It has one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast; with ready access via State Route 1, it is a popular local destination for surfing.

[10] By 1778, dissatisfaction with the missions led to the formation of a revolt by tribal leader Cinquanto that was preemptively stopped by the Spanish.

[11] Dana Point was a popular port for ships involved with the hide trade with nearby Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Richard Henry Dana then visited the area in 1835 while serving aboard the sailing brig Pilgrim on her voyage along the California coastline.

[6] In 1923, Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler and General M. H. Sherman, director of the Pacific Electric Railway Company, created a major real estate group to develop the Hollywood Hills.

Promising tree-lined and paved streets, electricity, telephones, sidewalks, water mains, storm drains, sewers, and other amenities, Woodruff built 35 homes and a number of commercial buildings.

Most of these "Woodruff" houses are concentrated in the Dana Point historic core, also called Lantern Village (currently about 12,000 residents).

[12][citation needed] His crowning structure was to be the Dana Point Inn, a Mediterranean-like resort hotel on the cliffs overlooking the harbor.

After a celebratory groundbreaking in 1930, a three-story foundation was poured and a 135-foot (41 m) shaft was dug for an elevator to transport hotel guests to and from the beach.

The entire harbor of Dana Point, including the Embarcadero Marina shops and restaurants, is set for complete demolition and redevelopment.

[14] Although Richard Henry Dana Jr., author of Two Years Before the Mast, described the anchorage as poor, it is now a developed harbor and had a replica of his ship, the Pilgrim.

[15] The Strands at Headlands is a luxury housing development built on land that was originally part of the Chandler Family holdings.

During the course of a ten-year approval process, the original high-density plan, which included a large multi-story hotel on the bluff top and hundreds of houses and multi-family units, was reduced in scope to just over 100 home sites.

As part of negotiations with the California Coastal Commission, the developer agreed to turn the bluff into a nature preserve and build over $11 million worth of public improvements to provide easier access to Strands Beach.

The improvements include stairs, restrooms, a beach-front sidewalk and a funicular to transport visitors from the parking lot to the beach.

[21] In 1928, a corporate entity of the American industrial giant Edward Doheny, who had built his fortune in oil production in Southern California and Mexico, purchased a number of lots in Capistrano Beach.

According to Dana Point historians Baum and Burnes,* Eldridge favored two dominant characteristics in his homes, a typically Spanish roofline and the use of large ceiling beams in the main rooms of the houses.

The roofline, covered with red ceramic tiles, incorporated a low-pitched gable, spreading out to one short and one long roof.

The unimproved Capistrano Beach properties passed back to Edward Doheny, and, upon his death in 1935, to his wife and heirs.

The chapel soon grew, received canonical status as a parish, and moved to its current bluff-top location in Dana Point, overlooking Doheny State Beach.

The Dana Point headlands are a prominent feature in Orange County geography and after years of controversy,[25] are currently being developed as a 118-house gated community, however 68 acres (280,000 m2) of the site is open to the public and features a nature center and walking trails exhibiting "lost" plants of the Southern California coast.

Views on a clear day extend to Catalina Island and La Jolla in San Diego County.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Dana Point had a median household income of $80,938, with 8.4% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

The course winds its way through downtown Dana Point into Heritage Park and the adjoining residential community with ocean views for participants and spectators before finishing on a long straightaway on PCH.

The Dana Point Chamber of Commerce hosts the annual Turkey Trot, which includes a 5K, 10K and Kids’ Gobble Wobble race for ages 5–12, which was voted as a top destination for Thanksgiving by Fodor's Magazine.

The Dana Point Symphony presents classical music concerts with a 50-piece orchestra and local and international soloists.

[56] Visitors can visit the Ocean Institute at the harbor below the point and the tidal pools located nearby for a close-up view of marine life during low tide.

With the kelp beds located just offshore, Dana Point is a popular destination for snorkelers, fisherman, and spearfishers.

The high cliffs at Dana Point are popular for scanning the horizon for whales, dolphins and other marine life.

The cross country program at Dana Hills High School won California state titles in 1988, 2007, 2008, and 2009.