Surfside
Surfside (or Surfside Colony) is a tiny gated community comprised of three rows of residences denoted by the letters A, B, and C. Surfside is a neighborhood of Seal Beach, California, located on the west side of Pacific Coast Highway between the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach and the Huntington Beach hamlet of Sunset Beach. It is also close to the Huntington Beach neighborhood of Huntington Harbour. The southern entrance to the Surfside Colony is easily identified by the water tower (made inside a house) visible from Pacific Coast Highway. Republican Michelle Steel, the current U.S. Representative for California’s 48th congressional district, lives in the neighborhood.
The Surfside Colony Community Services Tax District and the Surfside Colony Storm Water Protection Tax District serve the community. The city of Seal Beach provides lifeguard services.
History
Surfside Colony was established in 1929 as an oceanfront tourist community. In 1930, it was integrated into the state of California. Originally, there were intentions to develop both sides of Pacific Coast Highway (with D and E rows of residences on the east side), but these plans never came to fruition. To ease simple transportation back and forth, a tunnel was created under Pacific Coast Highway, which still remains but is inaccessible.
During WWII, the United States Navy used the region to the north of Surfside as an ammo store. To allow ships to dock, a massive jetty and channel were erected. This project substantially transformed Surfside and its seafront. Since then, changes in wave patterns and the resulting erosion have plagued the neighborhood. The US Army Corps of Engineers must work every few years to restore and reconstruct the beach, dredging and refilling with millions of cubic yards of sand.
On July 4, 2008, a small plane carrying an advertising banner lost power and had to land in the water near Surfside. The pilot received minor injuries, and no one in the water was hurt.
Climate and geography
Surfside is a beachfront community near the Pacific Ocean. According to legend, no residence in the colony is more than 75 feet (23 meters) from the sand. A part of Anaheim Bay, which is viewable from Surfside and links to Huntington Harbour, is also visible across Pacific Coast Highway.
Surfside’s climate is mild, with temperatures frequently hovering around 70 °F (21 °C). The record high for this location is 111 °F (44 °C), and the record low is 25 °F (4 °C). [4] Cool evenings with temperatures in the 50s during the summer and the low 40s during the winter are not uncommon. Surfside is a popular area for kite surfers due to the constant presence of a strong wind.
Winter surf has occasionally been severe in the colony throughout the years, demolishing homes. Storms and high seas, in particular, wreaked damage in 1952 and 1953, and again in 1963. Erosion caused an issue for the neighborhood throughout the 1970s and 1980s. To protect residences, rock barriers, sandbags, and temporary berms have all been deployed. High seas flooded numerous Surfside properties in 1983.
Next Neighborhood: Pierside Estates