Close, But Not Exactly Paradise

I wouldn't call Huntington Beach paradise. It is a cool place with a perfect climate and a lot to offer, but there is some unique ugliness to the landscape. Some of the most visible ugliness is within clear view of the famous beaches. There is a tall stacked power plant very close to the beach. Actually it is on the beach, and it is visible from a distance.  from just about anywhere along the beach in most of Huntington and points south. It recently converted to a natural gas facility which decreases pollution greatly but the tall stacks and the ugly facility are still visible.

Also quite visible are two offshore oil platforms, named Ella and Emma. They are less than two miles offshore and are still active.  Huntington Beach was an oil town before becoming kind of an epicenter for Southern California beach culture. Oil still is a big part of the local economy.

In addition to the platforms, the city is dotted with these oil pumps known by a number of names. Officially they are called pumpjacks, but they are also called nodding donkeys. Their up and down action explains the name. They are surprisingly quiet, and apparently they can be run by hand. The motors to run them are usually electric and are only one or two horsepower. These pumps often occupy lots in the center of nice neighborhoods, sometimes wedged in single lots between houses.  A number of these have been removed in recent years as the oil is drying up a bit, but there is still enough oil to keep such activity profitable. The Huntington Beach High School football team is The Oilers.  While the action of these devices are quiet, there is the faint odor of oil when standing near these things.

A cleaned up lot only a few blocks from the beach where a nodding donkey or two once operated.  This will certainly be developed soon.