HERD ABOUT THE EARLY DAYS?
In the beginning, it would have been easy to see how Hermosa Beach earned its complimentary name. It was one vast sweep of hills covered in barley and littered with grazing sheep and a few barns. Beyond that, there were miles of untouched fine white sand dunes and the gradual slope into the seemingly endless blue of the Pacific Ocean. Old-timers even claim the weather was better then— warmer with less fog. The land that now makes up HB was part of the Rancho Sausal Redondo (For more on ranchos, see Manhattan Beach’s history.), much of which was owned by A.E. Pomroy. In 1900, he sold Sherman and Clark, who organized and controlled the HB Land and Water Company, 1,500 acres for $35 per acre in what just might be the sale of the century considering that a mere square foot of HB property averaged $547 in the summer of 2005.
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IN DEVELOPMENT
The first official survey was made in 1901 for the boardwalk on the Strand (which was originally made of wood planks), Hermosa Avenue (the first street to be paved) and Santa Fe Avenue. The first pier was built
entirely out of wood in 1904 and it extended 500 feet. When it was partially washed away, a new one paved with asphalt was built with tiled pavilions along the sides for shade. An auditorium was constructed in about 1914, which today houses the county’s lifeguard service, restrooms and the library branch. The current pier is 1,228 feet long.
The first election was in December 1906 and the town was incorporated in 1907. The Santa Fe Railway provided transportation in and out of HB, but it wasn’t until 1926 that the city received a proper passenger depot with Western Union telegraph services. Sherman and Clark also built an electric transportation line called the LA Pacific Railway. The city grew throughout the 20th century from a single train stop into a place that has frequently been named one of the best places to live, a tourist destination and a thriving economy. Past residents of note include William Jennings Bryant, TV’s Ozzie and Harriett Nelson, comedian Jack Black, “Jackass” prankster Jason Acuna and the NBA’s Brent Barry.
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