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| Hermosa Beach |
| Population: 18,219 Land: 1.3 Square Miles
Ocean: 6.8 Sq.Mi. Information: (310) 318-0239 |
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Photos © Debbie Stock
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A typical December day in Hermosa Beach...sunny and
warm.
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HERMOSA MIA
Hermosa mia I love you,
I love to sing of your ocean's blue,
Of your breeze, your Strand and your dashing waves;
Of the gulls that call o'er white-crested waters;
And dip through its spray above golden sands;
Of the splendor of your two-mile shore,
And the peaceful beauty of singing seas;
Of sweet contentment through sunny days,
And the promise of friendships - old and new,
That one holds as treasures from year to year.
I wish for you success and growth - a prosperous future;
and may the many who have heard your call,
Seek to remain and sing your song; a song of the beach,
The song of the Sea, the sand-dunes and flowers
That wantonly trail o'er each rolling mound
In purple beauty and golden mood,
And may your home-loving hearts find peace
And rest for years and years in this city fair
Hermosa - Beautiful: bordering the Western Sea
by Fern Rhein
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Early 20th century investors found that this beach was
one of the finest, having few rip tides or dangerous undertows and a gradual
slope into the water. Its sand was washed clean and fine, with no outlying
kelp beds to litter it with seaweed at low tides.
The first official survey was made in the year 1901 for
the board walk on the Strand, Hermosa Avenue and Santa Fe Avenue; work
on these projects commenced soon after. In 1904 the first pier was built.
It was constructed entirely of wood even to the pilings and it extended
five hundred feet out into the ocean. The pier was constructed by the Hermosa
Beach Land and Water Company. In 1913 this old pier was partly washed away
and later torn down and a new one built to replace it. This pier was built
of concrete one thousand feet long, and paved with asphalt its entire length.
Small tiled pavilions were erected at intervals along the sides to afford
shade for fishermen and picnic parties. A bait stand was built eventually
out on the end. Soon after, about 1914, an auditorium building was constructed.
This pier is municipally owned.
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