ABOUT US

Old Town Eureka, the historic waterfront commercial district on California’s far northwest coast, is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. With more than 100 Victorian buildings, the area is one of the most well-preserved commercial districts in the West. 

Filled with coffee shops, fine restaurants, art galleries, antique stores, museums, and one-of-a-kind shops, Old Town offers a unique shopping and browsing experience in the heart of the redwood belt.

The town of Eureka was founded in 1850 as a shipping point for the logging industry, which sprang up all along Humboldt Bay. Eureka quickly grew into the commercial hub of the redwood region and became the seat of Humboldt County. The Old Town district expanded quickly from the 1870s to 1890s, filling with dry goods stores, hotels, and saloons to serve the timber industry and the growing fishing and whaling trade. 

By the 1920s, Old Town had been taken over with saloons and houses of ill repute, and the area began a slow decline until redevelopment efforts, beginning in the 1970s, began to turn the area around. Now Old Town boasts a beautiful new boardwalk along the bay, wide sidewalks, brick streets, and historic lighting. It is now the cultural and historic capital of Humboldt County.

OLD TOWN MERCHANTS GROUP

Old Town Merchants Group is an all volunteer association formed in order to promote Old Town Eureka. If you are a merchant in Old Town and would like to be included or if you are a visitor and have questions, please contact Phil at Many Hands Gallery or Scott at Eureka Books. 

Click here for Free Website Listing for All Old Town Merchants form