Huntington Beach Pier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Huntington Beach Municipal Pier
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| Location | Main St. and Pacific Coast Highway Huntington Beach, California |
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| Architect | Moffatt & Nichol Engineers |
| NRHP reference No. | 89001203 |
| Added to NRHP | August 24, 1989 |
The Huntington Beach Pier is a famous pier in Huntington Beach, California. You can find it at the end of Main Street, right by the Pacific Coast Highway. It's one of the longest public piers on the West Coast, stretching about 1,850 feet (564 meters) into the ocean. The top of the pier is 30 feet (9 meters) above the sea.
This pier is a major landmark in Huntington Beach, often called "Surf City, USA." It's a popular meeting spot for surfers because the waves here are great all year round. This happens because of how ocean swells bend around Catalina Island. The Huntington Beach Pier is also listed on the California Register of Historical Resources, meaning it's an important historical place.
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History of the Huntington Beach Pier
The story of the Huntington Beach Pier began around 1902. The first wooden pier was built in 1904 by the Huntington Beach Company. It reached 1,000 feet (305 meters) into the Pacific Ocean.
Building a Stronger Pier
In 1910, a big storm badly damaged the wooden pier. A large part of it fell into the ocean. To fix this, the city decided to build a new, stronger pier. In 1911, they approved $70,000 to build a concrete pier. This new pier would be 1,350 feet (411 meters) long.
The new concrete pier opened in 1914. It was special because it was the longest and highest concrete pleasure pier in the United States at that time. A famous surfer named George Freeth even gave a surfing show at the opening!
Changes and Challenges Over Time
In 1931, the city made the pier even longer, adding 500 feet (152 meters) and a restaurant called the Sunshine Cafe at the end. However, in 1933, a big earthquake caused the new extension to break away from the rest of the pier. The city quickly repaired it.
More trouble came in 1939 when a hurricane damaged the pier again. Reconstruction was finished a year later. During World War II, the U.S. Navy used the pier. They set up a lookout post and a machine gun to watch for enemy submarines. After the war, all military equipment was removed, and the pier was returned to the public.
Rebuilding After Storms
In the 1980s, powerful Pacific storms hit the pier. Storms in 1983 and 1988 destroyed parts of it, including the "End Cafe." Experts said the pier was unsafe, and it closed in July 1988.
A community group called P.I.E.R. (Persons Interested in Expediting Reconstruction) formed to help. They raised over $100,000 by selling T-shirts and other items. The community of Anjo, Japan, which is a sister city to Huntington Beach, also donated $92,000.
Construction on a new, 1,856-foot (566-meter) pier started in October 1990. The pier was finished and reopened on July 18, 1992. Over 500,000 people came to celebrate the grand re-opening! The city now has a special program to keep the pier well-maintained.
The pier was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 24, 1989. This means the government recognized it as an important historical structure worth protecting.
How the Pier is Built
The pier you see today looks a lot like the one from 1914. It's made of concrete with strong steel inside. This steel is covered with a special coating to protect it from the salty ocean air, which can cause rust.
Designed for Strength
The pier is built to be very strong. It can stand up to huge waves up to 31 feet (9.4 meters) tall. It can also survive a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. The spaces between the pier's support poles are wider than usual. This was done to make it safer for surfers to ride waves under the pier, as the city requested.
The pier gently slopes up towards the ocean end. It has three octagon-shaped platforms and one square platform that looks like a diamond at the very end. The design also includes special features from the original pier, like decorative supports for the lights.
Things to Do and See at the Pier
The Huntington Beach Pier is a busy place with lots to do.
Popular Activities
Many people come to the pier for sport fishing. Others just enjoy watching the surfing action. Ruby's Diner opened at the end of the pier in 1993, offering a place to eat with amazing views. Walking along the pier is a favorite activity for both locals and visitors.
The pier has a midnight curfew. This means it closes two hours after the beach closes to the public. During these hours, public safety officers patrol the beach and pier. The City of Huntington Beach also has a 24-hour webcam on the pier. You can watch the live view online!
The city's beach headquarters provides daily updates on beach and surf conditions. You can find this information on their website or by calling an automated phone line. The reports include details like surf height, water temperature, wind speed, and high and low tide times.
Special Events at the Pier
The Huntington Beach Pier hosts many exciting events throughout the year, especially in the summer.
Surfing Competitions and More
The annual U.S. Open of Surfing is held every summer on the south side of the pier. It's the biggest surfing competition in the world and usually lasts a week. During this event, famous people in surfing are honored. They are added to the Surfing Walk of Fame and the Surfers' Hall of Fame. Both of these are located right across from the pier on Main Street. The Walk of Fame has plaques in the sidewalk, and the Hall of Fame has surfers' hand prints.
Many other surfing competitions, like the PSA, NASSA, and CSA, also take place here. The pier area is also used for tournaments in other sports, such as volleyball, wrestling, BMX biking, kite flying, paintballing, and fishing.
Races and Celebrations
Races and marathons, like the Surf City Marathon & Half Marathon (held every Super Bowl Sunday) and the Surf City 10 (in October), pass by the pier. The city also holds an Annual Pier Swim and Rough Water Swim. In these events, participants swim around the pier. On the Fourth of July, there are fireworks and parades to celebrate.
Pier Webcams
Besides the city's webcam, live views from the pier are shown on screens in Hollister clothing stores. The company pays a fee to the city for this. This money helps fund equipment for marine safety, which is important for lifeguards. The cameras are also used by lifeguards themselves.
The Pier in Movies and TV
Huntington Beach and its pier are popular spots for filming movies and TV shows.
Television shows filmed here include 90210 from The CW, the NBC show Betty White's Off Their Rockers, and The X Factor. The area has also been shown on the Bravo show, The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Images for kids
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The Pier from a boat
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The Pier from the air
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The pier at sunset
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Ruby's Diner Huntington Beach at sunset
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Sunset on Sunday, 9/7/14 at Huntington Beach Pier
