Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Hermosa Beach

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
C−History
History · Hermosa Beach

Hermosa Beach’s post office opened in 1903, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #477 of 847 in California. What drives it

Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1910.

1903first post office
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
10famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hermosa Beach’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hermosa Beach began

When was Hermosa Beach founded?

1903

The Hermosa Beach post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1907.

First census: 679 in 19102020 census: 19,728123 years

How historic is Hermosa Beach?

C−

More historic than 20% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Hermosa Beach post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1907.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hermosa Beach’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hermosa Beach is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #477 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hermosa Beach’s overall grade.
Founding era1903, from the first post office: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 194011.2% of homes (±2.7) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%B−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical CA town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 20%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 44%

Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hermosa Beach’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (31% of California towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1907 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Hermosa Beach’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Then and now2 places photographed years apart.On the map since 18968 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1996. Watch Hermosa Beach change.Famous sons and daughtersJacqueline Frank DeLuca, Canyon Ceman and 8 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Then & now

The same spot, 81 years apart

Drag across each photo to compare.

Hermosa Beach, California, Manhattan Beach in the distanceHermosa Beach, California, Manhattan Beach in the distance (64684)c. 19302011
Hermosa Beach, California, Manhattan Beach in the distance (64684)Matched from the two captions
Municipal PierMunicipal Pier, Hermosa Beach, California (64685)c. 19302011
Municipal Pier, Hermosa Beach, California (64685)Matched from the two captions
On the map

Hermosa Beach on the map, 1896 to 1996

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hermosa Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hermosa Beach on the 1896 USGS mapHermosa Beach on the 1924 USGS mapHermosa Beach on the 1934 USGS mapHermosa Beach on the 1944 USGS mapHermosa Beach on the 1963 USGS mapHermosa Beach on the 1972 USGS mapHermosa Beach on the 1981 USGS mapHermosa Beach on the 1996 USGS map1896Redondo sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hermosa Beach.

Famous people

10 famous people were born in Hermosa Beach

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
Jacqueline Frank DeLucaAmerican water polo player · b. 1980
C
Canyon CemanAmerican beach volleyball player · b. 1972
Kembra PfahlerAmerican musician, performance artist, and sing… · b. 1961
Dick DoddAmerican actor and musician · b. 1945
H
Hal HatfieldAmerican gridiron football player · b. 1927
L
LeRoy GrannisAmerican surfer and photographer · b. 1917
The story

How Hermosa Beach came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hermosa Beach.

Read it all →

Hermosa Beach was originally part of the 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant that later became the ten-mile (16 km) ocean frontage of Rancho Sausal Redondo. In 1900, a tract of 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) was purchased for $35 per acre from A. E. Pomroy, then owner of the greater part of Rancho Sausal Redondo. Messrs. Burbank and Baker, agents, bought this land for Sherman and Clark who organized and retained the controlling interest in the Hermosa Beach Land and Water Company.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hermosa Beach, 1890 to 1980

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890In the archiveA Catch of Yellowtail, Rod and Reel Club
  3. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1903Post officeThe Hermosa Beach post office opens
  6. 1920In the archiveIn training for surfboard championships
  7. 1930In the archiveHermosa Beach, California, Manhattan Beach in the distance (64684)
  8. 1945Born hereDick Dodd is born here
  9. 1961Born hereKembra Pfahler is born here
  10. 1969Post officeThe Hermosa Beach post office closes
  11. 1972Born hereCanyon Ceman is born here
  12. 1980Born hereJacqueline Frank DeLuca is born here
By decade

Hermosa Beach, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1930s6 items
A Catch of Yellowtail, Rod and Reel Club1890A Catch of Yellowtail, Rod and Reel ClubIn training for surfboard championships1920In training for surfboard championshipsHermosa Beach, California, Manhattan Beach in the distance (64684)c. 1930Hermosa Beach, California, Manhattan Beach in the dis…PostcardHermosa Biltmore Hotel, Hermosa Beach, California (64686)c. 1930Hermosa Biltmore Hotel, Hermosa Beach, California (64…PostcardMunicipal Pier, Hermosa Beach, California (64685)c. 1930Municipal Pier, Hermosa Beach, California (64685)PostcardVV Television sales and services, Hermosa Beach (82405)c. 1930VV Television sales and services, Hermosa Beach (8240…Postcard
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today8 recent
MindTravel Beach Concert2025MindTravel Beach ConcertHermosa Beach Volleyball and DJ2025Hermosa Beach Volleyball and DJHermosa Beach Plaza2025Hermosa Beach PlazaHermosa Beach Plaque2025Hermosa Beach PlaqueHermosa Beach Clock2025Hermosa Beach ClockVetter Windmill in2015Vetter Windmill inMunicipal Pier2011Municipal PierPostcardHermosa Beach, California, Manhattan Beach in the distance2011Hermosa Beach, California, Manhattan Beach in the dis…Postcard
People over time

Hermosa Beach, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00019201940196019802000202019,728

Grew from 679 people in 1910 to 19,728 in 2020, more than tenfold.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hermosa Beach’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Hermosa Beach had its own post office from 1903 to 1969.

Hermosa Beach
1903–1969
19001960today
Gone or out of use
Ocean View Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Hermosa Beach’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewA Catch of Yellowtail, Rod and Reel Club: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Manhattan BeachIts storyC−Redondo Beach5 historic placesB−

Questions about Hermosa Beach’s history

What year was Hermosa Beach founded?

The Hermosa Beach post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1907.

How does Hermosa Beach rank for history?

Hermosa Beach is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #477 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Hermosa Beach?

11% of Hermosa Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1968.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.