Half Moon Bay, California

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Coordinates: 37°27′32″N, 122°26′13″W
City of Half Moon Bay
A typical meadow in Half Moon Bay
Location of Half Moon Bay within San Mateo County
Country	United States of America
State	California
County	San Mateo
Incorporated	July 15, 1959
Mayor	Marina Fraser
City Manager	Debra C. Auker
Area
- City	16.8 km² (6.5 sq mi)
- Land	16.7 km² (6.5 sq mi)
- Water	0.1 km² (0.04 sq mi) 0.31%
Population
- City (2000)	11,842
- Density	706.7/km² (1,829.8/sq mi)
	United States Census Bureau
Time zone	PST ([[UTC{{{utc_offset}}}]])
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
Website: http://www.half-moon-bay.ca.us

Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,842 as of the 2000 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Pillar Point Harbor
4 Local attractions
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Half Moon Bay is located at 37°27′32″N, 122°26′13″W (37.458840, -122.436848)^GR1, approximately 25 miles south of San Francisco, 10 miles west of San Mateo, California, and 45 miles north of Santa Cruz, California. Neighboring towns include Montara, Moss Beach, and El Granada to the north and Purissima, San Gregorio, and Pescadero to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.8 km² (6.5 mi²). 16.8 km² (6.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.31%) is water.

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 has 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.

The town is served by Half Moon Bay Airport. The local newspaper is the Half Moon Bay Review.

[edit] Demographics

A view of the Jetty at Pillar Point Harbor.

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 11,842 people, 4,004 households, and 2,774 families residing in the city. The population density was 706.7/km² (1,829.8/mi²). There were 4,114 housing units at an average density of 245.5/km² (635.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.27% White, 3.91% African American, 0.44% Native American, 3.39% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 11.04% from other races, and 3.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.23% of the population.

There were 4,004 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 112.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $78,473, and the median income for a family was $92,204. Males had a median income of $60,913 versus $41,265 for females. The per capita income for the city was $37,963. 6.1% of the population and 3.4% of families were below the poverty line. 7.0% of those are under the age of 18 and 6.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

[edit] 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.^[1] 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). ^[2]

[edit] Local attractions

Video game bus in Half Moon Bay

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."

The Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, located on the Princeton Harbor, is the only brewpub on the San Mateo County coast.

[edit] References

^ Callander Associates, Pillar Point Harbor East Harbor Master Plan, December 21, 1988)
^ Environmental Impact Report for the Pillar Point East Harbor Master Plan, Earth Metrics Inc., prepared for the San Mateo County Harbor District, February, 1989