Princeton-by-the-Sea (Images of America: California)

The isolation imposed by the sometimes raging Pacific Ocean and breathtaking coastal barrier mountains helped mold the historic personalities of Princeton-by-the-Sea and neighboring Miramar. In the early 1900s, these towns were placed along the Ocean Shore Railroad to attract visitors and settlers from San Francisco to these peaceful shores. Rumrunners, bootleggers, operators of shady roadhouses, and a brazen red-haired madam were characters here in the 1920s. In the 1940s, wind-gnarled fishermen, funky eateries, and a miniature cannery row stood watch over the northern end of the bay, under the stunning rock landmark of Pillar Point. In these pages are the boats, fishermen, buildings, beaches, and personalities that make Princeton-by-the-Sea and Miramar anything but typical Bay Area suburbs.