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There's a reason they call The OC "Orange County". Why? Because the sunsets are orange and are shaped round like an orange.

The orange and yellow sunsets that grace the Orange County piers offer one more reason to justify calling the county "orange." Initially named for the orange groves that abounded, those have largely disappeared (except in people's back yards, mostly.) But nothing beats seeing the brilliant oranges that treat travelers to Southern California's bodacious pier sunsets.

California Piers share a number of activities and interests though the first piers were established as wharfs for commercial trade as California began growing, exporting and importing foods, goods and products.  See the California Pier photos.

Initially serving as docks for the boats and ships coming into port, they became popular for recreational activities. Early in the 1900s many coastal piers were built as amusements with thrill rides, games, restaurants and fun. At the same time, fishermen used the piers as fantastic vantage points for angling. 

Today, California Piers continue to maintain free fishing policies under the California Department of Fish and Game. While you must purchase a license to fish at beaches, mountains and streams, you can fish from any California pier for free.

As the world wars approached, the amusements fell to the sea, many of them, and some piers were even taken by the U.S. military as vantage points to watch for enemy attacks.

Today, there are but a few piers offering the amusements and thrills once enjoyed along the coast. If you visit Santa Monica Pier, you can experience the thrill of a Ferris wheel, roller coaster, other rides and games.

In Santa Cruz there's Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, a pier of sorts, where the original rides still exist. This totally fun amusement attraction is on of the top theme parks in California.  You can ride on an old-fashioned roller coaster overlooking the famous surfing waves and also look down at the arrival of the beach train from the Redwood forests.  If you've never been to Santa Cruz to experience the fun, you must make it one of your next vacation stops.

In San Diego at Belmont Park there's an old-fashioned amusement center overlooking the beach. Though no pier or wharf are apparent, the thrill rides and amusement games are close enough to see and feel the Pacific Ocean.

San Francisco's Pier 39 is perhaps the most famous of all piers. It also includes games, shops and docks where the Blue & Gold fleet or the Red fleet boats take passengers on tour rides under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz, formerly a high security prison.

Piers along the coast are fun to stroll on, dine on, shop on and watch the waves on. Some that we've visited and enjoyed from south to north include Imperial Beach. IB Pier features a fantastic fish restaurant. From the pier you can often view dolphins. Next, we've visited San Diego's Ocean Beach Pier, one of the local favorite hangouts. The odd-shaped pier wraps around, almost in a square. It includes restaurants and lots of fisherman. Heading north, there's a unique walkway at LaJolla where the ocean waves splash close to you. This pier of sorts overlooks a beach where sea lions rest.

Our next pier comes in Oceanside, then San Clemente. Both offer strolling, fishing and dining. Newport Beach is the queen of piers with two to its name. There's Balboa Pier and Newport Pier also known as McFadden's Wharf in the old days. Both feature lovely strolls and restaurants. Huntington Beach claims it has one of the longest piers in the nation. It features one restaurant, a bait shop and two gift shops. Seal Beach has a fun pier to walk on. It provides a vantage point for the kite surfing launched from a beach nearby. There's also a restaurant on that pier.

In Long Beach, Belmont Shore only allowed itself to be annexed into the City of Long Beach so it could get a pier. The Belmont Shore Pier is located next to some great restaurants in a vibrant area filled with sports activities, shopping and dining. North to Redondo Beach you'll find one of the best "character" piers. It has a fantastic atmosphere of that's genuine through and through.  Hermosa and Manhattan Beach have piers with Manhattan's offering a really neat Roundhouse Aquarium for families and kids. Definitely visit that attraction when you are in the area.

Venice Beach and Santa Monica have piers. We mentioned Santa Monica's with its amusement rides.  There are also piers in Port Hueneme, Ventura, Santa Barbara (wharf), and further north you'll find Pismo Beach Pier. Avila Beach has three piers with two open to the public.  San Simeon has a pier as does Monterey (wharf). Capitola and Seacliff Beach both have piers. At Seacliff the Cement Ship is an old, abandoned pleasure boat that once served as an amusement. It is one of the few cement ships in existence. Santa Cruz has a wharf that's a busy attraction with lots of dining to enjoy. Like many of the northern California piers, you can watch sea lions hanging around underneath. 

Pacific has a pier south of San Francisco. Lots of fishermen enjoy this spot to cast a line. Then you get to San Francisco with commercial piers, shopping piers and an entire complex of piers and wharfs.

There are several books written about California piers. They make for fun vantage points to look at the ocean, watch a sunset and dine, shop, fish or just enjoy the change in climate as breezes and temperatures change from the coastline to locations perched above the water.