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The History of Huntington Harbour

Located at the Northwest end of Huntington Beach along the magnificent Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Harbour is a master-planned waterfront community that includes some 5,000 condominiums, homes and estates as well as water-front restaurants and shopping.

Many of the homes in the community include privately held boat slips adjacent to residences with a total of about 3,000 boats in the harbour. The area’s official title is Sunset/Huntington Harbor and it includes Sunset Marina Park as well as two public marinas. Residents of the upscale community enjoy Southern California living at its finest. With excellent schools, a low crime rate and an excellent quality of life, Huntington Harbour is a popular destination for families.

Prices for condominiums range from the low $300,000s to $1,250,000 for premium locations. Single-family homes start at $700,000 and run up to $7.5 million for large waterfront homes with private docks. For boaters, entrance to the harbor is through Anaheim Bay from the Pacific Ocean. Boats pass through the Anaheim Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This is home to numerous types of marine life and birds that thrive in the natural habitat that has existed for years. The area is said to be one of the most important and beautiful natural wildlife areas along the Pacific Coast.

The harbor first opened its facilities in 1969. Prior to that, the area was an undeveloped natural waterway adjacent to the huge wildlife area that is still untouched. Sunset Bay, as it was called, was first thought to be a potential recreation site in 1957 and was surveyed in 1958 for feasibility. By 1961 the necessary steps had been taken to assure that this would be a future harbor. Originally, 64 acres of this area belonged to the federal government and was part of the Naval Ammunition Station in Seal Beach. Declared surplus, the site was acquired by the Harbor District with the condition that it be developed as a public park for recreational purposes.

Huntington Beach is located on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in northwestern Orange County. It is surrounded by Westminster to the North, Fountain Valley to the Northeast, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach to the East, and Seal Beach to the Northwest. Los Angeles is located 35 miles to the Northwest and San Diego is 95 miles to the Southeast. Founded in the late 1880s, Huntington Beach was incorporated on Feb. 17. 1909. The current population is approximately 200,000. It is the third largest city in Orange County, the 11th largest city in California and the 92nd largest city in the United States. The crown jewel of the Huntington Beach recreational system is its nine miles of spacious, sandy beaches. Huntington Beach is also home to one of the largest pleasure piers in the world. The city’s park system includes 58 public parks and the largest city-owned and operated regional park in Orange County - Huntington Central Park. Also within the city’s boundaries are three miles of equestrian trails, school playgrounds, a city gym, a seniors’ recreation center, two golf courses, 72 tennis courts, a marina, and a protected wildlife preserve.

Businesses include aerospace and high technology; petroleum and petroleum support; manufacturing; computer hardware and software; financial and business services; automobile services; machine shop services and precision instruments to name a few.