Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay is a small town right on the Pacific Ocean in California's San Mateo County. One of the county's oldest communities, Half Moon Bay was, and is still largely, a farm community. Major crops in Half Moon Bay are strawflowers, artichokes, cabbage, and sprouts. Although Half Moon Bay is home to a very popular annual Pumpkin Festival, pumpkins do not rank as one the area's big agricultural assets. If you like the ocean, Half Moon Bay is the town for you. Most homes are within a few blocks of the Pacific and are built on flat land. There are older homes easy of the highway and country club estates in the south section of town as well as everything in between in the center. You can find something for everyone in Half Moon Bay and the prices are very reasonable Schools in Half Moon Bay are very good and enjoy much support from the community. Some schools have bilingual programs. The elementary schools have been renovated, there is a new middle school and the high school has been expanded. Test scores reflect the area's interest in education with most coming in above the 50th percentile. Many residents of Half Moon Bay commute to work to San Francisco (about 47 minutes), San Mateo (about 24 minutes) or Palo Alto (approximately 35 minutes). The brave even travel as far as Silicon Valley (almost an hour's drive away). After work, however, Half Moon Bay really stands out. There is whale watching and surfing, fishing and horseback riding, golf and fine dining. Half Moon Bay also has a state beach.