Moss Beach has long been a picturesque seaside place with scenic cliffs and unusual marine gardens. The town is separated from the dense San Francisco area by Devil's Slide, a moody geographical barrier of tumbling rocks that now supports U.S. Highway One. The developers of the Ocean Shore Railroad envisioned Moss Beach as one of a string of resorts along the San Mateo County coastline. The railroad did not endure, but the automobile era brought prosperity to the secluded area, which hummed with activity during Prohibition and became a strategic and controlled location during World War II. Early settler Jurgen Wienke, who built the original Moss Beach Hotel in the 1880s, would be amazed at how this little town has evolved. Abundantly endowed with natural beauty, the Moss Beach of yesterday can still be discovered today.
