In 1901, Philip A. Stanton and Col. H.S. Finley visited the area and recognized its potential as a west coast resort rivaling Atlantic City, New Jersey. They formed a syndicate called the West Coast Land and Water Co. They acquired 1,500 acres for $100,000 and began dividing the area around Main Street into lots and streets. They named their new development Pacific City.

Eighteen months later, they sold out to another group of investors, including Henry E. Huntington. Hence the city's new name. One of the first things the new Huntington Beach Company did was construct a wooden pier. The Pacific Electric Railway also now connected the city to Long Beach. The city's first telephone system was installed. It operated from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The city incorporated on Feb. 17, 1909. The first mayor was Ed Manning. The city saw its first school built the same year.

In 1920, oil was discovered, and the small village quickly mushroomed into a full-fledged boomtown. Pacific Coast Highway was constructed in 1925, opening up access to 8-1/2 miles of virgin beach and ushering in the city's gradual transition to "Surf City." By the 50's and 60's, Huntington Beach had become the fastest growing city in the nation. Today a population of approximately 200,000, the city is world renowned for its surfing and is becoming a destination attraction.

The Pier is one of Huntington Beach's focal points. The first pier, a 1,000 foot. long timber structure, was built in 1904, five years before the city's incorporation. In 1912, winter storms nearly destroyed the pier, and a $70,000 bond issue was approved by the voters to build a new one. The new 1,350 ft. pier was the longest, highest, and only solid concrete pleasure pier in the United States at that time. In 1930, the pier was lengthened by 500 ft. with a café at the end. In 1939, a storm destroyed the end of the pier and the café. After reconstruction, it was re-opened in 1940. In 1941, the Navy commandeered the pier for submarine watch during World War II. In March of 1983, storms severely damaged the end of the pier and the café, necessitating demolition and closure of the end of the pier. In September 1985, the rehabilitated pier reopened with a new two story "End Café," only to be washed away again on January 17, 1988. The pier was declared unsafe and closed on July 12, 1988. In July 1990, the construction bid for the new pier was given to Reidel International. The new pier replicated the historic architectural style of the original 1914 concrete pier, complete with arched bents. The pier was built to withstand not only wave impact and uplift, but also earthquakes. Today, thousands of visitors stroll along the pier and enjoy a meal at Ruby's Restaurant at the end of the pier.

Huntington Beach is rich in history with its beginning as an oil town. Today, the Newland House still stands proud at Beach Boulevard and Adams, a reminder of the architecture as well as furnishings of the early 1900's. Also of great historic value is the City Gym & Pool located next to Dwyer Middle School on Palm Avenue. The building was constructed in 1931 and survived the 1933 earthquake, while other buildings did not. In the 1960's, many buildings were destroyed because they failed to meet new earthquake standards. The School Board chose to donate the facility to the City of Huntington Beach. The city made structural upgrades and it has since served as a recreation center that has served the community with a variety of programs and recreational opportunities. The City Gym & Pool was renovated using the original wood in the gymnasium, and most of the fixtures and windows were restored. The building was rededicated on October 12, 2000.

Huntington Beach is in the process of making history. The South Beach area improvements, from Beach Boulevard north to Huntington Street, has already been completed. This includes the repaving of the 650 space parking lot, building of 30 inch sand walls as barriers to keep sand on the beach, planting of 248 additional palm trees, replacing restrooms, creating two plazas designed as sea shells to access beach from parking lots, creation of an entranceway and monument at Beach Boulevard, and a pedestrian bridge crossing Pacific Coast Highway. Phase II of the South Beach improvements are well underway and are expected to be complete in the fall of 2003. A new Marine Safety (lifeguard) headquarters will be built. The old one will be demolished, and in its place a new building will be constructed that will meet the needs of all Marine Safety personnel. A new Junior Guard Headquarters will be constructed in lieu of the current trailer that is used by this world-renowned program. The new building will accommodate an excess of 1,000 children participating in the Junior Guard Program each year.

demographics

Huntington Beach is noted for its living environment. The City of Huntington Beach can claim:

 

• Third largest City in Orange County
• Sixteenth largest City in California
• Visitor Destination ~ 11,000,000 beach trips annually;
• City Population of 194,228 (Est. 2003)
• Population Projection (2008) of 202,788
• 5-Mile Radius Population:
  • Beach & Edinger         526,000
  • PCH & Main Street      261,678
• Traffic Count:
  • I-405 Freeway           250,000 vehicles/day
  • Beach & Edinger        94,000 vehicles/day
  • PCH & Main Street     43,000 vehicles/day

 

• Highest personal income among the 100 largest cities in U.S. (2003 Average family household income ~ $89,979)

 

• Renowned as:
  • Consistently one of the safest large cities in U.S.
  • "Best City to Live In" (Orange County Register Survey)
  • Number one place to raise children in Southern California
  • "Sixth Best City In The Nation For Women" (Ladies Home Journal Survey)

 

• Job Centers ~ Two Regional One-Stop Job Centers offer employer services

 

• Home to Industrial Businesses, such as: Boeing Space & Defense Systems, Sharp Electronics, and Quiksilver

 

• Two One Stop Job Centers offer employer services

 

 

  Major Employers

Company	Employees
The Boeing Company	4,800
Quiksilver	1,600
Cambro Manufacturing	886
Dynamic Cooking Systems	700
C & D Aerospace	665
Triad Financial	637
E-Trade Mortgage	561
Huntington Beach Hospital	513
Rainbow Disposal	420
Verizon	352
Hyatt Regency Resort	350
Home Depot USA	266
B S H Home Appliance	231
Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort	200
Walmart	180
Sun Bridge Care Center	167
Cost Care/Unicare	164
Ricoh Business Systems	161
Coopervision	151
J E Pistons	149
Nuvision Federal Credit Union	134
Pyro Communications	130
Huntington Beach Dodge	128
Classic Industries	125
Target Stores	125
Aranda Tooling	120
Reliance Steel	119
Tri Models	111
Power Ford	106
Creative Press Inc.	105
Konica Minolta Business Solutions	105
AirTech International	104
Sharp Electronics	98
McKenna Motors	96
Toyota of H.B.	94
Norm Reeves Honda	93

 

DEMOGRAPHICS

Businesses need to know who their customers are. This basic demographic information is provided to give a brief overview. Businesses will generally purchase site-specific demographic information from market research firms; some links to these companies are provided under "More Facts & Figures" below. The U.S. Census Bureau reported the 2000 Population figure for Huntington Beach as 189,594. The 2003 and 2008 estimates noted below were reported by Claritas, a demographic research service:

HUNTINGTON BEACH DEMOGRAPHICS

	2003 Estimate	2008 Projection
Population	194,228	202,788
Households	75,305	77,852
Family Households	48,248	48,970
Total Housing Units	77,374
Occupied Units	75,305
Owner Occupied	60.65%
Renter Occupied	39.35%
Households by Income
$500,000 +	1.07%

 

$250,000 - $499,999

2.42%

 

$150,000 - $249,999

9.18%

 

$100,000 - $149,999

18.17%

 

$75,000 - $99,999

15.65%

 

$50,000 - $74,999

20.07%

 

$35,000 - $49,999

12.93%

 

$25,000 - $34,999

7.66%

 

$15,000 - $24,999

6.57%

 

Less Than $15,000

6.27%

 

Est. Median HH Income

$70,629

 

Est. Average HH Income

$89,979

 

Est. Per Capita Income	$35,825
Est. Median Family Income	$84,370

 

Est. Average Family Income

$105,075

 

Households with Children	28.63%
Median Age	37.43
Average Age	37.69
Household Type
Family Households	64.07%

 

Non-Family HH	35.93%
Employment for 16 years +

155,487

 

Employed Civilians

67.55%

 

Unemployed Civilians

2.72%

 

Armed Forces

.08%

 

Not in Labor Force

29.65%

 

Education Population 25 years +

 

 

Elementary	3.91%
Some High School	6.68%
High School Graduate	16.29%
Some College	27.50%
Associate Degree Only	9.74%
Bachelor Degree Only	23.73%
Graduate Degree	8.17%
Profession School Degree	2.85%
Doctorate Degree	1.13%

Data Source: Claritas, Nov 2003