.[33]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.3 square miles (73.3km2). 27.0sqmi (70km2) of it is land and 1.3sqmi (3.4km2) of it (4.71%) is water.[10]
The entire city of Huntington Beach lies in area codes 714 and 657, except for small parts of Huntington Harbour (along with Sunset Beach, the community adjacent to Huntington Harbour), which is in the 562 area code.
Climate
Huntington Beach has a borderline semi-arid/Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk/Csb), gradually changing for the second to the west and south due to its low precipitation. Although areas such as Huntington Central Park and northern Bolsa Chica usually fall into the first climate type, thus being the boundary of the cool summer Mediterranean climate on the west coast of North America, except for elevated portions in the southern end of the state.[34] The climate is generally sunny, dry and cool, although evenings can be excessively damp. In the morning and evening, strong breezes often reach 15mph (24km/h). Ocean water temperatures average 55 to 65°F (13 to 18°C). In the summer, temperatures rarely exceed 85°F (29°C). In the winter, temperatures rarely fall below 40°F (4°C), even on clear nights.[35] There are about 14 inches (360mm) 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.
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.[38] 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.[39]
The northern and southern beaches (Bolsa Chica State Beach and Huntington State Beach, respectively) are state parks. Only the city maintains the central beach (Huntington City Beach). 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.[40] 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.[41]
The 2020 United States census reported that Huntington Beach had a population of 198,711. The population density was 7,360.5 inhabitants per square mile (2,841.9/km2). The racial makeup of Huntington Beach was 126,591 (63.7%) White (59.2% Non-Hispanic white), 2,291 (1.2%) African American, 1,293 (0.7%) Native American, 26,346 (13.2%) Asian, 603 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 15,689 (7.9%) from other races, and 25,898 (13.0%) from two or more races. There were 39,457 Hispanic or Latino residents of any race (19.9%).[12]
Huntington Beach city, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The 2010 United States census[62] reported that Huntington Beach had a population of 189,992. The population density was 7,102.9 inhabitants per square mile (2,742.4/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. There were 32,411 Hispanic or Latino residents of any race (17.1%). Non-Hispanic Whites were 67.2% of the population.[12]
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.
There were 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.
During 2009–2013, Huntington Beach had a median household income of $81,389, with 8.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[12]
At the 2000 census, the population density was 7,183.6 inhabitantsper square mile (2,773.6 inhabitants/km2). There were 75,662 housing units at an average density of 2,866.8 per square mile (1,106.9/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, 22.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.4% was 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.
Crime
The Uniform Crime Report (UCR), collected annually by the FBI, compiles police statistics from local and state law enforcement agencies across the nation. The UCR records Part I and Part II crimes. Part I crimes become known to law enforcement and are considered the most serious crimes including homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Part II crimes only include arrest data.[63] The 2023 UCR Data for Huntington Beach is listed below:
Oil wells, 1926Oil Platform Emmy HB, March 2013San Pedro Bay Outer Continental Shelf Operations Map with oil platforms as of 2012- Edith, Elly, Ellen, Eureka (federal leases) and Ester, Emmy, Eva (state leases)Downtown Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach sits above the Huntington Beach Oil Field, and 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.[65] During the 2021 Orange County oil spill, more than 120,000 US gallons (450,000L) of oil leaked from an offshore rig and began washing up on beaches in Southern California,[66] causing ecological damage.[67][68]
Huntington Beach contains a major installation of Boeing. A number of installations on the Boeing campus were originally constructed to service the Apollo Program, and the S-IVB upper stage for the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets.[citation needed]
Huntington Beach has registered "Surf City, USA", as a trademark for marketing purposes. Disputes have occurred with other municipalities who also claim the "surf city" designation.[70]
Huntington Beach is the site of the world surfing championships, held annually in the summer. The city is often referred to as "Surf City" and the "Surfing Capital of the World".[citation needed] In 1914, George Freeth was the first person to surf in Huntington Beach.[83]Duke Kahanamoku started surfing in Huntington Beach in 1925 and helped popularize the sport. The first surfboard shop, located underneath the Huntington Beach Pier, opened in 1956.[84]
Beaches include Huntington State Beach, Bolsa Chica State Beach, and "The Cliffs" or "Huntington Dog Beach", a popular surfing location[85] where dogs are permitted. Events include Surf City Surf Dog,[86] and So Cal Corgi Nation Beach Days.[87]
The Huntington Beach bicycle path stretches for 10 miles (16km) alongside the beach.[88]
Golf courses include Meadowlark Golf Club, opened in 1922,[91] Huntington Beach Disc Golf Course, opened in 1977,[92] and The Huntington Club, a private country club.[93]
Central Park
Huntington Central Park
Central Park opened in 1974, and is the largest city-owned park in Orange County, with nearly 350 acres (140ha).[94] The park is vegetated with xeric (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.[95] The Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center, a 25 acres (10ha) facility boarding over 400 horses, and operates a riding school and riding facility in the park.[96] The world's second oldest[97] disc golf course is available in the park, as is the Shipley Nature Center.[citation needed]
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
The Bolsa Chica wetlands near the Brightwater housing development
At the local level, Huntington Beach elects its city council at-large, the largest city in Orange County to do so. Huntington Beach is considered highly conservative at the local level, and in 2022 passed several conservative resolutions including banning the Pride flag on city property and requiring voter ID at the polls. In 2024, conservatives gained complete control of the city council by ousting the remaining left-leaning city councilors, giving conservatives a 7-0 majority.[102]
According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 21, 2024, Huntington Beach has 135,216 registered voters. Of those, 55,565 (42%) are registered Republicans, 41,606 (32%) are registered Democrats, and 34,458 (26%) have declined to state a political party/are American Independents/Libertarian/Green.[103] Huntington Beach has the highest number of registered Libertarians in the county, owing perhaps to its conservative nature.
Huntington Beach city vote by party in presidential elections
Most Huntington Beach households have at least one car. In 2016, 2.2 percent of Huntington Beach households lacked a car; the national average was 8.7 percent. Huntington Beach averaged two cars per household in 2016; the national average was 1.8.[123]
Health Care
Huntington Beach is served by Huntington Beach Hospital.[124]
Law enforcement is provided by the Huntington Beach Police Department.
The Huntington Beach Fire Department was founded in 1909 with 20 volunteers.[125] The department provides fire protection, emergency medical services,[126] medical transport,[127] marine safety,[128] and lifeguards.[129]
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 here.[130] On October 2, 2021, an oil spill occurred after a pipe burst, sending oil into the ocean and on the beach.
Water Services
Water in Huntington Beach is supplied by the City of Huntington Beach Public Works Utilities Division, which sources its water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California via Municipal Water District of Orange County. This water is imported from Northern California and the Colorado River. Additionally, groundwater is sourced from 9 city wells tapped into an underground aquifer managed by Orange County Water District.[131]
↑ Mitchell, Patrick (2006). Santa Ana River Guide. Larry B. Van Dyke, Eva Dienel (1sted.). Birmingham, Alabama. p.219. ISBN978-0-89997-616-7. OCLC909903029.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Koerper, Henry; Mason, Roger; Peterson, Mark (2002). Catalysts to complexity: late Holocene societies of the California coast. Jon Erlandson, Terry L. Jones, Jeanne E. Arnold, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. p.64. ISBN978-1-938770-67-8. OCLC745176510.
↑ Westcott, John (May 10, 1991). "Center Affords Closer Look at Wetland"(PDF). City of Huntington Beach. Orange County Register. Archived(PDF) from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
↑ Moser, Patrick (2022). Surf and Rescue: George Freeth and the Birth of California Beach Culture. Sport and society. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN978-0-252-04444-1.
↑ Connelly, Laylan (June 19, 2014). "100 Years of Surf". Huntington Beach Wave. Orange County Register. pp.A1 –A3.
↑ Katapodis is also cited as the 78th mayor, depending on source and how tenure is counted. Mellen, Greg. "Huntington Beach has a law and order mayor". Huntington Beach Wave. No.December 10, 2015. pp.1, 4.
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