Long Beach

Understand

Long Beach is a large coastal and port city in Southern California. It is situated at the very southeastern edge of Los Angeles County, bordering both the city of Los Angeles and Orange County, in a region known as the Gateway Cities.

With a population of 467,000 as of 2020, it is the second-largest city in greater Los Angeles as well as the seventh-largest city in the state of California.

Long Beach is not quite as historic as Pasadena or Old Los Angeles, but it received its share of "the folks" from Iowa. It was incorporated December 13, 1897 and had over 100,000 residents by the late 1920s.

Long Beach is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse cities in America. It has large percentages of Latinos and whites (non-Hispanic), as well as very sizeable percentages of blacks (non-Hispanic) and Asians. Whites disproportionately reside on the shore and East Long Beach, while Latinos, Asians and Black disproportionately reside in North and Downtown Long Beach.

You may hear different people say different things about Long Beach, either wonderful or horrible things. This is because the city has quite a large population, with a density rate greater than that of nearby Los Angeles. Therefore, like other large cities, Long Beach encompasses everything, such as large industrial areas, struggling neighborhoods, quiet middle-class communities and exclusive neighborhoods.

The area code for Long Beach is 562. For emergency services, dial 911 from any phone.

Climate

Neighborhoods

• The high-rise commercial and governmental area of Long Beach, centered on 1st and Pine, is Downtown Long Beach. The convention center, arena, Pike and City Place malls and several hotels are located here.
• East of Long Beach Blvd in Downtown is the East Village, Long Beach's arts district
• Shoreline Village, also known as the Rainbow Harbor, is located along Shoreline Drive, the Southernmost part of Downtown. The Aquarium is located there, as is a retail development and a couple of lighthouses
• Beachside east of Redondo is the Belmont Shore. Besides a pier and some of the city's best beaches, there are lots of trendy bars and restaurants along 2nd Street, although this area has had a crime wave in the early 2020s.
• North of the 405 and West of the airport are the Bixby Knolls, California Heights and Los Cerritos neighborhoods. Originally part of Rancho Los Cerritos and centered on an historic 1844 ranch house, the area was bought by the Bixby Company in the late 19th century and became a residential neighborhood in the 1920s.
• The Broadway Corridor, east of downtown between Shoreline and Junipero, is Long Beach's gayborhood.
• Northeast of downtown, the area around Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero Avenues has been designated Cambodia Town, home to the largest Cambodian community in the United States
• The area east of the airport and the traffic circle, north of Cal State Long Beach is Long Beach's Eastside, mostly postwar suburban residential neighborhoods built to serve workers of the Douglas Aircraft plant
• El Dorado Regional Park is in this area, and the residential neighborhoods surrounding it are referred to as El Dorado Park as well
• Lakewood Village is around Lakewood Blvd, north of the airport and abutting the city of Lakewood
• Los Altos is a postwar suburban neighborhood immediately north of the University
• Between Lakewood Village and Los Altos is the Plaza neighborhood
• East of Alamitos Bay and south of Cal State Long Beach is the SEADIP or Marina area, consisting of fairly new housing developments and a couple of trendy shopping malls
• Naples is located on islands in Alamitos Bay, accessible by 2nd Street. This is a fancy Italian-style neighborhood, complete with canals and gondolas
• North Long Beach is a working-class, residential district of the city, north of Del Amo Blvd and the Union Pacific Railway. It is traditionally the center of Long Beach's African-American community, though has gained a Latino community as well in the early 2020s.
• The Port of Long Beach is west and South of Downtown Long Beach. Much of this district is devoted to heavy container shipping, but the Queen Mary and the cruise terminals are also located there
• Retro Row, also known as the 4th Street Corridor, located on 4th Street east of Walnut Avenue, is known for its trendy clothing boutiques, hipster bars and coffee shops, and theaters. Just south of Retro Row are the Carroll Park and Bluff Heights historic districts
• The Rose Park and Zaferia neighborhoods are located east of Downtown, near Recreation Park along what used to be Pacific Electric's rail line to Newport Beach, developed in the 1920s. They are now increasingly becoming Latino neighborhoods.
• West Long Beach is a working-class, residential and industrial district, west of the 710 Freeway and the Los Angeles
• Between Downtown and the 405, around the Memorial Medical Center and the Willow and PCH A line stations, is the Wrigley neighborhood. This is another one of Long Beach's traditionally African-American neighborhoods; several of its residents have gone on to athletic careers at Poly High and beyond.
• The cities of Signal Hill and Lakewood are separate cities, but are frequently lumped in with Long Beach. The name "Lakewood" has become synonymous with postwar suburbs and shopping malls. Signal Hill used to be known for its oil drilling, but post-1980 growth has turned it into a diverse community of over 11,000 residents.

Tourist information

• Visit Long Beach website

Get in

By plane

Out of the five airports in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Long Beach can easily be reached from three: Long Beach Airport (LGB), within the city; Los Angeles International (LAX), 22 miles (35 km) away; and John Wayne (SNA), 23 miles (37 km) away in Santa Ana. All three lie adjacent to Interstate 405. The other two airport options are Burbank (BUR), 37 miles (60 km) away; and Ontario (ONT), 53 miles (85 km) away. LGB is the most convenient to use location-wise and, being a smaller airport, provides less hassle; however, LAX offers more frequent service, service from more destinations, and better fares. Long Beach Airport is limited to around 40 daily flights, the vast majority of which are provided by carrier Southwest as of 2020.

Go Long Beach Airport (LGB)

Airport is primarily served by Southwest Airlines from multiple cities across the U.S. It also served by Delta Connection (Salt Lake City) and Hawaiian (Honolulu & Kahului (Maui)).

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Rental cars are available for hire at the airport, which is best for (local/regional) travel in Southern California. Long Beach Yellow Cab +1 562-435-6111 is another option, approximate fares to downtown hotels $30-40 one-way. Long Beach Transit Route 111 bus (Broadway/Lakewood) connects the airport to downtown Long Beach and to Metro's A Line train at the downtown Transit Mall. It runs south to downtown hourly from LGB. To find the bus stop, follow the taxi signs, walk one block beyond the taxi lineup, and turn right. Be sure to ask if the bus goes downtown, since both northbound and southbound Route 111 buses use this one bus stop at LGB.

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): is the nearest airport for travel with multiple US and foreign airlines to more destinations in the US and around the world. Travelers can take the 111 bus from LGB to downtown Long Beach Transit Center. Take Metro's "A Line (blue)" train from downtown Long Beach to the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station. Transfer to the westbound "C Line (green)" train to the LAX/Aviation Station which is connected to the airline terminals by the "G (Green) Line/Metro C Line" shuttle bus. The LAX Flyaway bus no longer go to Long Beach.
• John Wayne Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, Orange County: City buses are limited in getting across longer distances into Orange County as it will require multiple transfers. Renting a car (as you will probably need anyway) or Mickey's Space Ship Shuttle (+1 714-642-5399) are better options in getting into Orange County. This airport and LAX are about equal distances from Long Beach (albeit, in different directions) and although busy, it is somewhat less busier than LAX for a little less airport hassle.

By rail

Long Beach is linked via the Metro Line (formerly the Blue Line) to Downtown Los Angeles with connections to Hollywood, Union Station, Universal Studios, Pasadena, and East L.A. among other locations.

Amtrak and Metrolink service Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. Fare is $1.75 and requires a TAP card, which can be purchased at any Metro station for $1. The A Line goes through some inner city locations (such as Watts and Compton) and there are not dedicated security guards on all the trains, so it may be discomforting to take the A Line late at night.

By ship

Carnival Cruise Line has a home port at the new Long Beach Cruise Terminal, next to the Queen Mary dock. Cruises return to this port from Baja California and the Mexican Riviera. Others begin or end trips through the Panama Canal destined for or having left major ports in the southern or eastern U.S. In season, some may go to or return from points North, e.g., Alaska. When cruise ships are docked, they receive service from many taxi companies, as well as various shuttle services (noted for LAX above) to and from local airports and select hotels and popular destinations.

A ferry to Catalina Island also operates from Long Beach.

By car

• From the west (LAX, Santa Monica) or from Orange County, take the San Diego (405) freeway. Connect to the southbound Long Beach freeway (710) if your destination is downtown Long Beach. The 405 is the closest freeway to the Long Beach Airport and to the neighborhoods north and east of downtown.
• From the north, the Long Beach freeway (710) runs along the western city boundary, with exits into downtown, and the San Gabriel Freeway (605) along the eastern boundary, past El Dorado Park. The 710 can be quite crowded as it is one of the busiest freight truck corridors in the country, and portions of it fog over.
• From the coastal areas of Orange County, a scenic and convenient route is Pacific Coast Highway (Rte 1), which enters Long Beach from the southeast. PCH also is the best connection to some of the South Bay communities, such as Lomita.
• From central Orange County, take the Garden Grove Freeway (22) to the 405, exiting at the 22/7th Street or one of the 405's other exits in Long Beach.
• The 7th Street exit from the 405/605 interchange is the most convenient exit to Cal State Long Beach, the Marina, or the Belmont Shore
• From northern Orange County or the Inland Empire, take the Riverside (91) freeway to the 605, Lakewood Blvd, Cherry Avenue, or the 710. The 91 runs along the city's farthest northwestern reaches.
• From San Pedro, take the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which more or less becomes the 710, then take Pico Avenue/Downtown, staying in the left lanes for Downtown Long Beach.

By bus

The majority of the intercity bus stations and stops for the greater Los Angeles area are located in "Skid Row" east of downtown Los Angeles, downtown Union Station, El Monte, Huntington Park and/or east L.A. (along Olympic Blvd but can be elsewhere too). To a lesser extent some also have stops in Hollywood and North Hollywood as well. The following offer direct service to Long Beach:

By public transit from Orange County

There are several ways to get to Long Beach from Orange County if you don't or can't rent a car. The most direct way is to take Orange County Transit Authority's Route 50 bus servicing Katella Avenue, which passes between Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center. The western terminus of this route is California State University-Long Beach (CSULB). If you are in the Beach Cities, take Route 1 servicing the Pacific Coast Highway and also terminating at CSULB. Some trips on Route 60 (Westminster Avenue/17th Street) terminate at CSULA.

Get around

By car

A car is the most convenient way to get around Long Beach. Most areas of Long Beach have free parking but be aware that much of Downtown Long Beach and the shoreline have pay parking lots. Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and National all have car rentals at the Long Beach airport. Enterprise has several other car rental locations around the city; Avis and Thifty have non-airport locations as well.

Major east-west streets (starting from the south) are Ocean Blvd, 2nd Street, Broadway, 4th Street, 7th Street, Anaheim Street, Pacific Coast Highway, Willow Street, Spring Street, Wardlow Road, Carson Street, Del Amo Blvd, South Street and Artesia Blvd

Major north-south streets (starting from the west) are Santa Fe Avenue, Pacific Avenue, Long Beach Blvd, Atlantic Avenue, Orange Avenue, Cherry Avenue, Redondo Avenue, Lakewood Blvd, Ximeno Avenue, Bellflower Blvd and Studebaker Road

One of the tricker traffic points in Long Beach is the Los Alamitos Traffic Circle, where Pacific Coast Hwy (SR 1), Lakewood Blvd (SR 19) and several other streets meet at a complicated roundabout.

By public transit

The free bright red Passport buses serves the Long Beach downtown and waterfront attractions.

There are several transit agencies with bus routes in Long Beach.

Learn

Long Beach is home to two major learning facilities, a California State University campus and a Community Junior College.

Place California State University Long Beach (CSULB)

CSULB offer a wide range of bachelor's degrees, as well as master's degrees in Anthropology, Fine Arts, Business, and Science. One of the specialities of the campus is International Business.

📍 1250 Bellflower Blvd☎ +1 562-985-4111

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Go next

• Catalina Island -Catalina Express, (800) 481-3470 - High-speed boat service
• Baja California - Carnival Cruise Lines - Long Beach is the home port for the ships "Ecstasy" and "Elation." Carnival built a terminal next to the Queen Mary. Cruises leave from this port to Baja and the Mexican Riviera.
• Los Angeles - Metro Blue Line - (800) 371-5465 - travels to downtown Los Angeles. Additionally, transferring to the Red Line will lead you to Hollywood.
• Disneyland - Travel east on Willow Street until it crosses into Orange County and becomes Katella Avenue - will be to the left side of the road.