The city takes its name from the curve of the bay it sits on. Early on it was San Benito, then Spanishtown. Americans who arrived in the 1850s called it Halfmoon, the post office was listed as Halfmoon Bay by 1867, and in 1874 the town was officially renamed Half Moon Bay. The spelling settled as three words in 1905.
It sits about 25 miles south of San Francisco and counted 11,795 residents at the 2020 census. Real growth came after World War II, and the city incorporated in 1959. Its farms grow pumpkins, artichokes, flowers, houseplants and Christmas trees, and the harbor at Pillar Point is home to the fishing fleet.
The big waves at Mavericks, just north of the harbor, are what brought the town worldwide fame in surfing circles.
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