First dubbed San Benito and then "Spanishtown," Half Moon Bay is a coastside town with a long and intriguing story.
Isolated on the coast for a time, it became home to Mexican, Chilean, Italian, Portuguese, and other cultures after the 1850s.
Many know it for its lovely natural surroundings, quaint downtown architecture, and relaxed atmosphere, but not many people know that this town was the first to be established in San Mateo County as a result of 1840s land grants to early Spanish settlers.
First dubbed San Benito and then "Spanishtown," Half Moon Bay is a coastside town with a long and intriguing story