Kennedy Myers || Contributing Writer
When we think of California’s Huntington Beach, we automatically think of waves crashing against the shore, hot sand beneath our feet, and the sun shining down on our backs. But, the land that Huntington Beach lies on can be traced back to a Spanish soldier, Manuel Nieto, who was given 300,000 acres of land in 1784. Nieto decided to call this new land Rancho Los Nietos, and it was filled with cattle, horses, and barley.
In 1889, this land became known as Shell Beach, only to change the name again in 1901 to Huntington Beach, it was then that the first mayor was elected. The growth of the city came in 1920 with the oil boom and has continued to climb ever since. As its known today, “Surf City” is popular with tourists, families, professional surfers, professional volleyball players, and locals.