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Half Moon Bay in California

Wednesday, 1 January 2020 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: North America / Nordamerika
Category/Kategorie: General, San Francisco Bay Area Reading Time:  6 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population is at 11,000. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea. The urban area has a population of 21,000. Half Moon Bay is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) south of San Francisco, 10 miles (16 km) west of San Mateo, and 45 miles (72 km) north of Santa Cruz. Neighboring towns include El Granada, Princeton-by-the-Sea, Moss Beach, and Montara to the north and Purissima, San Gregorio, and Pescadero to the south.

It is situated on a bay of the same name. Major local industries include agriculture (houseplants, floriculture, Christmas trees, pumpkins, artichokes), fishing, and tourism. Historically, Half Moon Bay had been known as San Benito and Spanishtown. A popular spot at Half Moon Bay is the ‘Jetty,’ or as it is sometimes called, ‘The Breakwater.’ This is a man-made break with unusual waves shaped by reflections from the breakwater at Pillar Point Harbor. Streams in Half Moon Bay include Frenchmans Creek, Pilarcitos Creek and Naples Creek. Montara State Marine Reserve & Pillar Point State Marine Conservation Area extend offshore from Montara, just north of Half Moon Bay. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems.

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 sanddab (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). At Pillar Point Harbor, fishermen sell crab and fish catches straight off their boats at discount prices directly to the public, and restaurants will fillet the fish for purchasers.

The city has four sites listed at the National Register of Historic Places: the Methodist Episcopal Church at Half Moon Bay, the William Adam Simmons House, the Robert Mills Dairy Barn, and the James Johnston House. Reflecting the numerous artists in the area, there is an active artist’s collective, Colony of Coastside Artists, downtown has several galleries, and there are many classes and workshops available locally. Half Moon Bay also hosts an annual Art and Pumpkin Festival in October. The remnants of the village of Purissima, perhaps the only ghost town in San Mateo County, are four miles (6.4 km) south of the city, near the junction of State Route 1 and Verde Road. The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain operates a hotel there and is a major employer. The hotel was used as the wedding venue for the movie American Wedding. At the north edge of the bay is the big wave surf area, Mavericks, off Pillar Point, where surfers challenge waves over 50 feet (15 m) tall. The Half Moon Bay Yacht Club is located in the north end of Pillar Point Harbor. Montara Mountain, located North of Half Moon Bay, is a popular outdoor recreation spot and home to the old Highway 1. Seagoing vessels at Pillar Point Harbor will, on occasion, sell fresh seafood while docked at the piers. The airport hosts an annual benefit event in April, Pacific Coast Dream Machines, which features aircraft and automobiles. The region around Half Moon Bay contains several state parks and beaches, including: Half Moon Bay State Beach, Poplar Beach, San Gregorio State Beach, Pomponio State Beach, and Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, located north of Half Moon Bay, a refuge for plants and animals adapted to life at the shoreline.

Read more on Half Moon Bay, VisitHalfMoonBay.org, Inn At Mavericks, Half Moon Bay Inn, The Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay, Wikivoyage Half Moon Bay and Wikipedia Half Moon Bay (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.

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