Huntington Beach Live Cam

Free Land In Huntington Beach. Free, when you bought a set of encyclopedias. Hard to believe, but that's how many people first heard of Huntington Beach. Shortly after the turn-of-the-century, a New England company gave encyclopedia buyers a deed to a plot of land in Huntington Beach. Many people filed the deeds away or forgot about them. Until oil was discovered, and the book-smart were now owners of some of the most important land in the area.

Today, Huntington Beach today is a rich and vital part of Orange County. Its beaches, shops, and entertainment centers draw millions annually. A strong industrial community, in place since the early 1900s, provides a strong economic foundation. With all this around, with a population of more than 200,259 (2022), it's no wonder that Huntington Beach residents forget about the city's humble, pastoral beginnings. Or maybe they don't know the history of Huntington Beach.

Long before Europeans came to the area, there were small communities of American Indians living in the area that is now Huntington Beach. Food and water was abundant, making it a peaceful place to live. Eventually Spanish settlers entered the area when the King of Spain handed out large land grants.

The first major subdivision of the area came on May 22, 1834, when a section of the large Nietos Grant was split. The new section was called Las Bolsas, or "Little Pocket". This new parcel covered 21 square miles and included areas now part of Huntington Beach, Garden Grove and Westminster. Little changed over the next two decades. By the end of the 1850s, the area was owned by Abel Stearns.

Stearns had moved to California from Massachusetts in 1829, setting the Los Angeles area in 1833. Over the years, Stearns became the largest land owner in California.

On March 11, 1889, area residents broke off from Los Angeles County allowing them to form their own county; the County of Orange was born. The new county was still mostly ranch and agricultural land.

By the turn of the century, part of what would one day be called Huntington Beach was being settled; but at that time it was known as "Shell Beach"--named because of the large number of clams on the beach.

In 1901, Philip Stanton purchase a large parcel of land overlooking the beach and began to subdivide it for development. On a forty-acre tract he laid out lots, streets and installed a water system. Through the center of the development, a Main Street was laid. Stanton then changed the city's name to Pacific City--an attempt to build a West Coast community to rival Atlantic City. But Stanton's dream only lasted a little more than a year. In 1902 he sold the land to Henry E. Huntington, the owner of the Pacific Electric Railroad.

It wasn't long before the local residents saw his trains bringing passengers to the beaches. The first of the trains rolled into town on July 4, 1904. That same year the community was renamed Huntington Beach as a tribute to Henry E. Huntington.

With the electric train and the establishment of a post office in 1903, it wasn't long before the town began to grow. Lots of land that had sold for $200 were now being sold for thousands. The increase in population forced the town to add more land to the original township. Huntington Beach was becoming a favorite spot for families to settle down.

In 1904, the first pier in Huntington Beach was built by the Huntington Beach Company and trees were planted along the streets in an attempt to make the area more attractive. It was about that same time that the city_struggling financially--sold property to an encyclopedia company, who, of course, used the land as a promotional gimmick. On July 17, 1909, the town of Huntington Beach was finally incorporated, Ed Manning became the city's first mayor, the first school was built, and the population--spread over 3.57 square miles--was 915. Soon, in the next decade, the complexion of Huntington Beach would be changed forever. In 1910, the city built the famous Salt Water Plunge at the foot of the pier. The plunge gave the citizens a place to gather and have fun.

In Huntington Beach, growth continued but the economy needed a boost. The city started inviting new businesses into the area. One such company was the Holly Sugar plant. Built in 1911, the plant soon became one of the cities largest employers. By 1914, there were more than 300 people working in the sugar plant. In 1912, a large storm damaged the old wooden pier, but a bond, voted on by the citizens, helped the city rebuild a new concrete pier. In an attempt to help the new city grow, the Huntington Beach Co. began selling lots and farm acreage. By the end of 1915, you could buy a small lot for $250; farm land started at about $500 an acre. By 1918, the city was forced to hold a public land auction just to stay out of debt. Things began to change the following year.

In 1919, Standard Oil Company leased some land from the Huntington Beach Co. and soon, started drilling for oil. In August 1920, the we produced oil and before long, more than 90 barrels a day were being produced. With this newfound industry, oil wells began springing up everywhere. As if overnight, the population of the city tripled. When oil was discovered in Huntington Beach, it came as a pleasant and welcome surprise to many people who didn't even live in Huntington Beach. All those people who had received the free encyclopedia lots, almost two decades earlier, were now sought-after by those wanting to drill on the lots. Owners leased their lots to drillers, then sat back and collected the profits. Many of the lot owners were making a hundred dollars a month from their lot, without setting foot in Huntington Beach. Albert Watkin, whose family moved to Huntington Beach in 1921, recalls what it was like back then.

"You couldn't, in 1921, find a house to rent in Huntington Beach because the oil boom had started," he was saying last week. "We lived in a tent with a wood floor and about three foot up of wood around the tent, above the floor and that was it, one room." As the oil well industry was growing, the people of Huntington Beach took advantage of their newfound fame. A national ad campaign brought in thousands of new people hoping to get rich from oil. Land areas the size of a house lot were leased to new oil companies; but soon most of the fields were explored and parcelled out, leaving some company rich and others bust. A smaller oil boom in 1926 brought more profits from oil into the city. During the oil boom years of the 20s, the city developed the surrounding territory near the beach. In 1925, Pacific Coast Highway was built, giving the people better access to the beautiful beach. About the same time, the city put a campground area on the beach. They leased property from the Huntington Beach Co., installed restrooms, and put up picnic tables. The campground stretched from Lake Street to Beach Blvd.

There were also plenty of bargains to be found in this growing city. Men could shop at a local clothiers and buy a Palm Beach suit for only $10, while a local grocery store sold pot roast for 15 › a pound. When the 30s started, oil was discovered off shore, below the ocean floor. In a successful attempt to preserve the beaches, a technique known as (ital.) slant drilling was developed to reach the oil from land. Despite the fame the oil wells brought to Huntington Beach, the city and surrounding territory remained largely an agricultural producing zone. The fertile land was used in growing beans, tomatoes, celery and other cash crops. As the 30s progressed, so did the city campground. By now people where starting to bring trailers to park on the grounds, resulting in the creation of the Municipal Trailer Park.

On March 10, 1933, an earthquake struck, damaging the pier, City Hall, the First State Bank building, and many other structures. After the earthquake, there was a lot of uneasiness. People began to run outside at the slightest temblor. Many slept outdoors in fear of another earthquake. Soon the pier was patched, repairs were made to other buildings, and life returned to normal...until 1939 when a heavy Pacific storm hit the coast, destroying a large portion of the pier, and forcing the city to rebuild, again.

In the mid 30s, the city erected a pair of criss-crossing arches spanning Main Street and P.C.H. But because of the damp salt air, the arches eventually began to wear and deteriorate; they were taken down. In 1941, World War II began and the Navy moved in and took control of the Huntington Beach pier, using it as a submarine lookout post. About a year later, unrelated to the war, Ed Manning, Huntington Beach's first Mayor, passed away. After the war, life returned to normal. In June 1946, the city installed the first parking meters on Main Street and P.C.H.; the toll was 5›.

Alicia M. Wentworth, former City Clerk, remembers the times fondly. She lived in a nicely located trailer park. "Our trailer, back end of it, was over the sand," she says. "Nine months of heaven for a 20-year-old kid." The city was finally coming into its own by the end of the 40s. The 1947/48 city budget increased nearly a hundred thousand dollars, reaching a record $604,394. In 1948, the state moved in and purchased 11,000 feet of beach property stretching from the trailer park to the Santa Ana River. This new state beach became the foundation for Huntington Beach State Park. In the early part of the decade of the 50s, little changed. Residents could go the Surf Theater in the summer of 1953 to see a feature, such as "Million Dollar Mermaid" with Esther Williams and "Happy Go Lovely" with David Niven. Hamburger was 35› a pound. In 1955, a three-bedroom house at Newport Vista Homes sold for $7,995.

Abby Tice remembers going dancing at the Pavilion in the mid 50s. "It had a nice floor," she says, "and it was big and you know back then dancing was--it was so different from now. Everybody enjoyed things, I think because we'd all come out of the depression and we really appreciated everything." With the expansion of Huntington Beach apparent, the Edison Company built an electrical generating plant in the city. The plant was completed in 1956. By 1957, many of the surrounding farm lands in an unincorporated portion of the county asked to join the city and were gladly accepted. The city grew even more when large property holdings were annexed. This annexation started the large expansion boom in Huntington Beach. In 1959, the Municipal Trailer Park finally closed down, a sad day for many; but 1959 was also the year the city held its first surfing competition.

When 1960 rolled around, the population of the city was a mere 11,492, but by 1970 the population had jumped to 115,960. Most of this can be attributed to annexation. But many others were moving to Huntington Beach from all over, and new housing developments sprung up all over Huntington Beach, including developments in Huntington Harbour. For years, a section of beach west of the city had been overrun by campers and squatters who did little to maintain the beach; as a result the area became littered with bottles and discarded cans and assumed the dubious title of Tin Can Beach. In 1961, the state once again moved in: they bought the land, removed the litter, and created Bolsa Chica State Beach. The city entered the race for the moon in 1963 when construction started on the Douglas Space Plant on Bolsa Chica Avenue. Finally on November 14, 1963 the plant was dedicated at a ceremony that featured Vice President Lyndon Johnson. Eight days later he would became President.

In October 1966, a fire destroyed a large portion of the Pavilion. From city's humble beginning, the Pavilion, located next to the pier, had been the locale for many of the city's major events, including the famous twin contest. Later when it was rebuilt, the Pavilion was turned into the Fisherman restaurant; a few years later it was renamed Maxwell's. About the same time, Golden West Community College opened its doors. Now that the city had grown in size and population, it became necessary for the city to provide services for its citizens. As a result, in the early part of the 1970s, the city took some of its land and developed it into Central Park. The park was officially dedicated in June 1974. The Central Library opened its doors in 1975.

Mother Nature was unkind to the city in the 80s. Having had portions of the pier destroyed during storms in 1912 and 1939, the 80s saw the pier damaged not once but twice. But there was also good news. In October 1985, the National Register of Historical Places designated the Newland House as a historical site. Two years later, in August 1987, three buildings belonging to the Worthy family were designated as historical sites. Located at 6th and Walnut, the Worthy Historical Buildings include a house, a commercial building, and a tool shop.

At the end of the 1980's, the city began a remodeling project of old downtown, especially the area near Main and P.C.H. In 1990, construction on the Pierside Pavilion was completed. The Pavilion was the first major building to be finished under the redevelopment project of old downtown. In 1990 Huntington Beach opened a surfing museum to pay homage to the riders of the waves. Founded by Natalie Kotsch, the International Surfing Museum contains photos, memorabilia, and artwork depicting the history of surfing. The museum is located at 411 Olive. So now, 1996, Huntington Beach approaches a new century, nearly a century of progress behind it. And what is clear is this: no gimmicks are necessary to make people want to come here.