← Back to home

Long Beach, California

"Long Beach" redirects here. For the endless list of other places borrowing the name, see Long Beach (disambiguation).

Long Beach, California

City in California, United States

City


Downtown Long Beach skyline Aquarium of the Pacific
Villa Riviera Lions Lighthouse
Retired RMS Queen Mary
Flag Seal

Nicknames: "Aquatic Capital of America", a title it clings to with the tenacity of a barnacle; "The LBC", for those who prefer brevity. Motto: "The International City", which is a polite way of saying it’s a crossroads of everything and nothing in particular.
Coordinates: 33°46′6″N 118°11′44″W
Country
State
County
CSA
MSA
Incorporated
Government
• Type
• Mayor
• Legislative body
• City manager
Area
• City
• Land
• Water
Elevation
Population (2020)
• City
• Rank
• Density
Time zone
• Summer (DST)
ZIP Codes
Area code
FIPS code
GNIS feature IDs
Website

Long Beach is a sprawling coastal city wedged into the southeastern corner of Los Angeles County, California. It exists in a perpetual state of being not-quite-Los-Angeles and definitely-not-Orange-County, a distinction it seems to both resent and cultivate. It stands as the 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022, a testament to the number of people willing to trade pristine air for proximity to the ocean. As a charter city, Long Beach is the 7th-most populous city in California, the 2nd-most populous city in its county, and holds the peculiar honor of being the largest city in California that isn't a county seat—a perpetual bridesmaid in the state's municipal hierarchy.

Incorporated in 1897, after a brief, failed attempt at disincorporation by citizens apparently fed up with high taxes and a lack of alcohol, Long Beach is situated in Southern California. It lies about 20 miles (32 km) south of downtown Los Angeles, a distance that can feel like a stone's throw or an eternity depending on traffic, and is a key player in the Gateway Cities region. The city's economic juggernaut, the Port of Long Beach, is the second busiest container port in the United States and a behemoth on the world stage, the true, fume-choked heart of the city. Beneath the urban grid, the city sits atop an oilfield, with wells pumping silently, both onshore and off, a subterranean source of wealth and environmental anxiety.

The city's identity is a collage of waterfront attractions, from the permanently moored ghost ship, the RMS Queen Mary, to the decidedly more lively Aquarium of the Pacific. Annually, it trades its civic dignity for the roar of engines during the Grand Prix of Long Beach, an IndyCar race that turns downtown into a high-octane maze. It also hosts the vibrant Long Beach Pride Festival and Parade, one of the largest in the country. Looming over it all is California State University, Long Beach, one of the largest universities in the state, churning out graduates into the urban sprawl.

History

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Long Beach, California.

Tongva period

Long before the Spanish, the Mexicans, or the Midwesterners arrived, this land was spoken for. For more than 10,000 years, Indigenous people inhabited coastal Southern California, with successive cultures leaving their imprints on the landscape. By the time Spanish explorers appeared on the horizon in the 16th century, the dominant group was the Tongva. They had established a network of settlements, including at least three major villages within the boundaries of what is now Long Beach. Tevaaxa'anga was an inland community near the temperamental Los Angeles River, while Ahwaanga and Povuu'nga were perched on the coast.

Povuu'nga was more than just a village; it was the sacred center of a civilization. It served as a bustling regional trading post and a hub for fishermen, but its true importance was spiritual. For the Tongva, it was their place of emergence, the origin point from which their world and their people began. In 1974, what remains of the site of Puvunga was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a belated acknowledgment of a history that was nearly erased.

Spanish and Mexican period

In 1784, the map of California was redrawn with imperial ink. King Carlos III of the Spanish Empire granted Rancho Los Nietos to a loyal Spanish soldier, Manuel Nieto. From this immense territory, the lands that would become Long Beach were carved out into Rancho Los Cerritos and Rancho Los Alamitos. The boundary between them was a diagonal line cutting through the center of Signal Hill, a division whose consequences would echo for centuries. A slice of western Long Beach was also part of Rancho San Pedro, its borders perpetually in dispute as the flooding Los Angeles River whimsically redrew the lines between properties.

The arrival of the Spanish marked the end of an era for the Tongva. By 1805, the once-thriving village of Puvunga was largely empty. Its inhabitants had been forcibly relocated to Mission San Gabriel for religious conversion and to serve as a captive labor force. Life at the mission was a death sentence for many. The close quarters bred disease, and the combination of torture, malnourishment, and overwork led to a devastatingly high rate of death, particularly among children.

In 1843, an enterprising New Englander named Juan Temple purchased Rancho Los Cerritos. He constructed the Casa de los Cerritos in a Monterey Colonial style in 1844, now the oldest standing building in Long Beach. Temple transformed the rancho into a flourishing cattle empire, becoming the wealthiest man in Los Angeles County. Both he and his adobe home played pivotal roles during the Mexican–American War. In a curious historical footnote, a group of Mormon pioneers made a failed attempt to establish a colony on an island in San Pedro Bay, part of Brigham Young's ambitious plan to create a chain of settlements from Salt Lake to the Pacific.

Post-Conquest period

After the U.S. Conquest of California, the old world of ranchos gave way to new ambitions. Temple secured his title to Rancho Los Cerritos from the Public Land Commission. In 1866, he sold the rancho for $20,000 to Flint, Bixby & Company, a Northern California sheep-raising firm. The company, composed of brothers Thomas and Benjamin Flint and their cousin Llewellyn Bixby, dispatched another Bixby, Llewellyn's brother Jotham, to manage the property. Jotham Bixby would become known, with some irony for a man who oversaw the subdivision of the land, as the "Father of Long Beach."

The rancho became a massive sheep farm, with as many as 30,000 sheep being sheared twice a year in the 1870s. But the future was in land, not wool. In 1880, Bixby sold 4,000 acres to a developer named William E. Willmore, who envisioned a quaint farm community called Willmore City. His dream failed. A Los Angeles syndicate, the "Long Beach Land and Water Company," bought him out and, with a knack for branding, renamed the fledgling community Long Beach.

Incorporation

The City of Long Beach was officially incorporated in 1897. It began its life as a sleepy seaside resort with a bit of agriculture on the side. The true heart of the city was The Pike, a beachside amusement zone that, from 1902 until its slow decline and closure in 1969, was the most famous on the West Coast. It was a chaotic wonderland of food, games, and rides like the Sky Wheel and the legendary Cyclone Racer roller coaster.

Meanwhile, the Bixby family continued to shape the city's destiny. John W. Bixby, another cousin, leased land at Rancho Los Alamitos and, with a group of investors including banker I.W. Hellman, eventually purchased it. J.W. Bixby was an innovator, not just in farming methods, but in urban development. Through the Alamitos Land Company, he laid out the streets and parks of what would become Belmont Heights, Belmont Shore, and the Venice-inspired canals of Naples.

When Jotham Bixby died in 1916, the last 3,500 acres of Rancho Los Cerritos were subdivided into the neighborhoods of Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, and North Long Beach, with a portion becoming the city of Signal Hill.

Downtown Long Beach, particularly Pine Avenue, blossomed into a major shopping district. It boasted upscale department stores like Buffums, Barker Brothers, Wise Company, and Walker's, remaining the retail heart of the area until the siren song of suburban malls began in the 1950s.

The city's sleepy resort character was shattered in 1921 with the discovery of oil on Signal Hill. The gusher at the Alamitos oil well #1 unleashed the Long Beach Oil Field, which in the 1920s was the most productive in the world. Long Beach was transformed into a boomtown. The discovery of the even larger Wilmington Oil Field in 1932 cemented the city's identity as an oil town.

On March 10, 1933, the ground buckled. The M6.4 1933 Long Beach earthquake devastated the city, killing 120 people. The destruction was particularly severe in unreinforced masonry buildings, a terrifying lesson in structural engineering that led to sweeping changes in building codes across California.

The industrial base of the city continued to grow. In 1929, the Ford Motor Company opened its Long Beach Assembly plant, which produced vehicles until a fire closed it in 1960. In 1938, as the nation grappled with the Great Depression, North Long Beach became home to the Carmelitos Housing Project, Southern California's first affordable housing complex.

World War II and contemporary history

Long Beach's relationship with the U.S. Navy solidified into a defining characteristic during World War II. The city even had a brush with hysteria during the so-called Battle of Los Angeles, when anti-aircraft batteries fired into the night sky at phantom Japanese planes.

The war effort transformed the city. The Douglas Aircraft Company plant in Long Beach became a critical hub of wartime manufacturing, churning out C-47 Skytrain transports, B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, and A-20 Havoc attack bombers. Workers flocked to the city, and after the war, many veterans receiving G.I. bill benefits chose to make their homes there. The city's population swelled, and new suburbs were built by the Bixby land companies and others. This influx, largely from the Midwestern United States, earned the city the nickname "Iowa by the sea."

The aerospace industry remained a cornerstone of the economy for decades. After Douglas merged with McDonnell Aircraft Company in 1967, the Long Beach plant produced iconic airliners like the Douglas DC-8 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9. In 1997, Boeing acquired the company, continuing to build C-17 Globemaster military transport planes until the facility finally closed in 2015, marking the end of an era.

The city also saw its share of social change, including an instance of the Chicano(a) movement in 1968, reflecting the shifting demographics and growing political consciousness of its diverse communities.

Geography

Long Beach is located approximately 21 miles (34 km) south of downtown Los Angeles, a fact that defines its existence. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city occupies a total area of 77.84 square miles (201.6 km²), of which a significant 34.9% is water. In a geographical curiosity, Long Beach completely envelops the city of Signal Hill, a small, oil-rich island in a sea of Long Beach suburbia.

Climate

Long Beach has a climate that meteorologists describe as either a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) or a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa). For the people who live there, it means hot, dry summers and mild, occasionally damp winters. Like most of Southern California, the days are relentlessly sunny. The weather station at Long Beach Airport, situated four miles inland, records more extreme temperatures than the immediate coast, where the ocean exerts its moderating influence.

During summer, a persistent marine layer often develops overnight, blanketing the city in a cool, gray fog that typically burns off by the afternoon. This morning gloom gives way to a reliable westerly sea breeze that keeps the coastal areas from boiling over. Occasionally, however, heat and humidity conspire to create a stifling, uncomfortable miasma.

The city's unique position, directly east of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, gives it a distinct weather profile. The peninsula's hills, rising to 1,200 feet, act as a barrier, blocking the west-to-east airflow and much of the coastal moisture that defines cities like Manhattan Beach or Santa Monica. This geographical quirk often makes Long Beach warmer and drier than its coastal neighbors.

Rain, when it arrives, does so almost exclusively in the winter. Storm systems can bring heavy downpours, accounting for the bulk of the city's meager 12.02 inches of annual precipitation. Summer is a season of near-total drought, with August being particularly arid.

(Climate data table preserved as in original)

Neighborhoods

Long Beach is not a monolith; it is a patchwork of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own character and history. Some are named for the major thoroughfares that slice through them, while others derive their identity from local parks, schools, or landmarks. For a more detailed exploration, see the main article: Neighborhoods of Long Beach, California.

Environment

Pollution

To speak of Long Beach is to speak of its air. The city suffers from some of the most polluted air in the United States, a grim distinction for a coastal community. The primary culprits are the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The prevailing winds carry a toxic cocktail of emissions from the ports directly into the city. The sources are numerous: the massive container ships burning high-sulfur bunker fuel while docked, the endless parade of diesel drayage trucks, and the fleet of tractor-trailers hauling cargo inland.

The result is that long-term average levels of toxic air pollutants—and the associated carcinogenic risk—can be two to three times higher in Long Beach and its downwind neighbors than in other parts of the Los Angeles area. While regional air quality has generally improved, the relentless pollution from the ports keeps a heavy, often invisible, lid on the city.

Adding to the atmospheric burden, Long Beach is directly downwind of several South Bay oil refineries. Any industrial mishap that releases by-products like sulfur dioxide is likely to be carried by the prevailing winds straight into Long Beach.

The water quality is no better. The city's portion of San Pedro Bay is trapped behind the Federal Breakwater, which severely limits natural tidal flushing and wave action. The Los Angeles River, which is less a river than a concrete channel for the region's urban runoff, discharges directly into the harbor. After a rain, the accumulated debris, garbage, and chemical pollutants from dozens of upstream cities pour into the bay. This stagnant, polluted water often earns Long Beach's beaches a D or F grade from Heal the Bay and can lead to toxic red tides, making swimming unsafe for weeks at a time.

Ecology

Historically, the area was a rich tapestry of ecological communities, dominated by coastal scrub. Remnants of this natural past persist in small, protected pockets, a quiet testament to the landscape that existed before the concrete.

Demographics

The story of Long Beach is written in its demographics. It is a city of immigrants, a gateway to America. The top five countries of origin for its residents are Mexico, the Philippines, Cambodia, El Salvador, and Vietnam. The air is thick with the sounds of Spanish, Khmer, and Tagalog. The city is home to a large Mexican American/Chicano community, as well as significant populations of Filipino Americans and Cambodian Americans. It also supports a thriving Buddhist community, though Christianity remains the most common religion.

(Historical population and demographic profile tables preserved as in original)

2022

As of the 2022 American Community Survey estimates, Long Beach had a population of 451,319 people living in 170,965 households. The population density was a crowded 8,906.7 inhabitants per square mile. The city's racial makeup was 34.6% White, 11.8% Black or African American, 12.5% Asian, 1.8% Native American or Alaskan Native, 1.0% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 20.1% from some other race, and 18.2% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race constituted 44.0% of the population.

The median household income was 80,493,witha[percapitaincome](/Percapitaincome)of80,493, with a [per capita income](/Per_capita_income) of 41,896. However, 13.8% of the population lived below the poverty line, a figure that underscores the economic disparities within the city.

2020

(Racial and ethnic composition table preserved as in original)

2010

The 2010 United States census painted a detailed portrait of the city's diversity. The racial makeup was 46.1% White, 13.5% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 12.9% Asian (including significant Filipino and Cambodian communities), and 1.1% Pacific Islander. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up 40.8% of the population. Notably, Non-Hispanic Whites were 29.4% of the population, a dramatic shift from 86.2% in 1970.

Long Beach is home to the largest Cambodian community outside of Asia, with a population of approximately 20,000.

2000

The 2000 census confirmed the city's status as a cultural mosaic. The city had definitively shed its "Iowa by the Sea" image. In 1950, whites had represented 97.4% of the population. By 2000, Long Beach was one of the most ethnically diverse large cities in the United States, a primary port of entry for immigrants from Asia and Latin America.

The city once had a substantial Japanese American community, which was decimated by the forced internment during World War II. After President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, these residents were removed from their homes and sent to internment camps, a profound injustice that reshaped the city's cultural landscape.

Homelessness

In 2022, the city's point-in-time count identified 3,296 homeless individuals, a stark reminder of the housing crisis affecting the region.

(Homeless population table preserved as in original)

Economy

Long Beach's economy is a story of evolution and adaptation. The oil boom of the 1920s and 30s created immense wealth and continues to contribute to the city budget. For much of the 20th century, it was a Navy town, until the base closure in the 1990s forced a painful economic pivot. The aerospace industry was another pillar, with Douglas Aircraft Company (later McDonnell Douglas and then Boeing) building everything from World War II bombers to modern jetliners. The closure of the C-17 production line in 2015 marked the end of large-scale aircraft manufacturing in the city, though Boeing remains a major employer.

Today, the city's economic life is dominated by the Port of Long Beach. Trade valued at over $140 billion moves through the port annually, making it the second busiest in the nation. It supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and is the undisputed economic engine of the city.

Other major employers include the Long Beach Unified School District, the City of Long Beach itself, and several large healthcare providers like Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Molina Healthcare.

(Top employers table preserved as in original)

Retail

While no longer the retail powerhouse it was in the mid-20th century, Long Beach still maintains several shopping centers. The largest is the Long Beach Towne Center, a sprawling power center built on the site of the former Naval Hospital. Downtown has seen a resurgence with developments like The Pike Outlets.

Arts and culture

Art

The city's art scene is anchored by institutions like the Long Beach Museum of Art and the [Museum of Latin American Art](/Museum_of_Latin American_Art) (MOLAA), the only museum in the western U.S. dedicated exclusively to modern and contemporary Latin American art. The Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum (PieAM) celebrates the arts and cultures of Oceania.

Long Beach is particularly known for its vibrant street art. Murals adorn buildings throughout the city, some officially sanctioned, others not. The exterior of the Long Beach Sports Arena features one of artist Wyland's massive "Whaling Walls," which, at 116,000 square feet, is the world's largest mural according to the Guinness Book of Records. The East Village Arts District is a hub for galleries and artists, hosting a monthly Artwalk.

Music

The city has a rich and eclectic music scene. The Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSULB is a major center for classical and jazz performance. The Long Beach Symphony and Long Beach Opera offer professional performances. The local public radio station, KJAZZ 88.1 FM, broadcasts from the CSULB campus.

Long Beach has been a breeding ground for influential artists across numerous genres, including hip-hop legends like Snoop Dogg and Warren G, the genre-bending band Sublime, and contemporary artists like Vince Staples and Frank Ocean.

Theater

Long Beach supports a robust theater community, from large regional producers like Musical Theatre West to smaller, more experimental companies like The Garage Theatre. The historic Art Theatre on the 4th Street Corridor is a cherished local landmark.

Cultural events

The city's calendar is packed with events that reflect its diversity. The Grand Prix of Long Beach brings the roar of race cars downtown every April. The Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade and Festival, held since 1984, is the second-largest event in the city and one of the largest Pride celebrations in the country. The "Naples Island Christmas Parade" of decorated boats has been a holiday tradition since 1946.

Sites of interest

Parks and recreation

For a city so thoroughly urbanized, Long Beach has an impressive park system, managing 92 parks covering over 3,100 acres. The crown jewel is the 815-acre El Dorado Regional Park, a massive green space with fishing lakes, bike trails, and a nature center. The city has also made efforts to restore natural habitats, such as the Los Cerritos Wetlands and the Long Beach Green Belt path, a stretch of the old Pacific Electric right-of-way reclaimed as native habitat. Rosie's Dog Beach in Belmont Shore is the only legal off-leash dog beach in Los Angeles County.

Sports

Grand Prix of Long Beach

The Grand Prix of Long Beach is the city's signature event. Since 1975, it has transformed the downtown streets into a high-speed racetrack. Originally a Formula 5000 race, it briefly hosted Formula One as the United States Grand Prix West before becoming a mainstay of American open-wheel racing.

Long Beach Marathon

Held every October, the Long Beach Marathon draws thousands of runners who traverse a course that winds through the city's beaches, neighborhoods, and the Cal State Long Beach campus.

Surfing

Ironically, for a city named Long Beach, surfing is now a rare sight. California's surf scene arguably began here in 1911, and the city hosted the first National Surfing Championships in 1938. However, the construction of a 2.2-mile-long breakwater in 1949 to protect the United States Pacific Fleet effectively killed the waves, reducing the once-mighty surf to "mere lake-like lapping." The fleet is long gone, but the breakwater remains, a source of ongoing debate and the subject of costly studies about its potential removal.

College sports

Long Beach State's athletic teams, known as the Beach (and the baseball team officially nicknamed the Dirtbags), compete in a variety of NCAA sports. The city's other collegiate team is from Long Beach City College.

2028 Summer Olympics

Long Beach is slated to play a significant role in the 2028 Summer Olympics, hosting events such as BMX racing, water polo, triathlon, and sailing.

Government

Long Beach operates as a California charter city under a mayor–council form of government. It is a full-service city, meaning it provides nearly all of its own municipal services, including its own police, fire, water, gas, and health departments—a rarity in a county of contract cities. This stubborn self-reliance is a core part of the city's political identity.

On the state level, Long Beach is represented in the California State Senate by Democrat Lena Gonzalez (33rd district) and in the California State Assembly by Democrats Mike Gipson (65th district) and Josh Lowenthal (69th district). In the United States House of Representatives, the city is split between California's 42nd congressional district (Rep. Robert Garcia) and the 44th district (Rep. Nanette Barragán).

Politically, the city leans heavily Democratic.

Restrictions on registered sex offenders

In 2008, Long Beach enacted some of the most restrictive ordinances in California regarding registered sex offenders. The laws prohibit residency within 2,000 feet of any park, school, or daycare center, effectively zoning them out of over 96% of the city's residential areas. The ordinances also place severe restrictions on their movement and presence in public spaces.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Most of the city is served by the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), a large and highly regarded district. Its high schools include the renowned Long Beach Polytechnic High School and Wilson High School. Small portions of the city are served by the ABC Unified School District, Paramount Unified School District, and Los Angeles Unified School District.

Colleges and universities

Long Beach is home to two major public institutions of higher learning. California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), founded in 1949, is a large comprehensive university known for its strong arts programs. Long Beach City College (LBCC), a community college established in 1927, serves students across two campuses.

Transportation

Ports and freight

The Port of Long Beach is the city's economic and logistical core. It is the second busiest seaport in the United States and a critical link in the global supply chain, primarily serving trade with the Pacific Rim. Rail service from the port is provided by Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway, utilizing the massive Alameda Corridor rail trench to move goods inland.

The city also features the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, operated by Carnival Corporation, and the Catalina Landing, which provides daily ferry service via Catalina Express.

Public transportation

Local bus service is provided by Long Beach Transit. The backbone of the city's regional transit is the Metro A Line (formerly the Blue Line), a light rail service operated by LA Metro that connects downtown Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles and beyond, tracing the route of the historic Pacific Electric Long Beach Line.

Airports

Long Beach Airport (LGB) is a convenient regional airport known for its historic Art Deco terminal. For international flights, residents typically use Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located about 20 miles to the west.

Freeways and highways

Long Beach is enmeshed in Southern California's freeway network. The San Diego Freeway (I-405) cuts across the city, while the Long Beach Freeway (I-710) serves as a primary route for both commuters and the endless stream of trucks from the port. Other major arteries include the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605) and the Artesia Freeway (SR 91).

Media

The city's primary daily newspaper is the Long Beach Press-Telegram. In 2013, the Orange County Register launched a short-lived daily competitor, the Long Beach Register, which folded after only sixteen months. The city is also served by several weekly papers and a growing number of online news outlets, including the Long Beach Post and LBReport.com.

In popular culture

Thanks to its diverse architecture, varied neighborhoods, and proximity to Hollywood, Long Beach has served as a filming location for countless movies, television shows, and commercials. It is a cinematic chameleon, standing in for locations as varied as Miami (CSI: Miami, Dexter), Chicago (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), and various anonymous urban landscapes for car chases in films like Gone in 60 Seconds and Speed. Local high schools, particularly Long Beach Polytechnic High School and Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo High School (a primary location for Glee), are frequently used. The city's ability to be anywhere has made it a go-to backlot for the entertainment industry.

Notable people

For a list of individuals who have called this place home, see the main article: List of people from Long Beach, California.

Sister cities

Long Beach maintains sister city relationships with the following municipalities:

Friendship cities

The city also has friendship city ties with: