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Photograph of Huntington Beach Municipal Pier
Photograph by Unknown, Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Huntington Beach Municipal Pier

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. 16 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1896.

From the record

“The Huntington Beach Pier is a municipal pier located in Huntington Beach, California, at the west end of Main Street and west of Pacific Coast Highway. At 1,850 ft (560 m) in length, it is one of the longest public piers on the West Coast of the United States.”

Wikipedia article Huntington Beach Pier, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 136 National Register listings published here for Orange County · listed in 1989 · category: District.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 3 buildingss, 1 structure as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. Main St. and Ocean Ave., Huntington Beach, 92648
  • When was it listed? August 1989
  • Category. district
  • Census division. North Coast
  • National Register reference number. 89001203 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Then and now

1896 to 1901

The ground this property stands on, surveyed 5 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet covering Huntington Beach Municipal Pier, surveyed 1901
Topographic sheet covering Huntington Beach Municipal Pier, surveyed 1896

Fires near this property

207 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 207 fires within 5 miles of Huntington Beach Municipal Pier between 2005 and 2020, burning about 93 acres in total. None started naturally. 25 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined143
Arson/incendiarism25
Misuse of fire by a minor12
Smoking10
Equipment and vehicle use10
Debris and open burning6
Recreation and ceremony1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2009Debris and open burningunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
3 September 2006Smokingunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
3 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
24 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
23 September 2006Smokingunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
2 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
17 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreOrange County Fire Authoritynot named
13 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Every fire recorded in Orange County

Mines and quarries near this property

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Huntington Beach Municipal Pier: 2 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
La Bolsa Tile Co.ClayPast Producer
Huntington Beach Asphalt and RockSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Huntington Beach Plant Sully-MillerSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Orange County

Storms near this property

36 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Huntington Beach, the town this property stands in, in 36 storm reports between 1997 and 2026: 8 rip current, 7 flood, 5 funnel cloud, 4 heavy rain. The reports record 5 deaths and 17 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
February 2000Heavy RainHuntington Beach1 killed, 4 hurt, $300,000no account filed
July 2003Rip CurrentHuntington Beach1 killedno account filed
June 2003Rip CurrentHuntington Beach1 killedno account filed
November 2002Rip CurrentHuntington Beach1 killedno account filed
August 2001Rip CurrentHuntington Beach1 killedno account filed
December 2002Rip CurrentHuntington Beach5 hurt, $20,000no account filed
June 1999High SurfHuntington Beach3 hurt, $250,000Choppy seas and large swells capsized a 34 foot fishing boat. The crew of three men were rescued and suffered only minor injuries.
May 2000Rip CurrentHuntington Beach2 hurtno account filed
August 2000Rip CurrentHuntington Beach2 hurtno account filed
July 2003Rip CurrentHuntington Beach1 hurtno account filed
February 2005Heavy RainHuntington Beach$20,000,000no account filed
March 2000Thunderstorm WindHuntington Beach$100,000no account filed
February 2004Flash FloodHuntington Beach$75,000no account filed
February 1998Tornado (F0)Huntington Beach$20,000no account filed
February 2005Tornado (F0)Huntington Beach$15,000A waterspout came within 100 yards of the Huntington Beach Pier before coming ashore near PCH and 14th Street. Multiple vehicles were damaged by downed trees and power poles along 14th Street. Spotters reported pea to dime size hail with this storm.
December 1997Tornado (F1)Huntington Beach$15,000Thunderstorms in advance of a strong low pressure trough, spawned a tornado that briefly touched down off of Huntington Beach, and moved onshore, crossing Highway 1, into Huntington Harbor. The twister ripped at least 6 boats from their moorings, damaged trees, ripped a 40-foot metal light pole out of the ground, tossed a 150 pound iron bench into a spa, and ripped a 25 foot section of roof from a home. Damage to the roof alone was estimated at $15,000.
February 2001Thunderstorm WindHuntington Beach$10,000no account filed
March 2015HailHuntington Beach$100A series of thunderstorms dropped up to 1 inch depth accumulation of 0.5-in diameter hail on Huntington Beach. The hail covered the beach near Huntington Beach Pier and numerous roads within the city of Huntington Beach. The event received widespread attention from local and national media and extensive social media photos.
January 2026FloodHuntington Beach-Road closure on Southbound Hwy 1 from Warner Ave to Seapoint St due to flood control.
February 2026FloodHuntington Beach-All lanes northbound and southbound at PCH from Seapoint Street to Warner Avenue are closed due to water over road. Area received 0.75 to 1 inch of rain over 6 hours.
November 2025FloodHuntington Beach-Dept of Highways reported Hwy 1 (Pacific Hwy) being closed due to flooding from Seapoint St to Warner Ave. Gauge just north of the area.
January 2024FloodHuntington Beach-CalTrans report of a road closure on SR1 due to flooding, photo received on social media as well.
January 2019Heavy RainHuntington Beach-Huntington Beach received 1.25 inches of rainfall in one hour between 2000 and 2100 PST on January 15th. Local officials closed the Pacific Coast Highway (route 1) at approximately 9pm January 15th and kept it closed through the afternoon hours of January 16th.
January 2019Heavy RainHuntington Beach-CalTrans reported Pacific Coast Highway (highway 1) closed due to flooding. This area received around 0.5 inch of rainfall in 2 hours.
November 2019Flash FloodHuntington Beach-Pacific Coast Highway was closed from Seapoint Street to Warner Avenue due to flooding.
February 2012Funnel CloudHuntington Beach-A Huntington Beach Lifeguard reported three funnel clouds approximately 4 miles offshore, sometime between 0800 and 0830 PST on the 14th. The funnel clouds dissipated without lowering to the water.
January 2005Funnel CloudHuntington Beach-Lifeguards reported a funnel cloud 10 miles west of the Huntington Beach Pier.
January 2001FloodHuntington Beach-Thunderstorms dropped brief heavy rain and small hail, causing roads to flood and indirectly contributed to 300 vehicle accidents.
April 1999FloodHuntington Beach-Heavy rain caused flooding of low lying areas and streets in the north and west portions of Orange County. The Pacific Coast Highway was closed for six and a half hours between Warner Avenue and Seapoint Avenue.
January 2005Funnel CloudHuntington Beach-no account filed
February 2004Funnel CloudHuntington Beach-no account filed
January 2001FloodHuntington Beach-no account filed
March 1998Funnel CloudHuntington Beach-no account filed
March 1998WaterspoutHuntington Beach-no account filed
March 1998WaterspoutHuntington Beach-no account filed
March 1998WaterspoutHuntington Beach-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Orange County

Maps showing this location

16 surveys

United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Helme-Worthy Store and Residence0.1 miles1987
Huntington Beach Public Library on Triangle Park0.4 miles2013
Huntington Beach Elementary School Gymnasium and Plunge0.9 miles1994
Newland House1.6 miles1985
WILD GOOSE (yacht)5.3 miles2011
ELECTRA (motor yacht)5.6 miles2023

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 89001203 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Orange CountyAll 136 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.