If you’re driving that stretch of Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach north towards Long Beach, you’re passing along some of the most valuable real estate in California. Tucked inside “Surf City” are some homes selling for upwards of $5 million, and many more “affordable” at only $3 or $4 million.
Such a traveler might find it hard to imagine this beautiful “Surf City” was one of the ugliest and least desirable places to live in all of otherwise affluent Orange County.
The Huntington Beach Oil Field dates back to 1920 and the extraction of the greasy stuff had a big impact on the growth of the community. The towering oil derricks arrayed along PCH in the downtown area brought in lots of money to investors, but also made parts of the small community look tawdry and unwelcoming.
While the rest of Orange County was booming in 1960, the population of the city was only 11,492. That was just about the same as Stanton…