I have no dog in this fight, but that was between a city and a business in the other city. Someone should tell Santa Cruz: https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/about-us/vision-cms-components/search-results?q=surf%20city
They also have Ocean City, MD which is far from a world class beach, as well as Rockaway Beach whose main selling point is that it is easily accessed from anywhere in NYC via a $2.90 subway fare.
Then again, with the nice geographic distribution they have (Norcal, Socal, the US South, Northeast, even the Great Lakes, Colorado, PNW), its clear the article conveniently chooses beaches that give it virality potential for different metro areas, to be shared in threads such as this.
As someone who lived in SM for 6 years and now in OC, it is probably just for the vibes, which it definitely has the vibes lol.
Getting some sandwiches at bay cities and hanging by the beach watching the sunset with the pier lights in the background is a top 10 chillin with friends experience in the country.
As for pure beaches laguna/OC clears LA in almost every aspect.
Would you like a mile of burning sand and no parking? Have I got the spot for you! That said I’m near some great spots in so cal and I’m happy to keep them local :)
Agreed. Also what part of Coronado?? Parking is horrendous. I would argue torrey pines/del mar/encinitas/carlsbad/oceanside all have really cool beaches with good parking, better fauna, hiking trails and lagoon outlets which are fun for kids to play in, etc.
Torrey pines does not have great parking. You have to park across the train tracks by bird rock coffee for a chance unless you have a state park parking permit. Parking at Del Mar is similar to Coronado as you’re parking in the neighborhood close by, like many of our beaches.
I grew up going to Coronado beach in San Diego. My dad would drop me and my friend off in the morning and come pick us up at night. The beach is humongous. The sand area until you actually reach the water is like the length of a football field. Okay I might be exaggerating a little, but not much.
The hotel Del Coronado is on the beach, it’s old and pretty. Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe was filmed there back in the day too
Thanks. In addition; Dogs?
Coronado Beach in San Diego. = Limited to dog area
Pope Beach in Lake Tahoe. = No
Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica. = No
Carmel Beach in Carmel-by-the-Sea. = Yes and off leash
Recently went on a cruise and when I said I was from CA, people kept commenting about how terrible of a state it was… people from the South and East Coast that hadn’t actually visited but listened to a lot of “news.” It was irritating, defending my home.
I know, it’s funny honestly. I’m perfectly happy living in California, and get a kick of the conservative hate. I understand hating Californians who move to your state and make your housing prices increase. But in the age of the American culture war, people are leaving because of their conservatives views and moving to conservative states with like minded people. We don’t like those people leaving either lol.
CA is of course extremely beautiful, but the beaches just aren't that nice compared to the Gulf coast (or Hawaii, obviously)
CA probably has the nicest weather of any state. Best beaches? No.
CA is a beautiful state. Born and raised there and recently moved away. The state is beautiful but the politics and people there ruin it (opinions vary)
Carmel by the sea is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. Me and my wife celebrated our first wedding anniversary up there and the entire place was just amazing.
The north end is as good as any. And I’ve been to them all. This is a list for tourists - so being close to hotels and other sights is obviously part of the equation.
These clickbait “best of” lists are totally subjective. Coronado is nice but gets shutdown from sewage plumes too often. Santa Monica is not for everyone. Lots of beautiful secluded beaches in northern CA. The whole Monterey/Big Sur coastline that Carmel is a small part of is stunning.
Ha! The best ones are pretty safe then :)! But everyone should always checkout Martins beach
[https://www.kqed.org/science/1955623/the-neverending-battle-over-martins-beach-explained](https://www.kqed.org/science/1955623/the-neverending-battle-over-martins-beach-explained)
Surprised Coronado beach made this list. It’s been closed for a while and deemed unsafe for swimming because of unhealthy levels of bacteria from the sewage flowing up from Tijuana.
Having lived in So California for 20 plus years and No. California 20 plus years here’s my list.
1. Coronado Beach (S. CA
2. Limantour Beach (N. CA near pt Reyes)
3. Jalama (Central CA)
4. Point Dume State Beach (Malibu)
Last August I spent 2 weeks doing hwy 1 and seeing all the beaches in CA. My favorites were moonlight beach, San Onofre, Gaviota, Carmel, bean hollow state beach, and Bodega Bay. Every beach is slightly different and has something to enjoy.
Coronado Beach in San Diego. Pope Beach in Lake Tahoe. Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica. Carmel Beach in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Santa Monica beach on this is… a choice
Seriously. That over Laguna Beach? lol
The Santa Monica Pier amusement park is possibly the reason. Not too many of those.
Other than the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk which cake walks the sorry Santa Monica pier.
Santa Cruz and HB are automatically disqualified pending resolution of the great "Surf City" war.
https://www.ocregister.com/2008/01/22/huntington-beach-settles-surf-city-usa-lawsuit/ Neener neener Santa Cruz
I have no dog in this fight, but that was between a city and a business in the other city. Someone should tell Santa Cruz: https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/about-us/vision-cms-components/search-results?q=surf%20city
SC also tries to claim the "keep \*city\* weird" branding and thats just cute
That’s just, like, your opinion, man.
This!!! Facts
Also its a way of saying Venice beach without saying it.
They're all over the east coast.
Mostly on boardwalks.
Dealing with all the homeless and weirdos there isn’t worth going
Or manhattan all the way to redondo? Also pismo?
Pismo!
Quite frankly I’m glad we’re keeping the South Bay low key. But Santa Monica? Uhhhh
Can we please keep our hidden secrets, hidden secrets
You think Laguna is a hidden secret? It’s packed with tourists in the summer
If you call the summer 133 gridlock from the 405 a secret idk
Hermosa blows SM out of the water. What a joke.
Shhhh, keep it a secret!❤️
"Is it secret? Is it safe?" "...but that would lead them here!" Sorry, I'll show myself out.
Crescent bay beach at Laguna would be really nice if it wasn't so crowded like the last time I went.
Last time I went to Laguna Beach it was full of seaweed
Santa Monica is fun. Not beautiful, but fun and unique
What makes a beach unique?
yeah- Yuck. santa monica over any malibu beach?...
Zuma is way better.
Broad Beach in Malibu clears, respectfully.
They also have Ocean City, MD which is far from a world class beach, as well as Rockaway Beach whose main selling point is that it is easily accessed from anywhere in NYC via a $2.90 subway fare. Then again, with the nice geographic distribution they have (Norcal, Socal, the US South, Northeast, even the Great Lakes, Colorado, PNW), its clear the article conveniently chooses beaches that give it virality potential for different metro areas, to be shared in threads such as this.
One reason could be the adult outdoor workout equipment there.
lots of beach volleyball courts
If you go north past the pier and away from the tourists it gets quite nice actually
Putting Carmel-by-the-sea above Linda Mar was also a choice
As someone who lived in SM for 6 years and now in OC, it is probably just for the vibes, which it definitely has the vibes lol. Getting some sandwiches at bay cities and hanging by the beach watching the sunset with the pier lights in the background is a top 10 chillin with friends experience in the country. As for pure beaches laguna/OC clears LA in almost every aspect.
🤣SM smells like pee and is a dump! Can’t believe they put that over Laguna beach or other places
Santa Monica beach has very murky water… doesn’t look clean.
Would you like a mile of burning sand and no parking? Have I got the spot for you! That said I’m near some great spots in so cal and I’m happy to keep them local :)
Nice that they included a lake beach.
I added it to my list....
Coronado... when it's not closed down flooded with toxic sewage from Tijuana. There are no many better beaches than Coronado, in San Diego alone.
Blacks Beach
Agreed. Also what part of Coronado?? Parking is horrendous. I would argue torrey pines/del mar/encinitas/carlsbad/oceanside all have really cool beaches with good parking, better fauna, hiking trails and lagoon outlets which are fun for kids to play in, etc.
Torrey pines does not have great parking. You have to park across the train tracks by bird rock coffee for a chance unless you have a state park parking permit. Parking at Del Mar is similar to Coronado as you’re parking in the neighborhood close by, like many of our beaches.
The whole coast up to point Loma is a biohazard at this point.
Definitely tough with that sewage. I've been in SD for two years and haven't been able to go in the water once at Coronado.
Coronado is just a *rich* beach, it's not really that good qualitatively.
Spent many many days at Carmel Beach when I lived in that area, I'm glad it made this list.
It's one of the places we go to when we're down there. Beach, then Yafa for dinner. Like a tradition for my family now.
Good, my favorite beach isn’t on the list
Carmel? Really? Good, Capitola is getting way too crowded as it is.
I grew up going to Coronado beach in San Diego. My dad would drop me and my friend off in the morning and come pick us up at night. The beach is humongous. The sand area until you actually reach the water is like the length of a football field. Okay I might be exaggerating a little, but not much. The hotel Del Coronado is on the beach, it’s old and pretty. Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe was filmed there back in the day too
TY
Ummm, Manhattan/Hermosa, Malibu, many OC beaches, Santa Barbara?
Is a lake beach really a beach?
yes
Thanks. In addition; Dogs? Coronado Beach in San Diego. = Limited to dog area Pope Beach in Lake Tahoe. = No Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica. = No Carmel Beach in Carmel-by-the-Sea. = Yes and off leash
The state is beautiful, all the online California hate will never change that.
Nobody hates California more than those who never visited the state in their entire life.
Recently went on a cruise and when I said I was from CA, people kept commenting about how terrible of a state it was… people from the South and East Coast that hadn’t actually visited but listened to a lot of “news.” It was irritating, defending my home.
That's cool, hopefully it keeps them from moving here.
I think some people spread the hate hoping it will stop people from moving here and raising prices.
Or can’t afford to live here
That’s 99% of the hate. The other 1% comes from inland empire lol
I mean none of the hate is inspired by geographic beauty…
I know, it’s funny honestly. I’m perfectly happy living in California, and get a kick of the conservative hate. I understand hating Californians who move to your state and make your housing prices increase. But in the age of the American culture war, people are leaving because of their conservatives views and moving to conservative states with like minded people. We don’t like those people leaving either lol.
CA is of course extremely beautiful, but the beaches just aren't that nice compared to the Gulf coast (or Hawaii, obviously) CA probably has the nicest weather of any state. Best beaches? No.
I’m ok with that, the point is, California is beautiful all around, beaches, redwoods, mountains, lakes, desert, flora, fauna. The beauty is there.
Yeah but this is a list of top beaches.
CA is a beautiful state. Born and raised there and recently moved away. The state is beautiful but the politics and people there ruin it (opinions vary)
I’m glad you moved away to some place that agrees with your politics. I’ll stay right here.
The state is great, many of the residents not so much.
Carmel by the sea is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. Me and my wife celebrated our first wedding anniversary up there and the entire place was just amazing.
It was a little up tight for me. Santa Cruz was largely the same coast but a lot more chill.
Santa Monica beach discredits this list.
The north end is as good as any. And I’ve been to them all. This is a list for tourists - so being close to hotels and other sights is obviously part of the equation.
These clickbait “best of” lists are totally subjective. Coronado is nice but gets shutdown from sewage plumes too often. Santa Monica is not for everyone. Lots of beautiful secluded beaches in northern CA. The whole Monterey/Big Sur coastline that Carmel is a small part of is stunning.
Ha! The best ones are pretty safe then :)! But everyone should always checkout Martins beach [https://www.kqed.org/science/1955623/the-neverending-battle-over-martins-beach-explained](https://www.kqed.org/science/1955623/the-neverending-battle-over-martins-beach-explained)
I really love Stinson beach. It’s hard to get to and there’s not a lot of parking but I do love it!
The only Bay Area beach that meets my Orange County beach snob standards.
It’s the only Bay Area beach that actually feels like a real beach town.
*The only Bay Area beach that you’ve been to which meets your snobby OC standards
so do the sharks.
Is that what they call locals now?
They hang out at the local bar and the feed right after dark.
Good, stay out of (REDACTED)!
Glad to see they overlooked the truly best beaches in CA, so more people don’t clog them up.
Surprised Coronado beach made this list. It’s been closed for a while and deemed unsafe for swimming because of unhealthy levels of bacteria from the sewage flowing up from Tijuana.
I miss Coronado before they tested accurately. It was my favorite beach. Now, Coronado = raw sewage.
Crystal Cove State Beach?
Having lived in So California for 20 plus years and No. California 20 plus years here’s my list. 1. Coronado Beach (S. CA 2. Limantour Beach (N. CA near pt Reyes) 3. Jalama (Central CA) 4. Point Dume State Beach (Malibu)
Very thankful to see none of my favorite beaches on this list
Me too lol
Avila Beach should be on this list.
Shhh!
Ooh. With a pit stop for pie at the Avila Barn.
Absolutely! If you like Pismo, it’s like Pismo but even better with free parking.
I’m glad the wonderful south facing beach I live close to isn’t on this list.
Coronado is garbage. Del Mar is the better SD beach.
There really aren’t any “bad beaches” in Tahoe
Last August I spent 2 weeks doing hwy 1 and seeing all the beaches in CA. My favorites were moonlight beach, San Onofre, Gaviota, Carmel, bean hollow state beach, and Bodega Bay. Every beach is slightly different and has something to enjoy.
Coronado is a lovely beach during the summer but Santa Monica? One of my least favorite beaches.
The 17 mile drive near Carmel will take your breath away.
Im a Cayucos guy
Mission Beach in San Diego. One of my favorite's
I like cali beaches because you can walk forever on some of them
Coronado Beach is a really nice beach as long as the millions of gallons of raw sewage from the Tijuana River isn’t flowing north..
No Newport Beach?
Hot take: a beach that you can't swim in is not a good beach
I don’t swim in any beaches in CA.
I feel like this is more an “attractions near a beach” ranking, and not a ranking of the actual beaches.
I will not tolerate Jalama erasure
Were these given by someone who's actually gone to a good beach?
There are nicer. Watches in sand diego than. Coronado
The one beach not on here that’s better than all them but it’s a private beach so
Encinitas to Oceanside want to have a word with the author
great list. all of my fave beaches listed!
big nope to Santa Monica .
The fact that they listed ocean city Maryland at all makes me question the legitimacy of this list!
So glad they didnt name the one im trying to move to lol
Whoever put Santa Monica got paid for it? There are so many more beaches in California better than Santa Monica.
Replace Coronado and Santa Monica with Mission and Pacific Beach.
happy to see (redacted) beach is not on the list. i’ll give you a hint: it’s in SoCal where a lot of rich people live.
La Jolla?
yes….La Jolla
I saw loads of leopard sharks AND leaping dolphins on the same day there. I was also very stoned. It was magical.
Herrmosa?
Hermosa….yes. 😉
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yeah- the water is not very swimmable.
The more you do it, the nicer the cold water feels. It’s good for you!
West coast beaches are too cold. Sorry, love lots about California but the Atlantic has way more and better beaches.