The coast along the Pacific Ocean in the area stretches from San Francisco Bay to the border of Oregon and is characterized by cliffs, hills, and tide pools while interior portions are more mountainous, dissected by small rivers and their canyons, and densely forested by redwood trees. The lower reaches of the North Coast are largely urbanized while the rest is mostly rural. Notable seaside beaches can be found at Marin Headlands and Point Reyes National Seashore. The grandeur of the redwood forests can be experienced in places like Muir Woods National Monument and Humboldt Redwoods State Park as well as along State Route 254, which is better known as the Avenue of the Giants.

The central coast area was originally inhabited by Chumash and other Native American people since at least 10,000 BC. Many of these settlements were coastal, where the people exploited marine resources and dwelt near freshwater inflows to the Pacific Ocean. For example there were significant settlements near the mouth of Morro Creek and Los Osos Creek. Cabrillo visited California's Central Coast, landing in Santa Barbara County in 1542, having sailed from the south

In Southern California, Pacific Coast Highway 1 runs from Mexican border through San Diego plus numerous, famous and gorgeous beaches and coastal towns. Many of these beaches and coastal towns are the most beautiful coastal areas that are blessed with natural habitats, sand dunes, and national parks, hills, mountain ranges, cliffs, sandy beaches, small and big towns in Southern California.