Half Moon Bay (California)

Miramar Beach is a sandy beach in western San Mateo County, California. Miramar Beach is one of the numerous beaches on Half Moon Bay, a Pacific Ocean embayment noted for its surfing and extensive visitation. The marine terrace above the beach itself is situated approximately eight meters above mean sea level, and on this terrace is positioned the small unincorporated community of Miramar, which is a residential setting that also has several coastal visitor serving uses such as restaurant and lodging facilities. A stream named Arroyo de en Medio discharges onto Miramar Beach into the Pacific Ocean. Access to Miramar beach from State Route 1 requires a turn west on Magellan Avenue, then left on Mirada Road. A public trail lies along the blufftop spanning three miles of coastline from Miramar to the city of Half Moon Bay; this trail affords sweeping marine views and good birdwatching.

Arroyo de en Medio (Spanish for "in the middle creek") is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) coastal stream in western San Mateo County, California. Arroyo de en Medio rises on the western slopes of Montara Mountain and discharges to the Pacific Ocean at Half Moon Bay at the location of the unincorporated community of Miramar at Miramar Beach. The watershed of Arroyo de en Medio consists of relatively permeable sandy soils capable of significant recharge to its aquifers, which supply considerable potable water to the local area. Arroyo is Spanish for creek; de en Medio means literally "of in between" but a closer more functional translation may be in the middle.

Naples Creek is a stream in San Mateo County, California, United States that rises on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains and discharges to the Pacific Ocean. The specific point of discharge is onto Naples Beach, a unit of the Half Moon Bay State Beach. This watercourse runs through the city of Half Moon Bay, which municipality has planning jurisdiction over the creekside area within its city boundaries. In the Open Space Element of Half Moon Bay's General Plan, Naples Creek is designated to have significant wetland and riparian zone biotic resources.The city of Half Moon Bay is proposing a trail along Naples Creek to expand on the recreational use of this natural resource. The area near the Mouth of Naples Creek is already in public ownership and is traversed by the coastside public trail along the low-lying blufftop. Further upstream along the banks of Naples Creek, the lower reach banks are in public ownership as within the right-of-way of Guerrero Avenue resources. The city recognizes the entire riparian area as an important open space resource and is considering re-zoning to open space the entire passage of the stream through the Half Moon Bay.

Miramar (Spanish for "Sea View") is a district located within the city limits of Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County, California. Miramar Beach is located at Miramar. The east side of Highway 1 and north of the middle of Mirada road is in unincorporated San Mateo County.

El Granada is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the coastal area of northern San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 5,481 at the 2020 census. The village is named for the city of Granada, Spain.

Frenchmans Creek is a 4.4-mile-long (7.1 km) stream in San Mateo County, California. Locks Creek is its largest tributary.

Pillar Point Harbor is a boat harbor created by a riprap breakwater in San Mateo County, California, immediately north of Half Moon Bay. It is used by both pleasure craft and small commercial fishing boats. The Ohlone people inhabited the region into much of the 19th century, and a number of recorded shipwrecks occurred in the immediate area. The modern harbor facilities were constructed between 1959 and 1982. The harbor facilities are managed by the San Mateo County Harbor District.

Pilarcitos Creek (Spanish for: Little Pillars or Pillaries Creek) is a 13.5-mile-long (21.7 km) coastal stream in San Mateo County, California, United States, that rises on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains and descends through Pilarcitos Canyon to discharge into the Pacific Ocean Half Moon Bay State Beach. The Pilarcitos Creek watershed is a significant area of ecological, cultural and economic diversity. It is a source of clean drinking water for residents of the central coast and San Francisco Bay Area and supports several natural-resource based economies – including agriculture and recreational tourism. The watershed is also experiencing increased competition for water between agricultural, domestic, recreational, commercial and environmental uses.

Half Moon Bay State Beach is a 4-mile (6 km) stretch of protected beaches in the state park system of California, United States, on Half Moon Bay. From north to south it comprises Roosevelt, Dunes, Venice, and Francis Beaches. The 181-acre (73 ha) park was established in 1956.

Denniston Creek is a 4.4-mile-long (7.1 km) coastal stream in western San Mateo County, California. Denniston Creek rises on the western slopes of Montara Mountain and discharges to the Pacific Ocean at Pillar Point Harbor somewhat north of El Granada Beach. The watershed of Denniston Creek is made up of relatively permeable sandy soils capable of significant recharge to its aquifers, which supply a moderate amount of potable water to the local area.

Princeton-by-the-Sea (sometimes, especially locally, called Princeton) is an unincorporated community on the coast of San Mateo County, California. The ZIP code is 94019 and the community is in area code 650.

Pillar Point Air Force Station, formerly Pillar Point Military Reservation, is a United States Armed Forces facility on 48 acres overlooking Pillar Point Harbor, California. Pillar Point is 15 miles south of the City of San Francisco in San Mateo County. The facility was built and founded on October 10, 1940, as part of the World War II harbor defenses of San Francisco, as there was concern that Japan might attack San Francisco. Large artillery, .50-caliber machine guns for anti-aircraft defense, searchlights, barracks, concrete bunkers, cyclone fences, and an electric system were installed for defensive measures. In June 1944, a short-range UHF Surface Craft Detection Radar System, model SCR-296, built by Western Electric Company was installed. The SCR-296 could detect and track seagoing surface craft.After the war, on January 17, 1946, the radar system was removed. In 1949 the Military Reservation was closed. The US Navy opened the base on September 4, 1959, as a missile tracking station in support of Naval Air Station Point Mugu's Regulus missile program and later Minuteman missiles. In the 1960s the base was transferred to the US Air Force, who took over the missile tracking station. From 1967 to 1972, the station tracked Minuteman II missiles. The current tracking units are AN/FPQ-6 and AN/MPS-36 radars systems, which are C-band radar from the Western Range (USSF) of Vandenberg Air Force Base. Pillar Point is presently used by the United States Space Force for tracking polar-orbiting space satellite and operational intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from Vandenberg, the United States Navy, and the United States Air Force Special Operations Command. Breakwaters were installed in 1961 and a second in 1982 to protect the area from erosion, with mixed results. The peninsula is 0.3 miles (483 m) wide and 0.25 miles (402 m) long, with an elevation from 80 to 180 ft (24 to 55 m). It is connected to the coast by a narrow isthmus on the northeastern side, with Pillar Point Bluff, a county park, almost perpendicular to it. In the 19th century, the land where Pillar Point Air Force Station now resides was part of Rancho Corral de Tierra. It was given to Francisco Guerrero y Palomares by Mexico before California became a US state in 1850. The area was used for farming and grassland pasture until World War II. Just north of the base was Half Moon Bay Flight Strip, an auxiliary airfield for Salinas Army Air Base training used during the war. The Half Moon Bay Flight Strip is now Eddie Andreini Sr. Airfield. There is a prehistoric artifact site, CA-SMA-151, at the station, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.