Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of San Francisco. Half Moon Bay is a Pacific Ocean bay off the coast of San Mateo County, California. The bay is roughly semicircular, hence the name half moon, with access to the sea from the south. The coastal cities located there are Princeton-by-the-Sea, Miramar, El Granada and the city of Half Moon Bay.
Half Moon Bay's economy is dominated by a handful of companies, the largest of which is the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, which employs 500 people and is a major source of property tax and tourism revenues for the city. The coastline encompasses the cities of Half Moon Bay, Miramar, Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada, San Gregorio, La Honda and Pescadero. Law enforcement in the city of Half Moon Bay is done through a contract with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. The port of Pillar Point, at the northern end of Half Moon Bay, offers a protected pier for ships and provides other marine infrastructure.
The Visit Half Moon Bay website is a cooperative effort of the Half Moon Bay Shore Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, the Half Moon Bay Hotel Business Improvement District, and the Half Moon Bay Downtown Association. Half Moon Bay is approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of San Francisco, 10 miles (16 km) west of San Mateo and 45 miles (72 km) north of Santa Cruz. In 2024, Half Moon Bay politicians were criticized by California Governor Gavin Newsom for repeatedly delaying approval of a 40-unit apartment building for high-ranking farm workers. Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival Half Moon Bay Wine & Jazz Festival Half Moon Bay Dream Machine July 4th parade in the manner of Make it Main Street Nights of LightsLive Music. The real growth of the area occurred after World War II, with the construction of numerous subdivisions, which eventually led to the incorporation of Half Moon Bay in 1959. The Montara State Marine Reserve and the Pillar Point State Marine Conservation Area extend offshore from Montara, just north of Half Moon Bay.
The United States Navy's seaplane USS Half Moon (AVP-2) during World War II was named Half Moon Bay and retained that name when it served as the USCGC Half Moon weather vessel of the United States Coast Guard for more than 20 years after the war. The 1992 film Raising Cain, which takes place and was filmed on the San Francisco Peninsula, mentions a fictional swamp shaped like a crescent. As far as the 37th parallel north is concerned, Half Moon Bay's mild summer temperatures are unmatched everywhere. Search all accommodations 1855 Zaballa House Aristocrat Hotel Beach House Hotel Cypress Inn On Miramar Beach Half Moon Bay Inn Half Moon Bay Lodge Harbor View Inn at Mavericks Mill Rose Inn Nantucket Whale Inn Ocean View Inn Oceano Hotel & Spa Quality Inn Seal Cove Inn The Miramar Inn and Suites The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.
