If you're looking for a million dollar view of the Pacific, just head to a pier in California. Beyond the famed beaches that attract over 50 million visitors each year (more than the entire population of the state) is what seems to be an eternity of ocean waves and spectacular sunsets. Piers in California are the one place that everybody can get that prized picture, catch a fish for free, and maybe grab a bite to eat. There are over 30 public piers along the coast from the southernmost Imperial Beach Pier to the northern redwood coast's Del Norte Pier.

With more than 1,000 miles of beaches and 50+ major beach destinations in the state, it seems surprising that there aren't more piers. When you examine what it takes to own one, then the answer is clear--piers cost a lot of money to build and maintain!

Their history dates back to the mid-to-late 1800s when piers were built for a very practical reason--to dock ships & boats bringing supplies and exporting lumber, cattle and other valuable resources. Some of the earliest piers no longer exist and the piers you see today are often reconstructions and renovations of older structures.

Every city that has a pier eventually faces the prospect of shelling out millions of dollars to reinforce beloved tourist icons -- and also decide if it's worth the money and effort. Cayucos recently dealt with that issue. Seal Beach is holding a meeting this week to discuss their partially shuttered pier which has been that way for two years. And Ventura has spent 20 years raising close to half a million dollars for pier enhancements.

California's most recent pier renovation took place at Trinidad Pier, part of the Cher-ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria. Over $8 million in private funds and grants was spent to upgrade the old structure, a 540-foot-long, 24- to 26-foot wide wooden trestle and plank pier.

No wonder the city council and residents of Seal Beach are brainstorming to fix their old, wooden pier where a gate now blocks visitors from accessing the end of the 1,835-foot long structure. What used to be a Ruby's diner two years ago now sits empty and shuttered. The city will have to make some tough decisions about what to do and how to pay for it.

California's beach destinations know their piers don't necessarily provide as much direct revenue as intrinsic value in terms of being tourist draws. Building a diner doesn't ensure a return on investment of pier construction expenses, either. The pier images above show the Huntington Beach Pier, which was unsafe after a natural disaster. It took several years and many volunteers to raise a few million dollars to pay for its rebuild.

It's easy to love wharfs & piers and all they represent, but you can't take them for granted.