When it incorporated in 1907 by the...

When it incorporated in 1907 by the slimmest of margins (24 residents aye, 23 nay) the only beach bunnies on the sand at Hermosa Beach were the rabbits that lived under the planks of the 3-year-old pier. Since then, the town’s beckoning sun, sand and sea have attracted beachcombers--and those who prefer life on the edge.

William Jennings Bryan found sunny respite there after three failed presidential campaigns, and, years later, the town became the cradle of the West Coast jazz scene.

Sandwiched between Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, Hermosa has a Mediterranean charm all its own. Residents on the Strand have ocean vistas that feature dolphins frolicking in the surf and unparalleled sunsets, albeit at a cost--homes sell in the $1-million range.

But even paradise has its problems.

The 1.36-square-mile community attracts a far larger portion of free-wheeling hippies, surfers and bikers than its more conservative beach-city neighbors.

After basing its economy on the fishing pier and then on the Biltmore Hotel--which was demolished 30 years ago--Hermosa turned to another revenue source: parking tickets.

During the late 1970s and 1980s, the city was hungry for money and local merchants were up in arms about beach-goers who hogged the handful of parking spaces that otherwise would be available to customers. Strict enforcement was encouraged and the city was soon labeled the “parking ticket capital of the world.” Visitors and residents alike simmered over the city’s strict parking enforcement. The owner of a local bar installed a “meter maid alarm” that set off a shrieking siren and flashing orange light any time one of the city’s familiar Cushman carts hummed into view. By the early 1990s, a council member was sporting a bumper sticker on his desk saying “Save Hermosa, drown a meter maid.”

While Redondo Beach has developed its harbor and attracted TRW Inc., and Manhattan Beach has welcomed a hotel complex and tennis center, Hermosa has done little to alter its residential character.

The city still has some landmark shops and institutions: The legendary Lighthouse jazz club, Either / Or Bookstore and Critters, a bar whose tinted windows and corner location make it a favorite spot to relax while watching motorists look for parking.

Hermosa Beach / Inside Out

LAND OF LITERATI: At the turn of the century, renowned poet Robinson Jeffers escaped to Hermosa Beach, where he basked in the sun with a lady friend and wrote about his getaway vacations to the beachside town. Years later another poet, Charles Bukowski, was known to peruse the aisles of a few bookstores on Pier Avenue. He would pull out one of his books, draw cartoons inside the cover and sign his name. And author Leonard Wibberley, who wrote “The Mouse That Roared,” lived in Hermosa Beach for 34 years until his death in 1983.

CHUG-A-THON: Fans of athletics and alcohol celebrate Independence Day at the annual Hermosa Beach Iron Man competition--which involves about 40 participants running a mile, swimming a mile in the ocean and chugging a six-pack of beer. Contest rules stipulate that the libations must be kept down for 20 minutes. But most competitors fail that test, bringing cheers from hundreds of observers.

SNOB APPEAL: From the Spanish word for beautiful, the name Hermosa was first used by the Hermosa Beach Land & Water Co. in 1901 to advertise property. In an appeal to the more snooty settlers, Hermosa Beach used to call itself “the Aristocrat of the California Beaches.”

POP FAME: Hermosa’s more recent pop fame is on the tube--”Baywatch” has been filmed there. And two years ago, a beach house on the the north end of the Strand was featured on “Beverly Hills 90210.” In the 1976 movie “Carrie,” a blood-soaked Sissy Spacek wrecked havoc on her high school prom in the building that now houses the Hermosa Beach Historical Museum.

MUSIC JOINT: Before the landmark Lighthouse Cafe became the nation’s top jazz spot in the late 1940s, locals flocked to the beachfront Hut for nickel dances.

PILLAR OF THE COMMUNITY: Hermosa Beach traces its history to 1904, when a wooden trestle was built that lasted only nine years before a storm knocked it down. The next pier, a 900-foot-long structure built in 1914, fared better, but was condemned as unsafe in 1957. The current pier, a 1,140-foot-long concrete-decked structure, was completed in 1965. Renovation plans are in the works, including new railings, beacons, a snack shop and possibly a lighted neon tube running its entire length.

MOVING LANDMARK: A 1903 windmill stood undisturbed for 66 years near Aviation Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway. It was built by German immigrant Herman Vetter to pump water to his large commercial fields of carnations and chrysanthemums. Coastal development drove the flower farm away in 1969, but the relocated landmark continues to turn at Greenwood Park.

By the Numbers

CITY BUSINESS

Date Founded: Jan. 14, 1907

Area in square miles: 1.3

Number of parks: 24 Number of city employees: 166

1995-96 budget: $13 million.

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PEOPLE

Population: 18,219

Households: 9,213

Average household size: 1.98

Median age: 32.1

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MONEY AND WORK

Median household income: $54,543

Median household income / L.A. County: $34,965

Median home value: $431,500

Employed workers (16 and older): 13,826

Women in labor force: 78%

Men in labor force: 91%

Self-employed: 1,240

Car-poolers: 972

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RETAIL STORES

Total number of stores: 289

Number of employees: 1,347

Annual sales: $164 million

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ETHNIC BREAKDOWN

White: 88%

Latino: 7%

Asian: 4%

Black: 1%

Other: 0.5%

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AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES

Eating out $3,235

Gasoline $1,268

Furniture $655

Health Insurance $572

Babysitting $150

Opera, ballet $144

Cola drinks $133

Pet food $110

Cereal $82

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NUMBER OF CARS PER HOUSEHOLD

One: 35%

Two: 44%

Three or more: 17%

None: 4%

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AGES

65 and older: 6%

50-64: 10%

34-49: 26%

18-34: 48%

17 and younger: 10%

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SHOPPING

Restaurants: 80

Car dealers

(new and used): 13

Grocery stores: 10

Florists: 7

Liquor stores: 7

Furniture stores: 6

Retail bakeries: 6

Jewelry stores: 4

Shoe stores: 1

Hardware stores: 1

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FAMILIES

Married couple families with children: 10%

Married couple families with no children: 20%

Other types of families: 9%

Nonfamily households: 61%

Source: Claritas Inc. household expenses are averages for 1995. All other figures are for 1990. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.