Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census it is the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population. Huntington Beach (aka HB or Surf City, U.S.A.) is known for its long 8.5-mile stretch of sandy beach, mild climate, excellent surfing and beach culture. The ocean waves are enhanced by a natural effect caused by the edge-diffraction of open ocean swells around the island of Catalina. Swells generated predominantly from the North Pacific in winter, and from a combination of Southern Hemisphere stormsand hurricanes in the summer, focus on Huntington Beach creating consistent surf all year long thus giving HB the official title of “Surf City, U.S.A.”
Special Events
Many of the events at Huntington Beach are focused around the beach during the summer. The U.S. Open of Surfing is featured on the south side of the pier. Huntington Beach was a stop on the AVP beach volleyball tour. A biathlon (swim/run) hosted by the Bolsa Chica & Huntington State Beach lifeguards takes place in July at early dawn. The race begins at the Santa Ana River jetties and ends at Warner Avenue at Bolsa Chica State Beach. Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard day camps are held which teaches pre-adolescents and adolescents ocean swimming, running, and first-aid medical knowledge.
In addition to the beach-focused events, the Fourth of July parade has been held since 1904. The parade is the largest Independence Day west of the Mississippi. The SoCal Independent Film Festival takes place every September.
During the winter the annual Cruise of Lights Boat Tour is held in the Huntington Harbour neighborhood. This is a parade of colorful lighted boats & boat tours to view the Harbour’s decorated homes. The annual Kite Festival is held just north of the pier in late February.
Surf City Nights is held every Tuesday night during the entire year. The Tuesday Surf City Nights is a community-spirited event that features a farmer's market, unique entertainment, food, kiddy rides and a carnival atmosphere. Surf City Nights and the Downtown Huntington Beach Art Walk are presented by the Huntington Beach Downtown Business Improvement District (HBDBID) and the City of Huntington Beach. The Tuesday night Surf City Nights event takes place in the first three blocks of Main Street from Pacific Coast Highway to Orange Avenue.
Huntington Beach is the site of the world surfing championships, held in the summer every year. The city is often referred to as "Surf City" because of this high profile event, its history and culture of surfing. It is often called the "Surfing Capital of the World", not for the height of the waves, but rather for the consistent quality of surf. Gordon Duane established the city's first surf shop- Gordie's Surfboards, in 1955.