History of Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay began as a rural agriculture area, primarily used for grazing of cattle, horses, and oxen used by Mission San Francisco de Asis (established in June 1776). In the early nineteenth century land grants were given to Spanish settlers, who established farms and ranches.
The community began to develop in the 1840s as the first real town in San Mateo County. Known originally as San Benito, the town was renamed Spanishtown and attracted a thriving fishing industry in addition to its continued importance to coastal agriculture. Spanishtown became a racially diverse community, settled by Canadians, Chinese, English, Germans, Irish, Italians, Scots, Portuguese, and Pacific Islanders. Regular stagecoach service was established with San Mateo; coaches also served the communities of Purissima, Lobitos, and San Gregorio. Levy Brothers opened a department store in downtown Half Moon Bay. Spanishtown was officially renamed Half Moon Bay in 1874.
The area grew very slowly, even after the Ocean Shore Railroad began serving the community in 1907. The construction of Pedro Mountain Road in 1914 provided better access to San Francisco and probably contributed to the demise of the railroad by 1920. During Prohibition "rum runners" took advantage of dense fog and hidden coves in the area to serve a number of roadhouses and inns, some of which operate today as restaurants. Real growth in the area came after World War II with the construction of numerous subdivisions, eventually leading to the incorporation of Half Moon Bay in 1959. The city preserves a historic downtown district which includes historic buildings dating as far back as 1869.
Pillar Point Harbor
The Pillar Point Harbor at the northern edge of Half Moon Bay offers a protected landing for boats and provides other marine infrastructure. In the late 1980s a new master plan was developed for the Harbor. A variety of fish species have been identified in the harbor area. The most abundant fish include flatfish, particularly the speckled sandcrab (Citharichthys stigmaeus) and the commercially important English sole (Parophrys vetulus), several species of rockfish (Sebastes sp.) with boccacio (S. paucispinis) most abundant, many members of the surfperch family, the most abundant being shiner (Cymanogaster aggregata) and dwarf surfperches (Micrometrus minimus), and the commercially important Pacific herring (Clupea harengus). Smaller populations of many other species, including significant commercial or sport species such as various surfperch, flatfish including halibut (Paralichthys californicus), lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus), and cabezon (Scoraenichthys marmotarus) also are found in the harbor during the summer. Abundant winter species include starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus) and topsmelt (Atherinops affinis).
Local Attractions
Half Moon Bay hosts an annual "Art and Pumpkin Festival" on Main Street downtown. 250,000 people visit every October for the festival.
Cameron's Pub restaurant, located in Half Moon Bay, owns the "World's Only Double Decker Video Game Bus." For the adults, Cameron's also owns the "World's Only Double Decker Smoking Bus".
The Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, located on the Pillar Point Harbor, is the only brewpub on the San Mateo County coast.
The remnants of the village of Purissima, California, perhaps the only ghost town in San Mateo County, are four miles south of the city, near the junction of California Highway 1 and Verde Road.
Several miles north of Half Moon bay is the famous surf area, Mavericks, off Pillar Point, where pro surfers challenge waves over 50 feet (15 m) and one Professional Surfer, Mark Foo, died.
Montara Mountain, located north of Half Moon Bay, is a popular outdoor recreation spot, and home to the old Highway 1.
Beautiful beaches including Montara and Surfers Beach.