463,218
Population
Sunny Days: 287
71100 Affordability
89100 Schools
66100 Diversity
73100 Safety
If you wanna find me, come to Long Beach
213 is where I be, off of Long beach
-Snoop Dogg
Long Beach, California
The LBC
The Best Thing About Long Beach?
The Coast
What did you expect? Located along the beautiful SoCal coast, Long Beach’s beaches and public parks are the ideal settings for the city’s dependable highs of 85 and lows of 65. Warm, without the humidity of the Great Lakes or the stormy weather of the Southeast Coast, Long Beach might be the top destination for those looking for a long day at the beach (bad pun, I know). For those looking for more in a city than just the beach, being less than 30 miles from Los Angeles and Anaheim, the home of Disneyland, certainly doesn’t hurt.
Here's the pov of a local on Long Beach:
The city is very unpretentious and the people are down to earth. There are a lot of great parks and green spaces, lots of neighborhood shopping areas from Second St. in Belmont Shore to Bixby Knolls to 4th Street Retro Row to Pine Ave downtown.
It is conveniently located to Orange County and the City of Los Angeles, so it is a favorite with commuters. It’s a California Beach town so home prices and rent prices are high compared with much of the country but it is a bargain compared to Los Angeles and much of Orange County.
The Worst Thing About Long Beach?
No Clouds, More Crowds
Good luck finding a parking spot. The downside that comes from being somewhere everyone wants to be is that, well, everybody wants to be there. From droves of tourist crowds to sizable homeless populations, current Long Beach residents complain about the number of people consistently flooding into the city from all walks of life. If sharing is caring, then future Long Beach residents should be prepared to do a whole lot of caring for non-residents looking for the same lifestyle they are.
A note from a local about parking and apartment amenities:
If you have a car you need to make sure you have parking. I know you mentioned the larger luxury complexes where parking is included but be sure to ask if it is not abundantly clear. Speaking of luxury complexes - there was an amenities arms race and the pandemic shut a lot of that stuff down without an adjustment to rent. The complex I’m in has not reopened most amenities and has not communicated any plans to do so - ask about this!
Lifestyle Of Long Beach
Long Beach is one of if not the most affordable big cities in California. There are stunning neighborhoods with fabulous homes and plenty of affordable beach apartments and condos. Belmont Shore is a wonderful stretch of coffee shops, restaurants, boutique stores, and locals and tourists enjoying the beach and the people-watching. Almost every weekend there is a festival or big-name concert and pretty much whatever you’re looking for: beach lifestyle, downtown party-scene, or luxury living are all here.
If you want to see the happenings in Long Beach check out the calendar of events:
https://www.visitlongbeach.com/events/
Workstyle Of Long Beach
Long Beach has an incredibly diverse employer base. Aviation and aerospace are huge here - ditto healthcare, hospitality, tourism and technology. The Port of Long Beach is a massive driver of the local economy but really a whole range of things make it all work. The SoCal location, warm weather, and quick trips to LA or San Diego via freeway or anywhere else via airports make it a great place to do business. The office structure is split between big suburban office parks and downtown financial and creative class office types. Pre-Covid there were plenty of people living in the burbs and driving to suburban office spaces or living downtown and walking to downtown spots. Everything feels pretty much up for grabs now.
Why You Should Move Here Now?
Work Hard, Play Hard
While most of the attention (understandably) goes to how beautiful this beach city is, the weather isn’t the only thing with a strong forecast. The job market in Long Beach is growing with employers (such as Boeing, Frontier Communications, and California State Long Beach) from diverse industries providing locals potential jobs if your WFH dream falls apart. If on the other hand, you maintain your WFH setup, then Long Beach is not a bad place to work from either.
Living in Long Beach
Neighborhoods in Long Beach
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Belmont Shores
Young Professionals
Belmont Shores is one of the coolest neighborhoods in Long Beach for young professionals (and college students). While it has a mix of urban/suburban living options there are plenty of apartments and condo buildings for those getting their start. Most notably the area has beautiful beaches, lagoons, canals and boardwalks that burst with day and nightlife. This includes a number of great pubs and breweries and perhaps the coolest thing: Rosie’s Dog Beach, a four-acre playground for your furry friends.
- Belmont Shores
- East Village Arts District
- Downtown Long Beach
Naples
DINKs/SINKs
Naples is one of the cooler neighborhoods in Long Beach. Built on three islands and separated by canals it is designed to look and feel like an Italian neighborhood. Beautiful homes line the waterways, along with walking paths to get you around the extremely walkable area. If living by water, and boating, kayaking or even gondola-ing around the area appeals to you then Naples is your spot.
- Naples
- The Waterfront
- Bixby Knolls
Bixby Knolls
Families
Bixby Knolls is in the heart of the city but remains a hotspot for families due to the tree-lined streets, big beautiful home and rating as being one of the safest neighborhoods in the city. It also has an incredible open-air shopping center with tons of boutique shops and great restaurants. It also has several amazing parks including Scherer; which has a pond, dog park, playground, tennis/pickleball courts and a community center. Cherry Avenue park is another draw with baseball and soccer fields, and tennis and volleyball courts.
- Bixby Knolls
- Lakewood Village
- Alamitos Heights