Coastal city named for its crescent shape, is approximately 25 miles south of San Francisco, and known for Mavericks, a big-wave surf location

How to Get There

From San Francisco (29 mi): Get on US-101 S/Central Fwy. Take I-280 S and CA-1 S/Cabrillo Hwy N to Kelly Ave in Half Moon Bay. Turn left onto Kelly Ave.

Overview

Half Moon Bay is a coastal city approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of San Francisco. Immediately north of Half Moon Bay is Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea. Half Moon Bay is known for Mavericks, a big-wave surf location. It is called Half Moon Bay because of its crescent shape.

Napiss, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

Originally an agricultural outpost to Mission San Francisco de Asís, the town was founded in the 1840s first as San Benito, and then as its Anglo fishing community grew, it was renamed Spanishtown. In 1874, it was again renamed Half Moon Bay. After rail and road connections in the early 1900s, the town grew. The foggy weather of the coast made the town a popular destination for booze-running during Prohibition.

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.

Sharon Mollerus, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons ; Image Size Adjusted

Notable buildings

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. 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.

Parks and recreation

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

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, located north of Half Moon Bay, is a refuge for plants and animals adapted to live at the shoreline.

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.

Montara Mountain, located North of Half Moon Bay, is a popular outdoor recreation spot and home to the old Highway 1.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Half Moon Bay, California", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0