Huntington Beach, California

Huntington Beach is the quintessential Southern California beach town - awash in oil. Incorporated in 1909, it was named after a 19th century railroad baron, Henry Huntington who never set foot in the town.  He did agree however, to put a rail stop in the town and grateful city fathers renamed it from Pacific City.  The city's first high school was built in 1906, and it stands today as an interesting architectural landmark on the way to downtown. From 1929 to 1986, it was home to the Golden Bear, an intimate nightclub that hosted performers like Janis Joplin, Steve Martin, Charles Bukowski, and BB King among others over the years.

It was a town of contrasts, as tourism met a steady spigot of crude and both provided the city's tax base.   By the 1970's, it was acquiring more the reputation of a rough town, especially on Main Street that led to the pier.   In 1979, Posh Boy, an English transplant who was waiting tables, released the album Beach Boulevard, an anthem to the punk rock movement.  It solidified the town's reputation as a haven for punks, skinheads, and those with nothing better to do than surf.  In the mid-1980's, there was no Starbucks in downtown, no boutiques, no trendy cafe's, no condos. 

Then, something happened.    On January 17th, 1988, a winter storm knocked down the Huntington Beach pier for the 4th time in the century.    The inside joke was that the End Cafe, the eatery at the end of the pier became the Bottom Cafe and now resided at the ocean bottom.  This time it stayed down, and there would be a price to pay for rebuilding it.

City fathers collaborated with interest groups, including industry, real estate developers, and the environmentalists among others to plan a rebuilding of downtown along with a newly refurbished pier.  When it re-opened in July, 1992, to a crowd of nearly 300,000, downtown, and the city of Huntington Beach had been transformed.  There were new boutiques and trendy cafes!   Package stores to buy alcohol for those who were on the way to the beach or just hanging out were not replaced, just priced out of their rental space.  And, on a busy corner three blocks from the pier, a Starbucks opened.

Huntington Beach had become family friendly and tourism boomed.  It caught the wave of the rising international surfing and volleyball circuits and became a major stop on both tours.   The riff-raff was gone, or at least their rent soared, and young couples moved into their space and new $250,000 townhouses. 

Yes, the oil still flows, almost all of it hidden from view.  The Bolsa Chica Wetlands provide a critical habitat for endangered species and contemplative paths for hikers.   The real estate developers got their share, so did the surfers and local businesses.

In 1984, it was an open secret that a popular brothel was operating three blocks from the pier. It had been there for years. The proprietor was a former Huntington Beach official who had cordial connections with law enforcement.  The brothel has since been closed.  Let's not ask what now stands in its place.