Living in El Segundo, California

El Segundo is the rare L.A. beach-adjacent city that still feels like a town. Tucked just south of LAX and north of Manhattan Beach, the city has an unusual blend of historic neighborhoods, Main Street walkability, coastal living, and legitimately major employers.

It started as a Chevron refinery town and evolved into an aerospace and defense hub, now increasingly resembling a soft-spoken tech cousin to Silicon Beach. Yet despite the growth, El Segundo hasn’t lost its soul. You’ll still see Little League parades down Main Street, families staking out spots at Rec Park’s summer concerts, and neighbors catching up at Blue Butterfly Coffee or on the library lawn during Halloween.

El Segundo doesn’t sprawl — it’s compact, with its own top-ranked school district, its own beach (technically Dockweiler South), its own police and fire departments, and even its own art walks and brewery trail. You can get from the beach to the business park to your front porch in under 10 minutes.

El Segundo’s lifestyle is part small-town Americana, part chill SoCal coast. People here surf in the mornings, work on space satellites by day, then head to youth soccer games at Recreation Park or meet friends at Rock & Brews or El Segundo Brewing Company in the evening.

It’s common to see families walking home from elementary school with scooters in tow or neighbors gathering for Food Truck Thursdays in Library Park. Even as the city adds newer condos and office parks, it holds onto that mid-century, kid-friendly ease, backyard BBQs, block parties, and a shared love of civic pride.

Here’s what locals get up to:

Outdoors: Walk to the beach, bike the Strand, or play at any of the city’s 18 parks. Recreation Park is a central hub with tennis courts, Little League diamonds, basketball, and a senior center. Acacia Park is the hidden gem.

Culture & Community: Main Street is lined with independent cafés, vintage shops, and family-run restaurants (try Sausal or Jame). The El Segundo Museum of Art (ESMoA) blends global art with community engagement, and nearby The Point and Plaza El Segundo bring in more upscale shopping/dining.

Brewery + Coffee Life: El Segundo Brewing Co. is a local legend. Upshift, Blue Butterfly, and HiFi Espresso power the work-from-home crowd.

Fitness & Family Fun: Public pool, city-run aquatics, beach volleyball, youth leagues, yoga studios, and easy access to the Green Belt and coastal trail.

El Segundo Unified School District is a major reason families move here. The district is small, with only five schools, and extremely well regarded for both academics and safety. Many families from nearby Westchester or South Bay relocate here once kids reach kindergarten age.

Top-rated schools include:
-Center Street Elementary 9/10 on GreatSchools
-Richmond Street Elementary — 8/10 on GreatSchools
-El Segundo Middle School — 8/10 on GreatSchools
-El Segundo High School — 8/10 on GreatSchools with a standout sports program and above-average STEM ratings

Also of note: the district offers small class sizes, dual-language options, and strong community funding support. Many graduates go on to UC schools or private colleges across the state and country.