Huntington Beach, sometimes called Surf City, is a seaside city in Orange County, in southern California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 189,594. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the south, by Seal Beach on the north-west, by Costa Mesa on the east, by Newport Beach on the southeast, and by Garden Grove, Westminster and Fountain Valley on the north.

It is known for its long 14 km (8.5 miles) beach, mild climate, and excellent surfing. The waves are a unique natural effect caused by edge-diffraction of ocean swells by the island of Catalina, and waves from distant hurricanes. Because the coast curves so strongly eastward at Huntington Beach, the local beach actually faces south. The beach is very brightly lit by sun, and the sunlight is pleasantly over the shoulders of surfers, who face the beach. In summer, the south-facing beach often has very strong surf from hurricanes off the Mexican coast. Hurricanes rarely hit California because of the cold off-shore current.