Princeton-by-the-Sea (sometimes, especially locally, called Princeton) is an unincorporated community on the coast

Coast

A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...

 of San Mateo County, California

San Mateo County, California

San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...

. The ZIP Code

ZIP Code

ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...

 is 94019 and the community is inside area code 650

Area code 650

North American area code 650 is a California telephone area code which includes most of San Mateo County and the extreme northwestern portion of Santa Clara County including Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Los Altos....

.

Profile

This area was inhabited by Ohlone

Ohlone

The Ohlone people, also known as the Costanoan, are a Native American people of the central California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the area along the coast from San Francisco Bay through Monterey Bay to the lower Salinas Valley...

 tribes in pre-Columbian times. Because of the special microhabitat of the adjacent Pillar Point Harbor

Pillar Point Harbor

Pillar Point Harbor is a boat harbor created by a riprap jetty in San Mateo County, California immediately north of Half Moon Bay. The site was originally inhabited by the Ohlone people in prehistoric times, and a number of recorded shipwrecks occurred in the immediate area. The harbor facilities...

, there are numerous pelagic birds that visit the local area. The area has a boating cachet for harbor

Harbor

A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...

 activities and has been a tourist destination since the early 1900s with the establishment of the Princeton Inn Hotel. As of 2000, the population of the community is 297.

Besides the harbor, with its piers and docks, Princeton has a number of shops, restaurants, and accommodations. The community is near State Route 1, the Cabrillo Highway, just north of Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay, California

Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,324 as of the 2010 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea....

 and south of Moss Beach

Moss Beach, California

Moss Beach is a coastal census-designated place in San Mateo County, California, with a year 2010 census population of 3,103. Located in Moss Beach are the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, a marine sanctuary; the Half Moon Bay Airport, the historic Moss Beach Distillery and the Seal Cove Inn, a...

. The Half Moon Bay Airport

Half Moon Bay Airport

Half Moon Bay Airport is a county-owned public use airport in San Mateo County, California, United States. It is located five nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Half Moon Bay, California. The airport is on the Pacific Coast, south of San Francisco.-History:The Half Moon...

 is just north of the community.

The annual surfing competition Mavericks

Mavericks (location)

Maverick's or Mavericks is a surfing location in Northern California, U.S.A.. It is located approximately 2 miles from shore in Pillar Point Harbor just north of Half Moon Bay at the village of Princeton-By-The-Sea. After a strong winter storm in the northern Pacific Ocean, waves can routinely...

 actually takes place in Princeton, although it is usually attributed to neighboring Half Moon Bay.

Geography

This community is located on level ground at an elevation of five feet (1.5 m) above mean sea datum (U.S. Geological Survey, 1980). The soil in the Princeton-by-the-Sea vicinity has good drainage, since the surface consists of marine deposits with underlying water bearing sediment

Sediment

Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....

s of unconsolidated sand

Sand

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...

 and gravel

Gravel

Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...

 deposits (Earth Metrics, 1989). Until 1973 extensive row crop farming was conducted immediately at the northern edge of Princeton.