Lure of the surf and endless summer

Does weather get any better than this? There may not be another area that better captures the quintessential California lifestyle than Surf City, USA -- otherwise known as Huntington Beach.

--

The history

In the late 1800s, what is known today as Huntington Beach was just bean and barley fields owned by the Stearns Rancho Co. At the turn of the last century, it became Huntington Beach -- an homage paid to railroad magnate and real estate developer Henry Huntington, who sponsored the extension of the Pacific Electric Railway and helped develop the city.

Huntington Beach was a quaint agricultural town until the famous oil boom in the 1920s, which lured virtually every major oil company in the country. Wells sprang up by the hundreds and, in less than a month, the town grew from 1,500 to 5,000 people.

The Douglas Aircraft Systems Center opened in 1963, bringing in thousands of families to the area. It remains one of the city’s largest employers.

What it’s about

All year long, breezes carry the scent of the ocean throughout the city.

Huntington Beach is a popular tourist destination, in part because of its reputation as a surfing mecca. It’s home to the International Surfing Museum, world-class surfing competitions and many surfing teachers of renown.

The famous title “Surf City” was born in the early 1960s when the popular duo Jan and Dean released the song of the same name.

The Huntington Beach Pier, built in 1904, rebuilt in 1914, 1940, 1988 and finally to its current length in 1992, remains the most iconic part of the city’s Main Street district. It’s the longest municipal concrete pier in California and a great place to stroll, fish or watch the action in the surf and on the beach.

Good news, bad news

Huntington Beach is close to virtually everything in Southern California. It’s a small enough city to have lots of charm but big enough (it’s the 19th-largest city in the state) to have great shopping, restaurants and cultural offerings. The California Department of Finance, which published city size rankings in January, estimated the population at 202,250.

It might be getting a bit overcrowded in places, but every beach city is facing development challenges today.

On the market

Huntington Beach has numerous neighborhoods, each with its own character.

In south Huntington Beach, recent listings included a one-level contemporary with three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,300 square feet for $659,000. In the Upper Seacliff area (closer to the water), another single-level contemporary, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,860 square feet, was listed at $989,000.

Separated from downtown by the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, residents of posh Huntington Harbour live amid canals that run through their neighborhood. A five-bedroom, 5,640-square-foot home with a private boat on a residential island is being offered for $6 million. Farther south near the municipal pier, a four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot beachfront home is listed for $2,899,000.

Realtor.com showed there were 1,360 properties for sale in the area in early August, of which 662 were single-family homes. Average prices started at $400,000 to $500,000 inland and at several million dollars along the waterfront.

Report card

The city has two elementary and middle school districts: Huntington Beach City with nine schools that have scores ranging from 753 to 908 -- out of a possible 1,000 on the 2006 Base Academic Performance Index Report -- and Ocean View with 15 schools that scored between 733 and 933. Huntington Beach Union High School District includes six schools that scored between 696 and 812.

Historical values

Residential resales:

Year..............Median Price

1990............$265,000

1995............$229,000

2000............$342,000

2004............$639,000

2005............$740,000

2006............$768,500

*2007............$775,000*Year to date

Times intern Sam Byker contributed to this article.

Sources: DataQuick Information Systems; api.cde.ca.gov; Mary Clayton, Tarbell Realtors, www.idxre.com/idx/agentBio.; www.dof.ca.gov.