If you’re considering Half Moon Bay it better be due to proximity to the Pacific. There are very few places on the west coast with better views of and better access to the ocean. On the daily you will be seeing views and experiencing coastal life that the rest of the world can only dream of. 


The Pacific Ocean

The Best Thing About Half Moon Bay?

One of Half Moon Bay’s charms is its isolation over the mountains, woods and state parks from the madness of the bay side of the bay area. The roads that take you across the wilderness to the tech scene of the valley and the rest of the population are pretty small and they stack up during commute hours. While some locals will argue that if you leave extremely early and come home very early you can avoid it we’d generally recommend avoiding living here if you have to commute daily into a tech biz on 101. 


The Commute

The Worst Thing About Half Moon Bay?

The lifestyle of Half Moon Bay begins and ends with experiencing the great outdoors of the coast. Many locals will wake up for a morning surf at Ross Cove, Montara, or for the bravest, Mavericks. This is a surfing paradise and grownups and local kiddos start early. If surfing is a bit beyond your reach then you’re likely to head to Princeton Harbor to rent a kayak or head to Fitzgerald Preserve to hang with the sea lions. Biking, hiking and beach play are seriously a daily option here so if you’re into the great outdoors you can hardly pick a better city. 
A nice bonus on top of the great outdoors is the fact Half Moon Bay has a nice little downtown area with casual dinings at places like Sacrilege Brewery, or Barbara’s Fish Trap or get a bit fancier for Italian Fare at Mezzaluna or Mediterranean at Ciya. Add to these the cafes (and even a Boba place) and boutique shopping and there’s a fair amount to keep you busy when you’re happy to stay local. One side option: one of our absolute favorite ways to spend an afternoon is heading up the coast just a few miles to [**Moss Beach Distillery**](https://mossbeachdistillery.com/). Seriously you cannot beat an afternoon cocktail watching the sun come down over the ocean from the adirondack chairs in front of a fire pit. 

Lifestyle of Half Moon Bay

The north side of HMB is governed by the Cabrillo Unified School District, which scores a B+ on [**niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/cabrillo-unified-school-district-ca/ ) and La Honda/Pescadero School District which scores a B on [**niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/la-honda-pescadero-unified-school-district-ca/). Kings Mountain Elementary and Half Moon Bay High School both score A’s on niche so if you’re picky about these standardized scores keep an eye out for where your neighborhood is zoned. 

Schools in Half Moon Bay

Look, if you can work from home and want to live in one of the most beautiful towns on the entire planet (and you can afford the area) then Half Moon Bay is worth the look. The commute can be a bear and there is fog but regardless this is a bit of west coast heaven. 


Work-From-Home Heaven

Why You Should Move Here Now?

If you want to get fancy in your neighborhood living then check out Ocean Colony. Built around the Half Moon Bay Golf Links, near the Ritz Carlton, it’s a gated community with luxury homes on big lots and community-building amenities as part of the neighborhood. Residents can enjoy membership at the Colony Club which offers sauna-equipped spas, lighted tennis courts, a heated indoor pool, and fitness center with group classes. The homes have spectacular ocean views and incredible manicured lawns leading to the water. Home prices are typically north of $3m and are only occasionally available. 


Ocean Colony

Westside is an area of Half Moon Bay that includes popular neighborhoods like Alsace Lorraine and Arleta Park. They’re right at the middle point of Half Moon Bay’s namesake crescent-shaped cove and as such offer walkability to downtown shops and restaurants. You also get the benefit of direct access to the oceanfront Coastal Trail, and easy access to beaches such as the spectacular Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. If you want to live in HMB and enjoy the ocean but also be near the “social scene” such as it is, then check out Westside. Arleta Park residents think of Poplar Beach as their own, since it is in their front yard and is actively managed by the city of Half Moon Bay. This area is popular with families who love the big sidewalks, tree-lined streets and interesting mix of older/smaller cottages and bigger newer construction craftsman and Victorians. Home prices are pricey at a median just north of $2m. 


Westside

It’s hard not to think you’re on the east coast when living in or visiting Pillar Point Harbor. The seaside hamlet is filled with fishing boats coming in and out of the docs and the waterfront restaurants serve the daily fare caught on the ocean. You get wonderful ocean views and breezes and a constant visual of beaches and surfers that gives a stronger hint of the fact you are on the west coast!  

While living here gives you direct access to the commercial district of the piers you also are just off Pillar Point Beach, home to the world-famous Mavericks surf break so expect the neighborhood to have some hardcore outdoor vibes. Homes here vary wildly between old-school small surfer cottages to bigger and newer 4-5 bedroom homes. There are also some condo/apartment options for those looking to rent or buy smaller places. The median home price is just north of $1.5m so you can get into the area for less here than most of the rest of the Half Moon Bay area. 


Pillar Point Harbor

Half Moon Bay

**What is it like to live in Half Moon Bay?**

I lived in Half Moon Bay for the first 18 years of my life. I think Sunshine's answer is really good. I would add:

fog. Half Moon Bay has its very own microclimate. It is extremely foggy. You can go literally weeks without seeing the sun. The foggy climate very much influences the culture and people of the area. Many people move to Half Moon Bay and can't handle the fog and so end up moving. It will be cold, misty, windy and completely fogged in on the coast and then 15 miles in any direction you can be bathed in warm, sunny and clear skies. This has a very real psychological effect on the people. At least on timescales of >few years. The people who stay (and like the fog in fact)..are a little unusual as well. HMB without the fog would be a very different place.
the people. HMB draws an interesting crowd. Lots of ex-hippies and loner types. Also artists, surfers, and conservative types. Sort of an anti-social feel also. You aren't going to find many showy, materialistic sorts in HMB. In fact you feel a little out of place if you aren't in jeans/sweats and a t-shirt. This is changing a bit as HMB is becoming more of a tourist destination though (with the addition of the Ritz in particular). Now there are more social and business minded people there than ever before.
family town. There are few young adults. Virtually no community of people 18-30 year olds.
community. small town= small town gossip. Overall HMB folks are very nice, low-key and keep to themselves. Still, it's a boring town and everyone knows everything about everyone (that is if you are living there for any significant amount of time or connected to the community at all, e.g. have a kid in school, own a local business..etc.)
few distractions. HMB is a boring place to live. Other than a handful of bars and restaurants nothing is open past 9pm. Past like 7pm it looks like a bomb went off downtown. There is no movie theatre. There is nothing to do in the evenings. No coffee shops are open.
isolated. HMB seems really close and it is, but 92 gets really annoying. Also the traffic during certain hours is bad. Accidents on 92 can be extremely inconvenient and worrisome. Highway 1 is equally a pain. Living in HMB you feel very isolated/trapped sometimes.
food. HMB has some good food options.
racial demographics. all white people with a large but very separate hispanic community.

**What's it like commuting from Half Moon Bay?**

I commute every day to Menlo Park from Half Moon Bay and it's a very easy commute, imo. I leave the house around 6:30 AM and there's hardly any traffic all the way to Menlo Park, takes about 25-30 minutes on average. The afternoon is a different story however, I try to leave work by 3:30 but I get slowed down on 101 South at the 92 exit ramp (people going to the east bay) and then it can get pretty slow once you hit the 1 lane portion of 92 going into HMB. On average it takes me about 40-45 minutes in the afternoon. My wife and I love it though, such a nice quaint little town without all the hustle and bustle of the cities inland. We are renting a 3 bedroom house with a 2500 sqft yard. No way would we be able to get something like that in the city. Also, it's very nice to be able to walk to the beach everyday. Like the others said, the traffic on the weekend is horrendous on highway 1 and the beaches are pretty packed. I've lived here for about 6 months now and only once has 92 been backed up in the morning because of a wreck. So if you leave early enough you should be fine.

**What’s a perfect day in Half Moon Bay Area for you?**

Come in early enough for breakfast at either the Pilot Light (at the airport) or The Press, this way you avoid the traffic which starts getting bad by 10:30/11:00.

After breakfast, hike around Fitzgerald Preserve where you can spot the sea lions hanging out and - if your timing is good - the tide will be out to explore the tide pools.

Continue into downtown Half Moon Bay and wander Main Street for the shops; sit outside and enjoy a wine tasting at Half Moon Bay Wine & Cheese Company or one of the in-house beers at Sacrilege Brewery (but skip their food). By doing all this before and around noon, you will be missing the crowds that won't be arriving until 1:00 and 2:00-ish.

If you have a sweet tooth, Small Town Sweets has tons of vintage candy and Sweet55 excels in gourmet chocolates. Newly-opened Fish Wife Sweets specializes in cupcakes and the locals love them, but I have found them a tad dry. Gulino Gelato's coffee gelato is extraordinary.

Then either head to Princeton Harbor for bike or kayak rentals and hang around there until an early dinner at either Barbara's Fish Trap (cash only) or, if you want slightly nicer, Mezzaluna for excellent Italian. An alternative after downtown is to continue south a bit further to San Gregorio for live music every weekend; for dinner, continue down to Duarte's in Pescadero or back into Half Moon Bay, my personal favorite being Fattoria e Mare where Pasta Moon used to be (the latter having moved to the other end of Main Street and raising their prices), Ciya which is a new Mediterranean open only a few months, or La Costanera Peruvian at Princeton Harbor.

Half Moon Bay, California

Humba

Looklyloo Score: 89

We're on it!