Huntington Beach, California Mini Forum, Tips, Tricks & Codes

Huntington Beach is a seaside townin Orange County in Southern California, located 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The townis named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 189,992 during the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous townin Orange County, the most populous beach townin Orange County, and the seventh most populous townin the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is bordered by Bolsa Chica Basin State Marine Conservation Area on the west, the Pacific Ocean on the southwest, by Seal Beach on the northwest, by Westminster on the north, by Fountain Valley on the northeast, by Costa Mesa on the east, and by Newport Beach on the southeast.

Huntington Beach is known for its long 9.5-mile (15.3 km) stretch of sandy beach, mild climate, excellent surfing, and beach culture. The ocean waves are enhanced by a natural resultcaused by the edge-diffraction of open ocean swells around Santa Catalina Island.^{[citation needed]} Swells generated predominantly from the North Pacific in winter and from a combination of Southern Hemisphere storms and hurricanes in the summer focus on Huntington Beach, creating consistent surf all year long, hence the nickname "Surf City".

History

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 as Shell Beach, the cityof Smeltzer, and then Gospel Swamp for the revival meetings that were held in the marshland where the community college Golden West College shouldcurrently be found. Later it became known as Fairview and then Pacific City, as it developed into a tourist destination. In order to secure admissionto the Pacific Electric Red Vehiclelines that utilize to criss-cross Los Angeles and ended in Long Beach, Pacific Townceded enormous power to railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington, and thus became a townwhose name has been written into corporate sponsorship, and like much of the history of Southern California, boosterism.

The original Huntington Beach Pier was built in 1904 and was originally a 1,000-foot-long timber structure. Huntington Beach was incorporated on February 17, 1909, during the tenure of its first mayor, Ed Manning. Its original 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 Organizationis still a major land-registrantin the city, and still owns most of the local mineral rights. The organizationis now wholly owned by the Chevron Corporation.

At one time, an encyclopedia organizationgave away free parcels of land (with the purchase of a whole set for $126) in the Huntington Beach area. 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 shouldstill be found to 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 hugeprocessing plant in the townthat was later converted into an oil refinery.

The towns 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 towns original natural resource.

Meadowlark Airport, a tinygeneral-aviation airport, existed in Huntington Beach from the 1940s until 1989.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the townhas a total locationof 31.9 square miles (82.6 km²). 26.7 sq mi (69 km²) of it is land and 5.1 sq mi (13 km²) of it (16.10%) is water.

The entire townof Huntington Beach lies in locationcodes 657 and 714, except for tinyparts of Huntington Harbour (along with Sunset Beach, the community adjacent to Huntington Harbour), which is in the 562 locationcode.

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 location 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. The climate is generally sunny, dry and cool, although evenings shouldbe excessively damp. In the morning and evening, there are often powerfulbreezes that shouldreach 15 mph (24 km/h). Ocean water temperatures average 55 °F (13 °C) to 65 °F (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. There are about 14 inches (360 mm) of rain, almost all in mid-winter. Frost occurs only rarely, on the coldest winter nights. The locationis annually affected by a marine layer caused by the cool air of the Pacific Ocean meeting the warm air over the land. This effect in overcast and foggy conditions in May and June.

Natural resources

Construction of any typeon the beach is forbiddenwithout a vote by current homeowners.^{[citation needed][clarification needed]}

Between Downtown Huntington Beach and Huntington Harbour lies a hugemarshy 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 famouswith bird watchers and photographers.

South of Downtown, the Talbert, Brookhurst and Magnolia Marshes, which lie across the roadfrom 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 TownBeach) is maintained by the city. Camping and RVs are allowedhere, and famouscampsites 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 contain a marina, launching ramp, primaryservices, a picnic locationand a few restaurants. The park is in Seal Beach, but is only reachable from Huntington Harbour. The Sunset/Huntington Harbour locationis 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.

Demographics

2000

At the 2000 census, the population density 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 townwas 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 kidsunder 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 angry 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 townwas $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 townwas $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.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Huntington Beach had a population of 189,992. The population density 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 people of any race were 32,411 persons (17.1%). Non-Hispanic Whites were 67.2% of the population in 2010, compared to 90.8% in 1970.

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 kidsunder 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 angry 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.

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.

Economy

Oil

Huntington Beach sits above a hugenatural fault structure containing oil. Although the oil is mostly depleted, extraction continues at a slow rate, and still provides significant local income.^{[citation needed]} There are only two off-shore extraction facilities left, however, and the day is not far off^{[citation needed]} when oil production in the city will cease and tourism will replace it as the basicrevenue source for resident industry.

Huntington Beach has an off-shore oil terminus for the tankers that assistancethe 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.

Environmental impact of oil drilling

On October 3, 2021 an oil spill was reported where, "Officials warned of a potential ecological disaster after more than 120,000 gallons of oil leaked from an offshore rig and began washing up on beaches in Southern California as workers tried to includethe spill. The leak was reported Saturday afternoon, with the U.S. Coast Guard stating that the slick was about three miles off Newport Beach... Katrina Foley, an Orange County supervisor, tweeted that the oil spilled from Platform Elly, operated by Beta Offshore, a Long Beach unit of Houston’s Amplify Energy." Reports of tidal wetlands have been damaged, "The spill had reached the Talbert Marsh and some environmentally sensitive wetlands location by Sunday morning. It will take time to know the extent of the damage but officials said some birds and fish have been found dead. Huntington State Beach is home to a number of species of birds, including gulls, willet, long-billed fletcher, elegant teens and reddish egret, which are rare on the West Coast, according to Ben Smith, a biologist and environmental consultant for the county."

Other

The townis discussing^[when?] closing off Main Roadto vehicle from PCH through the retail shopping and restaurant location, making it a pedestrian-only zone.^{[citation needed]} Other shopping centers include Bella Terra, built on the former Huntington Center site, Pacific City, and Old GlobeVillage, a German-themed center.

Several hotels have been constructed on the inland side of PCH within view of the beach, just southeast of the pier.

Huntington Beach include a tinyindustrial district in its northwest corner, near the borders with Westminster and Seal Beach.

Huntington Beach include 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.

Surf TownUSA trademarks

While Huntington Beach retains its 15-year trademark of Surf TownHuntington Beach, the Huntington Beach Symposiumand Visitors Bureau filed four app to register the "Surf City USA" trademark in November 2004. The idea was to market the townby 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 TownUSA trademarks are now under consideration. One of the first products the Bureau developed to promote its brand was the Surf TownUSA Beach Cruiser by Felt Bike in 2006. The product has sold out every year in markets worldwide and madedemand for a second rental bikemodel that will be marketed to resort area across the worldstarting in 2009. The Bureau now has dozens of other licensed products on the market from Surf TownUSA 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 app are expected to follow. The Bureau is actively considering registration of the Surf TownUSA 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 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 let the Huntington Beach Symposiumand Visitors Bureau to retain the trademark.

Tourism

The downtown district contain 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 to 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 contain BB King, Janis Joplin, Steve Martin, Charles Bukowski, The Ramones and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

The Huntington Beach Pier stretches from Main Roadinto the Pacific Ocean.

Huntington Beach is home to the Newland House Museum, Huntington Beach's oldest home built in 1898.

Top employers

According to Huntington Beach's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the principal personalemployers in the townare:

BJ's Restaurant & Brewery is also based in Huntington Beach.

Arts and culture

Special happening

Many of the happening at Huntington Beach take territoryon the beach during the summer. The U.S. Open of Surfing is featured on the south side of the pier. Huntington Beach is a stop on the AVP beach volleyball tour. A biathlon (swim/run) hosted by the Bolsa Chica & Huntington State Beach Lifeguards takes territoryin July, early at dawn. The race launch at the Santa Ana River Jetties and ends at Warner Avenue, Bolsa Chica State Beach. Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard day camps are held which teaches pre-adolescents and adolescents ocean swimming, running, and first-aid medical knowledge.

In addition to the beach-focused happening, the Fourth of July parade has been held since 1904. The Huntington Beach MovieFestival takes territoryevery February.

The Pacific Airshow (originally known as the Breitling Huntington Beach Airshow, then the AmazingPacific Airshow), featuring the Breitling Jet Team and the United States Air Force Thunderbirds, is held each October.

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. In February of each year since 1996, the Surf TownUSA marathon is held with over 20,000 runners. The annual Kite Festival is held just north of the pier in late February.

Huntington Beach hosts vehiclepresent such as the Beachcruiser Meet and a Concours d'Elegance. The Beachcruiser Meet is held in March, attracting over 250 classic vehicle displayed along Main Roadand the Pier parking lot. A Concours d'Elegance is held at Central Park in June and benefits the public library. An informal "Donut Derelicts" vehiclepresentoccurs every Saturday morning at the intersection of Adams and Magnolia Street. A Vehicle and Coffee vehiclemeet is held each Sunday morning at Pacific City.

Surf TownNights is held every Tuesday night during the year. The Tuesday Surf TownNights is a community-spirited happeningthat features a farmer's market, unique entertainment, food, kiddie rides and a carnival atmosphere. Surf TownNights and the Downtown Huntington Beach Art Walk are presented by the Huntington Beach Downtown Business Improvement District (HBDBID) and the Townof Huntington Beach. The Tuesday night Surf TownNights happeningtakes territoryin the first three blocks of Main Roadfrom Pacific Coast Highway to Orange Avenue.

Sports

Huntington Beach is the pageof the world surfing championships, held annually in the summer. The townis 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.

Huntington Beach was the host townof the National Professional Paintball League Super 7 Paintball Championships until the league shutdown in 2013.

Surf and beaches

George Freeth was the first person to surf in Huntington Beach with a demonstration on June 20, 1914. Freeth had been demonstrating surfing in southern California as a promotion for the townby Henry E. Huntington. Duke Kahanamoku started surfing in Huntington Beach in 1925 and helped popularize the sport. The first surfboard shop, which was located underneath the Huntington Beach Pier, opened in 1956 by Gordie Duane.

Apart from sponsored surf happening, Huntington Beach has some of the best surf breaks in the State of California 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 Townof 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 California Department of Parks and 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 famoussurf spot. This segment of Huntington Beach is so named because dogs are permittedaround the cliff area. Beach is very restricted and often is submerged with high tides. Surf at this areatends 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 famousdestination during the summer for awesomesurf, but the Northside shouldbe 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 perfectsurf conditions with a combination South/West/Northwest swell. Due to the Santa Ana River jetties located at the southernmost end of the beach, hugesandbars extend across and upcoast, forcing swells to break extremely quickand hollow. Best seasons for surfing at this beach is the summer and fall. The best option for surfing in this locationis a shortboard.

Huntington Beach is also a famousdestination for kite surfing, and this sport shouldbe viewed on the beach northwest of the pier.

Bicycling

The Huntington Beach bikepath stretches for 10 miles (16 km) alongside the beach. Concessoinaires offer rentals of various bike, tandem bike, electric bike and surreys.

Kayaking and paddleboarding

Kayaking and standup paddleboarding is a famousactivity in Huntington Harbour. You shouldenter the harbour from multiple points along PCH north of Warner Ave or from one of the five public "Mother's Beaches" that let admissionto the harbour. There are multiple territory to rent kayaks and paddleboards as well as duffy boats.

Golf

There are three golf courses in Huntington Beach. Meadowlark Golf Club opened in 1922 located on Warner and Graham, features a par-70, 5,609-yard 18-hole golf course as well as a driving range. Huntington Beach Disc Golf Course opened in 1977 is located in Central Park West, features a par-54 18-hole golf course. Seacliff Country Club is a personalcountry club which among other amenities contain an 6,935 yard 18-hole golf course.

Parks and recreation

Central Park

Huntington Beach has a hugecentral park, known as Huntington Central Park. Central Park is located between Gothard and Edwards Road to the east and west, and Slater and Ellis Avenues to the north and south. Dedicated on June 15, 1974, Huntington Central Park is the biggesttownowned park in Orange County with nearly 350 acres (140 ha). 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 utilizeplant.

The Huntington Beach Public Library is located in Central Park in a notable building plannedby Richard Neutra and Dion Neutra. It houses almost a half-million volumes, as well as a theater, bonusstoreand fountains. The library was founded as a Carnegie library in 1914, and has been continuously supported by the townand local activists, with freshbuildings and active branches at Banning, Oak View, Main Street, and Graham. The library has significant local historical content and has a special genealogical reference collection. It is independent of the state and county library systems.

The park is also home to the Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center, a 25 acres (10 ha) facility boarding over 400 horses and operates a full time riding school at all levels. Horse rentals to the public, with tutorial trail rides through the park is also available.

There is also a "mud park" accessiblefor child. The globes second oldest disc golf course is accessiblein the park, as are two tinydining location, a sports complex for adult use, and the Shipley Nature Center.

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

The Bolsa Chica State Ecological Reserve is a natural wetland which is over 1,200 acres (4.9 km²) and include numerous walking trails and scenic routes. The grounds are one of the top birding spots in the US attracting flocks of birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway between North and South America. The wetlands themselves have been connected with the ocean again, in effort to maintain the previous, unaltered conditions.

Huntington Dog Beach

Huntington Dog Beach is located in the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) stretch between 21st and Seapoint road. This is the only locationwhere dogs are permittedon the beach in Huntington Beach. Dog Beach is free to the public. Dog Beach is very famousso visitors canexpect the beach and parking lot to be somewhat congested during the summer months and weekends.

The Orange County Register consistently names Huntington Dog Beach as the best dog park in Orange County. Some famoushappening that take territoryat Dog Beach are Surf TownSurf Dog and So Cal Corgi Nation Beach Days.

Preservation Society of Huntington Dog Beach works to holdthe beach clean and safe. This 501(c)3 non-profit organization was founded in 1997 and has a five volunteers who serve on the board. The mission statement of the Preservation Society of Huntington Dog Beach, taken from their website, is as follows: "to protect and preserve admissionto the beach for dogs and their people, as well as to promote responsible dog ownership in order to make our canine companions welcome members of society."

The society get no public financing and relies completely on personaldonations from dog-lovers who value this public good. This non-profit provides many valuable services that minimize the impact of the negative externalities caused by dog waste and unfriendly dogs which must be addressed in order to protect the environment and holdvisitors safe. One of the main reasons dogs are not usually permittedon beaches is that registrant do not pick up after them. Doggie waste bags are deliveredfor free (over 3,000 are utilize per day during the summer) and dog registrant are encouraged to immediately dispose of their dog's waste in one of the many trash should provided. Additionally, the society organizes a beach cleanup every Sunday where volunteers assistclean up trash. To holdvisitors safe, aggressive dogs are not permittedand dogs must be kept under control at all times.

The society also creates positive externalities by providing the public with valuable infoon their website. This infocontain, but is not limited to, termsto holddogs safe, hint for introducing dogs to the beach for the first time, warnings about the danger of dogs drinking ocean water, and infoabout nearby RV parking and dog-friendly hotels. Prospective visitors canbe aware of the policiesregarding leashes: "Under existing townordinance, dogs must remain leashed. However, for the past several years only unleashed, potentially riskydogs have been cited or removed." One necessaryexception is that leashes are always neededwhen entering and exiting the park to ensure securitynear PCH.

Government

Local government

The following table present the current and former mayors of Huntington Beach:

Huntington Beach Fire Department

The Huntington Beach Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the townof Huntington Beach, California. In addition to fire services, the HBFD also provides medical transport via a fleet of five ambulances. Each ambulance is staffed by two three-year limited term EMTs and the department transports over 10,000 patients annually.

The Huntington Beach Fire Department was formed as an companyin 1909 with 20 volunteers. John Tinsley, became the first fire chief. The first fire engine was a 1923 Seagrave purchased in 1922.

The Marine SecurityDivision of the HBFD is responsible for patrolling the 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of shoreline along Huntington Beach and Sunset Beach. The staffing levels vary from just five Marine SecurityOfficers during the offseason (October to March) to as many as 65 during the summer. The division staffs 30 lifeguard turret along the beach as well as TurretZero on the Huntington Beach Pier. Members of the Marine Securitydivision have a wide array of equipment accessiblefor their utilizeincluding 10 Toyota Tacoma patrol trucks, 3 Toyota Tundra patrol trucks, findand rescue SCUBA gear, 3 29-foot Crystaliner twin-engine rescue vessels, 3 Yamaha Waverunners, rigid-hulled inflatable boats and all-terrain car.

The Huntington Beach Fire Department staffs 4-person engines and trucks. All engines are ALS-level staffing with a Fire Captain, Fire Engineer, and two Firefighter Paramedics. Trucks are BLS-level with a Fire Captain, Fire Engineer, and two Firefighter EMT's. USAR 42 is cross-staffed with Truck 42 personnel. HazMat 46 is cross-staffed with Engine 46 personnel. ET41, ET42, ET45, and ET46 are 24-hour ambulances. ET241, ET242, and ET244 are 14-hour ambulances, that only operate during the daytime hours.

Politics

In the California State Senate, Huntington Beach is split between two senate districts, represented by Democrat Tom Umberg and Democrat Dave Min. In the California State Assembly, it is split between the 72nd Assembly District, represented by Republican Janet Nguyen, and the 74th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Cottie Petrie-Norris.

In the United States House of Representatives, Huntington Beach is in California's 48th congressional district, represented by Republican Michelle Steel.

According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 18, 2020, Huntington Beach has 123,048 registered voters. Of those, 49,490 (40%) are registered Republicans, 37,531 (31%) are registered Democrats, and 31,490 (29%) have declined to state a political party/are American Independents/Green.

Education

Public schools

Huntington Beach is the home of Golden West College, which offers two-year associates of arts degrees and transfer software to four-year universities.

Huntington Beach is in the Huntington Beach Union High School District, which contain:

• Edison High School
• Huntington Beach High School
• Marina High School
• Ocean View High School

The district also has an independent study school, Coast High School.

The townhas four elementary school districts: Huntington Beach TownSchool District with 9 schools and Ocean View School District with 15. A tinypart of the townis also served by the Fountain Valley School District and Westminster School District.

Personalschools

• Grace Lutheran School is a personalK–8 school
• Huntington Christian School is a personalK–8 school
• The Pegasus School, a nationally recognized blue ribbon school

Defunct schools

• Brethren Christian Junior/Senior High School was a personalindependent school with about 400 students living within 25 miles (40 km) of the school. It closed in 2020 after 73 years in operation.
• Lycée International de Los Angeles previously had its Orange County campus in Huntington Beach.

Public libraries

There are five public libraries located in the city:

• Central Library
• Main RoadBranch Library
• Banning Branch Library
• Helen Murphy Branch Library
• Oak View Branch Library

Media

The townwas featured in the TruTV series Ocean Force: Huntington Beach. The townis mentioned in the Beach Boys song "Surfin' Safari", Jan and Dean's "Surf Route 101", and "Surfer Joe" by The Surfaris.

Live cameras are set up at the Huntington Beach Pier and present on screens at the California-themed Hollister apparel shop. The shoppays the townfor the cameras, with the cashutilize to fund marine securityequipment. The cameras are also utilize 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.

The Wave Section of the Orange County Register covers Huntington Beach.

Transportation

Huntington Beach has 1,121 lane miles of public road and is managed by Caltrans which assistance a balanced transportation system utilizeof all kind of vehicular, transit, bikeand pedestrian activity.

Bus

Bus service is offered through the OCTA which contain nine routes servicing the city.

Demographics

Most Huntington Beach households have at least one car. In 2015, only 2.6 percent of Huntington Beach households lacked a car, which decreased slightly to 2.2 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Huntington Beach averaged fully two vehicle per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.

Notable people

See List of people from Huntington Beach, California.

Safety

Fire protection in Huntington Beach is deliveredby the Huntington Beach Fire Department. Law enforcement is deliveredby the Huntington Beach Police Department. Huntington Beach Marine SecurityOfficers and its seasonal lifeguards are recognized as some of the best in the globewith a top-notch securityrecord.^{[citation needed]} 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 softwarerun by the fire department's Office of Emergency Services.

Emergency services are also deliveredat State Beach area. Peace Officers and lifeguards shouldbe found at Bolsa Chica and Huntington State Beach. Such services consist of aquatic rescues, boat rescues, first aid and law enforcement. All services are deliveredby the State of California, Dept. Parks & Recreation.^{[clarification needed]}

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 locationof 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 location 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 location 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.

Hugefractions of the settled delta are in soil liquefaction space above known active faults. Most of the local faults are named after townroad.

Many residents (and even townhall) live within sight and sound of active oil extraction and drilling operations. These occasionally spew oil, causing expensive clean-ups. Hugeparts of the developed land have been contaminated by massivemetals from the water separated from oil.^{[citation needed]}

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 location have been reclaimed as parks. At least one Superfund site, too contaminated to be a park, is at the junction of Magnolia and Hamilton road, near Edison High School. On October 2, 2021, an oil spill occurred after a pipe burst, sending oil into the ocean and on the beach. The nearby Talbert Wetlands were affected, and the Pacific Airshow had to cancel the designedpresentfor that day to prevent further damage.

Sister cities

Huntington Beach has the following sister city relationships, according to the Huntington Beach Sister TownAssociation:

• Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
• Manly, FreshSouth Wales, Australia (unofficial)

See also

• Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach, California
• Biggestcities in Southern California
• List of biggestCalifornia cities by population
• List of United States cities by population

Notes

Further reading

• Heywood, Mike (2008). Century of Service: A History of Huntington Beach. ISBN 978-1-60643-981-4.
• Urashima, Mary F. Adams (2014). . Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. ISBN 978-1-62619-311-6.

• at the Wayback Machine (archived October 22, 2002)