Huntington Beach

^{The Tongva people (or the Gabrielinos) were the original inhabitants of Huntington Beach. The area spanned across the Topanga Canyon through Aliso Creek, Laguna Beach. Spanish soldier, Manuel Nieto, was given a Spanish land grant of 300,000 acres in 1784. He named this large parcel of land Rancho Los Nietos.}

^{Col. Robert Northam purchased a portion of property in the 1800s and sold barley to surrounding ranchers. The city was called Shell Beach by 1889 and had a small group of settlers. Shell Beach was changed to the name Pacific City in 1901 when PA Stanton developed a local syndicate which was used to buy 40 acres along the beach and 20 acres on each side of Main Street. It was Stanton’s dream to bring forth a small town on the Pacific Coast and create rivalry for Atlantic City on the East Coast. Incorporated in 1909 under its first mayor, Ed Manning, Huntington Beach’s initial growth started in 1920 when the oil boom emerged. At the time, the population was 915. Huntington Beach Company was the original developer. It was owned by Henry Huntington, a railroad magnate and after whom the city was named.}

^{The city was considered a lazy town on the coast until the 1920s when the oil boom hit. It was the largest California oil deposit at the time where wells were abundantly available and the town grew from 1,500 to 5,000 residents. 1953 brought with it the final oil strike and the fire department started clearing oil derricks from the coast and inland areas. The population grew by the thousands from the 1950s to the 1970s and Huntington Beach became the fastest growing city in the United States at the time.}

^{Founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr, The Douglas Aircraft Company was based in Southern California. McDonnell Aircraft merged with Donald Aircraft Company which formed McDonnell Douglas. Then in 1997, McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing. To date, Boeing is one of the largest employers in Huntington Beach.}

^{Surfing was introduced to Huntington Beach and Southern California shores in 1925 by Duke Kahanamoku and the city’s first surf shop was born later on in 1953. The name of that shop was Gordie’s Surf Boards. A short 6 years later, the first US Surfing Championships were held in Huntington Beach and the championships were covered on TV the following year. This amplified Huntington Beach’s international fame and it became known as a surfer’s paradise.}

^{Orange County Register named Huntington Beach as the “Best City to Live in Orange County” and rightfully so. The charming community is blessed with perfect weather, diverse economy, many parks and amazing health care. It is 35 miles south of Los Angeles and is a booming city for entertainment with expansive sand beaches.}

^{The median household income is $91,318 as of 2019.}

^{Population: Approximately 200,259 as of 2019}

^{Well Known Places in Huntington Beach}

^{Huntington State Beach}

^{Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum}

^{Fact Sheet}

^{It’s also called Surf City.}

^{The city is home to a 9.5 mile sandy beach.}

^{Huntington Beach’s human habitation dates back to 8,500 years.}