Huntington Beach is a seaside city within Orange County in Southern California. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west, and has been long known for its long 8.5 miles of beautiful beach, mild climate and excellent surfing, earning its nickname of Surf City.

Huntington Beach incorporated in 1909 under its first mayor, Ed Manning. Its original developer was the Huntington Beach Company, a real estate development firm owned by Henry Huntington, a railroad magnet after whom the city is named.

The initial growth of the city began with the oil boom in 1920. After the final oil strike in 1953, the fire department began clearing out oil derricks within the city and along thee coast to make room for the population explosion that began in 1950’s and continuing into the 1960’s and 1970’s. Residents by the thousands moved into the city. Huntington Beach became the fastest growing city in the continental U.S. as housing tract after housing tract were built. In 1970’s and 1980’s oil production rigs were concealed t improve the beach’s image. Forty years ago, Donald Douglas built the Douglas Aircraft Space System Center. The plant produced the Upper Stage of the Saturn V rocket that took the Apollo astronauts on their successful mission the moon. Douglas Aircraft became McDonnell Douglas, and in the 1990’s Boeing purchased the combined firm. Today Boeing is one of the largest employers in HB.

Tourism and Technology are the leading industry in Huntington Beach today. Home to more than 650 industrial business, including Boeing, Quicksilver, Cambro manufacturing, and C & D aerospace.

Due to its abundance of beaches, sunny, warm Mediterranean climate, local surfing and casual lifestyle, Huntington Beach has emerged as a perfect vacation experience for both young and old. Huntington Beach hosts more than 11 million tourists per year. Nowhere else in the world can one experience such a multitude of diverse recreational activities within such a small geographical area: beach, harbor, wetlands, parks, equestrian center, public pier, nature center and a sports complex.

Huntington Beach offers a superb education system with 35 elementary schools and five high schools and 2 community colleges located in the city.

The city population is 193,566. It is the fourth largest city in Orange County and sixteenth largest city in California.