The Half Moon Bay Coastside comfortably takes its place between the dramatic, green Santa Cruz Mountains to the east and the powerful blue-green Pacific Ocean to the west. Because of the geographic isolation, the area has not changed dramatically over the years.

Dating back to the 1840s, Half Moon Bay is the oldest of settlements in San Mateo County. Traces of its past are visible in the many historic buildings as you explore Main, Purissima, and Johnston Streets "downtown". Cabrillo Highway (Highway 1) on the Coast, and Highway 92 over the mountains follow original Indian trails of the native Costanoan (As the Spanish called them – or Ohlone, as they called themselves) Indians who lived here for thousands of years.

The Half Moon Bay Coastside was the first part of the Peninsula discovered by foreign explorers. During 1776, the year the United States was formed, Captain Gaspar de Portola founded San Francisco's Mission Dolores, and within a short time, the Half Moon Bay Coast became the grazing land for mission cattle, horses, and oxen. More than 200 years later, much of the land is still used for grazing livestock.

In the 1840's, land grants were deeded to early Mexican settlers. The owners came to live on their grants during and following the Mexican War. As the gold rush brought Americans west, the many Mexican and Spanish speakers settled here caused the village to be dubbed “Spanishtown.” The first small Catholic chapel (no longer standing) was built in Pilarcitos Cemetery, which is visible from Highway 92 just east of Main Street. In 1874, Spanishtown officially became known as Half Moon Bay and the city of Half Moon Bay was incorporated in 1959.

In the late 1800's the area's character was again altered by the arrival of Canadians, Chinese, English, Germans, Irish, Italians, Scots, Portuguese, and Pacific Islanders. With the diverse representation of cultures, the Half Moon Bay Coastside became a prime example of the American melting pot.

Half Moon Bay was a thriving community in the late 1800s. The historic business district still shows signs of what downtown was like in those days.

To the south of Half Moon Bay there were stagecoach stops at Purissima, Lobitas, and San Gregorio. To the north, there were wharves at Miramar known as Amesport Landing and at Pillar Point for shipping.

The 20th century brought dramatic changes. The 1906 earthquake destroyed the last of the Spanish adobes, although of the early wooden structures still remain. Another turning point was the construction of the Ocean Shore Railway. In 1907, the Railroad came to the Coastside, hugging the shoreline from San Francisco to Tunitas Glen. Passengers marveled at the stretches of sandy beaches perfect for picnics, kite flying, horseback riding, and exploring. Due to financial problems and the increasing popularity of the horseless carriage, the railroad ceased operation in 1920.

The Half Moon Bay Coastside came alive again during Prohibition. With hidden ocean coves and thick fog for cover, the setting was ideal for rumrunners from Canada.

Half Moon Bay
Montara & Moss Beach
El Granada, Princeton & Miramar
Princeton-by-the-Sea
San Gregorio & La Honda
Pescadero
 

A house built by a dashing Mexican Don
  Main Street, Half Moon Bay
Pablo Vasques, son of a Mexican land grant recipient, built this redwood house in 1869. Over one hundred years ago, his fast horses, bullfights, and festive parties were the talk of the town.

A historic bridge over Pilarcitos Creek
  North end of Main Street, Half Moon Bay
Built in 1900, the Pilarcitos Creek Bridge was among the first steel-reinforced concrete bridges in the world – the very first in San Mateo County. The steel used for reinforcing was the used cables from the San Francisco Cable Car system.

The oldest building on Main Street
  326 Main Street, Half Moon Bay
Not only did Estanislao Zaballa build one of the earliest houses in the area (c1855), he was prominent in business and also mapped streets, blocks, and lots of the town.

The Bells of Half Moon Bay
  Corner of Main Street and Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay
In the early years of this century, school children responded to the toll of this original bell located at Mac Dutra Park. Firemen responded to another old bell now located at our new Fire Station at the south end of Main Street. (Neither bell is in its original location.)

A City Hall that looks like a bank
  Main Street, Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay City Hall (built in 1922) looks like a bank because it once was -- first called Bank of Half Moon Bay, then Bank of Italy, and later Bank of America.

A tiny jail
  Johnston Street, Half Moon Bay
Two cells and a small office remind us of simpler days on the Coastside during the first half of this century. The jail was built in 1911, and served law enforcement until 1969. It often open to the public.

A church and a railroad depot
  Corner of Johnston and Miramontes Streets, Half Moon Bay
The Community United Methodist Church was built in 1872. Although not the first church built on the Coastside (that honor belongs to the first of a series of three Roman Catholic churches), it is the oldest one still standing.

The Johnston House
  South end of Main St, Half Moon Bay
This stately home was among the first houses built by the Americans coming to the Coastside from the East. This beautifully restored house was first built (c1855) by James Johnston, one of four brothers who came to settle, do business, and help make Half Moon Bay a thriving early California town.

He started a dairy farm with 800 head of cattle driven east from Ohio. He was involved in many Northern California enterprises, but died in poverty. He and his brothers left many lasting marks on the Coastside, one of which is “The White House,” which is a museum, often open to the public.

Montara & Moss Beach

Today, Montara, the first village south of Devil’s Slide, has a population of nearly 3,000 people. It was founded around the turn of the century on a portion of the old land grant, Rancho Corral de Tierra, by Harr Wagner, a San Francisco publisher. Wagner’s hopes of establishing an art colony foundered with the demise of the Ocean Shore Railroad in 1920 and serious fires of 1916 and 1920. Even the Sequoia gigantica planted by Joaquin Miller, “the poet of the Sierras,” who rode into town on the first passenger train soon died as did Wagner’s dream. Today Montara is home to writers and artists, and other interesting folks.

Moss Beach was founded in the 1880s by German immigrant Juergen Wienke. Wienke saw the area as a vacation attraction and health spa for city dwellers in San Francisco. He built the Moss Beach Hotel which drew overflow crowds even though the only route was a dirt road around San Pedro Mountain. Later, celebrities including Jack London and Luther Burbank boarded the Ocean Shore train to Moss Beach to fish and catch abalone.

During the heyday of this era, many notable marine biologists such as S.F. Lights and Edward Smith studied and collected specimens along the shoreline of Moss Beach. In 1969, the Moss Beach tidepool area, now known as the Montara Marine Reserve, was designated as a natural reserve for plants and animals adapted to live at the edge of the ocean. Today, more than 130,000 visitors come to the reserve each year.

El Granada, Princeton & Miramar

El Granada, on the east side of Highway 1, offers restaurants and shops. Originally planned by the Ocean Shore Railroad as the "Jewel of the Coast," a grandiose resort to rival Atlantic City, the town was laid out by architect Daniel Burnham in a Beaux-Arts design of radial semicircular streets embellished with elaborate flower and tree plantings. The failure of the railroad cut short its planned development. The second half of the century has seen construction of some stunning and palatial hillside gems as well as admirable restoration of authentic, late 19th century weekend cottages.

Princeton-by-the-Sea

Pillar Point Harbor and Princeton-by-the-Sea, once frequented by rumrunners and prohibition agents, now serve commercial fishermen and recreational boaters.

The trail north from Johnson Pier takes you to the public fishing pier on the inner breakwater. From the pier, around dusk, watch kwawking night herons leave their roost in the Monterey Cypress trees.

The town of Princeton-by-the-Sea, noted for its streets named after famous colleges, was laid out in 1908 to serve the throngs of visitors who rode the Ocean Shore railroad trains from San Francisco to explore Coastside beaches.

Its Cape Cod facade, with constant foot traffic exploring the seafood restaurants and quaint shops temporarily obscures the fact that one of the largest fishing fleets in Northern California operates from here. With an annual haul of ten million pounds of fish, one can buy fresh crab, salmon, squid, or whatever is in season right from the fishermen's boats, or sign up for a charter boat day trip to catch one's own. Whale watching is possible from both boat and plane.

Boat building and repair yards support both the 200-vessel fishing fleet the 170 recreational boats that moor in the fine marina protected on three sides by a beautiful rock breakwater, built in the 1960s. Only memories remain of the Portuguese sailors from the Azores who ran a whaling station here from the 1860s until the 1890s.

Miramar Beach has nurtured the offbeat since 1964 when Pete Douglas's Sunday afternoon jazz gatherings became known as the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society. (It's a great story, ask). Today, "The Bach" showcases world-class jazz and classical artists. There's also the New Age Center, built from found objects, and a cluster of architecturally startling cottages.

Site of the old Amesport wharf, built in 1868, and for many years the only consistently reliable link with the outside world, Miramar Beach remains a sandy stretch popular with surfers and walkers.

San Gregorio & La Honda

Ten miles south of Half Moon Bay is San Gregorio Beach. White sand, protecting cliffs, and a warmish lagoon create a pleasant spot for picnicking and beachcombing. One mile east on Highway 84 is the town of San Gregorio (population 150), famous chiefly for its extraordinary store, built in 1889. Kerosene lanterns, saddles, a surprisingly serious book section, home-baked goodies, live music, and a cowboy bar satisfy a wide spectrum of needs. A pottery shop next door showcases local artisans. Of late, the town has become a favorite location for film companies seeking "funky historical" backdrops.

In the 1850's, the San Gregorio House hosted prominent San Franciscans who traveled the long distance by stage to enjoy first class trout fishing, hunting, sea bathing, and boat races. The building still stands, but no longer functions as a hotel.

A drive eight miles deeper into the redwoods on Highway 84 brings one to La Honda (population 600), first settled in 1861. A forest retreat for San Francisco society in the late 1800's, it became a popular summering spot in the first part of this century. By the 1960's, it was discovered by counter-culture gurus such as author Ken Kesey. Today it boasts camps, gardens, several tasty eateries, a craft gallery, and burgeoning small businesses.

Pescadero

A New England town on the Coastside -- that's Pescadero. The old frame houses and steepled churches reflect the town's pioneer Yankee roots, although today people of many cultural backgrounds call Pescadero home. A stroll around Pescadero reminds you of American small towns everywhere. A few restaurants, grocery stores, and a hardware store serve the needs of residents and visitors alike. But there is a difference. Instead of having a Main Street, Pescadero has a Stage Road running through town. Years ago, Pescadero was on the main road along the coast, and stage coaches brought hundreds of visitors to enjoy the famous resort hotels (now long gone) and Pebble Beach, two miles to the south.

The Pescadero Community Church, its steeple standing tall above the town, is a California Registered Landmark. Built in 1867 in the classical revival style, it is the oldest church in San Mateo County on its original site.

Edited by, and images through the Half Moon Bay History Association

Images courtesy of Half Moon Bay History Association, Spanishtown Historical Society, San Mateo County History Museum, Zaballa House Collection