The City of Pacifica is spread along a 6-mile (9.7-kilometer) stretch of sandy coastal beaches and hills in north central California.

The city comprises several small valleys spread between Sweeney Ridge in the east, Montara Mountain to the south, and the Pacific Ocean's rocky bluffs to the west.

[7] Fishermen frequent the local beaches and the Pacifica Pier, often catching striped bass and salmon.

Pacifica is also a popular place to hike, with many trails that wind along the beaches and bluffs, including Mori Point, San Pedro Valley County Park, Frontierland Park, the Sanchez Adobe, Milagra Ridge, and the privately owned Rockaway Quarry.

[9][10] Pacifica is also home to the Sharp Park Golf Course,[11] which was designed in 1931 by architect Alister MacKenzie.

The world class bromeliad nursery, Shelldance Orchid Gardens is located just off Highway 1 in Pacifica, adjacent to the Sweeney Ridge hiking trailhead.

[12] Pacifica is divided into roughly eleven districts from north to south: Before European settlers arrived, Pacifica was home to two significant Ohlone Indian villages: Pruristac located at San Pedro Creek near present-day Adobe Drive, and Timigtac on Calera Creek in the Rockaway Beach neighborhood.

An expedition led by Gaspar de Portolà sighted the bay by climbing the hills of Sweeney Ridge in Pacifica on November 4, 1769.

[18] Before then, earlier Spanish maritime explorers of the California coast Juan Cabrillo and Sebastian Vizcaino had missed the San Francisco Bay because heavy fog so frequently shrouded its entrance from the Pacific Ocean (the Golden Gate).

The city is located on a part of the Mexican land grant Rancho San Pedro given to Francisco Sanchez in 1839.

He described the facility, writing, "The ground is limited by tall iron net-fences and small in area; barracks 20' x 120' are well-built and painted outside and inside and are regularly arranged; there are 10 of these for inmates, each accommodating about 40, divided into 5 rooms for 8 persons each; if double-decked (beds), 80 can be put in.

It was the union of nine previously separate, unincorporated communities–Fairmont, Westview, Pacific Manor (or just Manor), Sharp Park, Fairway Park, Vallemar, Rockaway Beach, Linda Mar and Pedro Point–some of which were stops on the short-lived Ocean Shore Railroad.

In 1960, the city seal was designed by resident Ralph Barkey, who was inspired by Ralph Stackpole's towering "Pacifica" statue produced for the 1939–1940 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay.

[25] Pacifica straddles San Pedro Creek which flows from the western slope of Sweeney Ridge.

Calera Creek runs through Pacifica Quarry and is protected as ESHA Environmentally Sensitive Habitat.

The oldest person to ever live in Pacifica is Rose G. Rosenthal who was born on April 8, 1901, and died December 27, 2008.

The Reverend Herschell Harkins Memorial pier was constructed in 1973 and was designed to carry sewage piping out to sea.

On national television, Guy Fieri visited Gorilla BBQ for the fifth season of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2009.

[51] The 2007 National Book Award finalist Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr is set in Pacifica.

The administration office is located at 375 Reina del Mar Avenue, adjacent to Vallemar School.

Oceana's teaching paradigm is geared toward longer classes, senior exhibitions, and mandated community service.

Much larger Terra Nova is a more traditional institution, featuring numerous sports, clubs, and a broad-based and enriching educational experience.