1901- A partnership purchases 150,000 acres of prime real
estate for $100,000 and names it Pacific City, with the intention of
creating a resort to rival Atlantic City.
1902 - To enhance the resort theme of the new town,
construction of a rough wood pier begins; it will stretch 1,000 feet
into the ocean when it opens in 1904.
1903 - In appreciation of his commitment to extend daily
electric railroad car (Red Car) service from Long Beach, the town is
renamed in honor of Henry E. Huntington, owner of the Pacific Electric
Railway Company.
1904 - The Red Car makes its official first run from Los
Angeles on July 4th. To celebrate, the city hosts its first Independence
Day celebration for more than 10,000 people, including concerts, horse
races, greased-pole climbing contests, a barbecue and fireworks.
1909 - The City of Huntington Beach, California is incorporated.
1912 - The original pier is nearly destroyed by winter
storms and is replaced by a second pier, measuring 1,350 feet, with a
café at the end. The new pier was the longest, highest and only solid
concrete pleasure pier in the U.S. at that time.
1920 - Oil is discovered
on Huntington Beach's "encyclopedia lots." The lots were sold by the
city in 1905 to an encyclopedia company that awarded the lots to
customers who purchased a set of encyclopedias.
1925 - Construction of the Pacific Coast Highway reaches Huntington Beach.
1926 - A second oil well is discovered, which produces more than 2,000 barrels of oil a day.
1933 - Oil strikes for the third time. This time the
revolutionary slant-drilling technique is used, and within a year, 90
wells are producing oil down the coast.
1939 - A freak hurricane barrels down the West Coast and
takes the Huntington Beach Pier and café with it when it leaves. A third
pier is constructed by 1941.
1941 - World War II starts, and the U.S. Navy commandeers the pier for submarine patrol, complete with machine guns and radar.
1957- Jack's Surfboards opens. Today, Jack's is still one of the city's best surf spots
and has expanded into five different locations throughout coastal
Orange County. Jack's celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007.
1959 - The first U.S. Surfing Championship is hosted in Huntington Beach, California and continues to be hosted in the city until 1973, solidifying the city's reputation as one of America's best surf spots.
1963 - Jan and Dean's single "Surf City" hits number one on the Billboard magazine Hot 100, the music industry's most prominent and recognized popularity chart.
1970 - For the next 10 years, Huntington Beach, California earns recognition as the fastest-growing city in America.
1974 - Huntington Central Park is dedicated and is the largest city-owned park in Orange County.
1979- The Bolsa Chica Wetlands Ecological Reserve is
developed in an effort to protect one of the last remaining habitats of
coastal migratory birds.
1988 - El Niño causes 20-foot storm waves that destroy 50 feet of the pier.
1990 - The International Surfing Museum opens.
1991 - The Huntington Beach City Council adopts the nickname "Surf City."
1992 - The new pier opens. It measures 1,853 feet and is built in the historic architectural style of its 1914 predecessor.
1994 - The Surfing Walk of Fame breaks ground on the north side of Main Street.
2000 - The Bolsa Chica Wetlands reach 1,200 acres in public ownership and an extensive rehabilitation project begins.
2002 - The Surfers' Hall of Fame is established on the south side of Main Street.
2004 - The Huntington Beach Fourth of July parade
celebrates its 100-year anniversary and parties with a celebration and
fireworks display that draws more than 150,000 spectators.
2005- The USA Surf Team adopts Huntington Beach as its
official home and the Association of Surfing Professionals-North America
moves to the city.
2006 - The Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau is officially granted three trademarks for Surf CityUSA®.
