Get to know Long Beach, CA

The city of Long Beach lies on the Pacific Coast and is known as the “Aquatic Capital of America.”  The land that is present day Long Beach had been Rancho Los Cerritos before being bought by Jonathan Temple in 1843.  He built the historic Los Cerritos Ranch House and prospered off the cattle ranch he created.  Temple sold his ranch in 1866 to Thomas and Benjamin Flint and their cousin Lewellyn Bixby.  The three men made up the sheep raising firm of Flint, Bixby & Co. and selected Bixby’s brother Jotham to manage the ranch.  Jotham bought into the property and formed the Bixby Land Company.  He is known as the “Father of Long Beach.”  The City of Long Beach was incorporated in 1897.  The town grew as a seaside resort that offered some agricultural land.  Once oil was discovered in 1921, that industry became important to the Long Beach economy, along with the Navy shipyard and the port.  By the 1930’s it was famous as an oil town.  It was the site of the Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942.  Although no planes were ever sighted, anti-aircraft batteries were fired all night after Army Air Corps reports of shells fired from the sea.  The top employers include the Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, and Boeing.  Popular attractions include the Aquarium of the Pacific and the RMS Queen Mary.

Quick Facts

Population: 474,172

Median Household Income: $54,971

Median Property Value: $483,700