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America's Top 10 Surf Towns

Posted by Carley Hummel on Fri, Jun 05, 2009 @ 06:13 PM
  
  
  
  
  
Add to delicious  delicious  
  
  

Surfer Magazine recently announced America's Top 10 Surf Towns!

Ranking was based on all factors, including: Surf quality, swell consistency, culture, quality of life, cost of living.

So here are the results!

10. Ocean City, NJ   Ocean City, NJ         

Population: 14,923

Average Water Temperature: 63 (but can get down to 35)

Median Income: $55,204

Median Home Price: $530,203

Most Common Industry: Construction

Best Surf Spots: North Street, 8th Street & Waverly

         

9. New Smyrna Beach, FL        New Smyrna Beach, FL

Population: 23,161   

Average Water Temperature: 75

Median Income: $42,460

Median Home Price: $242,484

Most Common Industry: Construction

Best Surf Spots: All roads lead to New Smyrna Inlet, The only game in town

 

 

8. Montauk, NY       Montauk, NY

Population: 3,930 

Average Water Temperature: 55

Median Income: $54,102

Median Home Price: $700,618

Most Common Industry: Construction

Best Surf Spots: Ditch Plains, Turtles

 

7. Malibu, CA       Malibu, CA

Population: 13,041       

Average Water Temperature: 64

Median Income: $129,562

Median Home Price: $2,571,682

Most Common Industry: Professional, scientific, and technical services

Best Surf Spots: Surfrider Beach, Zuma, Big and Little Dume

 

6. Kill Devil Hills, NC

Kill Devil Hills, NCPopulation: 6,584

Average Water Temperature: 67

Median Income: $43,812

Median Home Price: $148,986   

Most Common Industry: Construction

Best Surf Spots: Avalon Pier, S-Turns, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

 

5. San Clemente, CA

San Clemente, CA

Population: 61,229

Average Water Temperature: 63

Median Income: $79,101

Median Home Price: $966,936

Most Common Industry: Construction

Best Surf Spots: Trestles, T-Street

 

4. Paia, HI

Paia, HI

Population: 2,752

Average Water Temperature: 76

Median Income: $66,384

Median Home Price: $556,859

Most Common Industry: Accommodation and Food Services

Best Surf Spots: Ho'pkipa, Jaws, Honolulu

 

3. Encinitas, CA

Encinitas, CA

Population: 59,978

Average Water Temperature: 63

Median Income: $83,965

Median Home Price: $901,688

Most Common Industry: Professional, Scientific

Best Surf Spots: Cardiff Reef, Swamis, Seaside

 

2. Haleiwa, HI        Haleiwa, HI

Population: 2,302 

Average Water Temperature: 76   

Median Income: $49,916

Median Home Price: $508,718

Most Common Industry: Construction

Best Surf Spots: Haleiwa, Pipeline, Backdoor, Sunset

 

1. Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz                   

Population: 55,322 

Average Water Temperature: 57

Median Income: $59,770

Median Home Price: $850,623

Most Common Industry: Educational Services

Best Surf Spots: Steamer Lane, Wadell Creek, Pleasure Point

 

   

          

 

Comments

Yeah for Santa Cruz! That's my home town, too bad the water's sooo cold though. I actually prefer Hawaii :)
Posted @ Saturday, June 06, 2009 12:36 PM by Erin
I love Hawaii the waves get really big up in San Cruz though they even have people from Hawaii coming to Mavericks in Northern California to ride them!
Posted @ Monday, June 08, 2009 11:43 AM by Erich Buerger
You sayin' New Smyrna is the only game in town? You've got to check out Ponce Inlet on the other side towards Daytona. And farther north - Ormond is an awesome surf town.
Posted @ Monday, June 08, 2009 12:59 PM by Ryan
Will have to check that place out Ryan!
Posted @ Monday, June 08, 2009 1:05 PM by Erich Buerger
Montauk??? today is raining , cold and side shore with gusts to forty, we have five days at a time of this weather and then a wave window of about 2 hours. Happens 9 months of the year except for when it just peters out and never gives us a wave. There has not been a decent wave here for seven weeks. When it was good one day in august there were a 1000 surfers here, 90% beginers and kooks making impossible to get a wave and dangerous. There are no jobs at all, and after september no women either. The locals rule the turtles and they hate longboards. You will need resident parking stickers at all beaches and the fine is 250.00. Very expensive moldy hotel rooms and the campsite are booked by march. Please do yourself and everyone else a favor and stay away. Surf paradise ruined . Thank you, AMTKLOCAL
Posted @ Friday, October 16, 2009 2:55 PM by yaz
All great surf towns but I don't see how you can say cost of living was one of the factors you considered when making the list. I mean come on, 7 of the 10 have median home prices that are 10 times or more than the average income and all except for FL and NC are in the most heavily taxed states in the country. Surf quality, swell consistency, culture...definitely. Cost of living, not so much
Posted @ Saturday, April 17, 2010 12:33 PM by Tom
I was born and lived in Santa Cruz, Erin is not totally correct...there are MANY very warm days there, the the average temperature June through Sept. is 75 degrees, hardly cold!!! There is often a very warm trend in Aug and Sept, where it can be even warmer! Yes, it gets cold in the winter, but not back East cold!!! Actually the weather there is pretty mild year round! I do live in Hawaii now, where of course the average is warmer! I love Santa Cruz, great surfing, cool people! I really nice place to visit or live! I go back often! Aloha!
Posted @ Thursday, July 01, 2010 6:53 PM by Leilani
This list is so lame. How can they say "cost of living" is one of the deciding factors? The top five all have median home prices between 500k and 1 million, with three of the five over 850k. malibu shouldn't EVEN be on this list. The most zooed out spot in the world and you can't even surf after it rains unless you dig getting hepatitis. 
 
How about swell consistency?Haleiwa is basically flat for at least half the year, same with Paia. This list is lame.
Posted @ Monday, July 12, 2010 4:26 PM by Salty
Come on! Check the pictures before putting them up. 
For Haleiwa you have a picture of Makapuu! and for Paia, Maui on the northeast side of the island you have a picture of Kapalua Beach! Pretty poor editing!
Posted @ Thursday, August 26, 2010 1:34 PM by John Nielsen
Erich; dude you have never heard of ponce inlet, come on. Looks like you hit a few nerves bud. For surfers that have surfed the gulf coast, , you should no port Isabel in south, tx. just a few miles from the mexican border has awesome waves alot and the water is in the 80's in the summer and high 60's in the winter and clear nice water. Personally I like Durban S. Africa. Need to do another list bud. I do like santa cruz and san clemente and dana point was good when I surfed there in 1969. Later erich.
Posted @ Wednesday, June 15, 2011 4:27 AM by michael Davis
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