Half Moon Bay, California

Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAL : Half Moon Bay, California

Half Moon Bay is a city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,842 as of the 2000 census.

Contents

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Local attractions
4 External links

Geography

Half Moon Bay is located at [37°27′32″N, 122°26′13″W] (37.458840, -122.436848)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]}, approximately 25 miles south of San Francisco, 10 miles west of San Mateo, California, and 45 miles north of Santa Cruz, California. Neighboring towns include Montara, Moss Beach, and El Granada to the north and San Gregorio and Pescadero to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.8 km² (6.5 mi²). 16.8 km² (6.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.31%) is water.

It sits on a bay of the same name. Major local industries include agriculture (houseplants, floriculture, Christmas trees, pumpkins, artichokes), fishing, and tourism. Historically, Half Moon Bay has been known as San Benito and Spanishtown.

A popular spot at Half Moon Bay is the 'Jetty,' or as it is sometimes called, 'The Breakwater.' This is a man-made break with unusual waves shaped by reflections from the breakwater at Pillar Point harbor.

The town is served by Half Moon Bay Airport. The local newspaper is the Half Moon Bay Review.

The Half Moon Bay School District made headlines in recent months when it outlawed the assigning of homework so as not to offend children who happened to be homeless. ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 11,842 people, 4,004 households, and 2,774 families residing in the city. The population density was 706.7/km² (1,829.8/mi²). There were 4,114 housing units at an average density of 245.5/km² (635.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.27% White, 3.91% African American, 0.44% Native American, 3.39% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 11.04% from other races, and 3.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.23% of the population.

There were 4,004 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 112.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $78,473, and the median income for a family was $92,204. Males had a median income of $60,913 versus $41,265 for females. The per capita income for the city was $37,963. 6.1% of the population and 3.4% of families were below the poverty line. 7.0% of those are under the age of 18 and 6.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Video game bus in Half Moon Bay

Local attractions

The Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, overlooking Pillar Point Harbor, is the only brewpub on the San Mateo County coast.

Half Moon Bay is the home of the world famous Mavericks surf break where an invitation-only big wave surfing contest is held every winter.

Half Moon Bay hosts an annual "Art and Pumpkin Festival" on Main Street downtown. 250,000 people visit every October for the festival.

Cameron's Pub restaurant, located in Half Moon Bay, owns the "World's Only Double Decker Video Game Bus."

External links

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