- Total (2004) - Density
33°48'15" N118°9'29" W
Long Beach is a city located in southern Los Angeles County, California, on the Pacific coast. It is about about 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown Los Angeles. The Port of Long Beach is one of the busiest sea ports in the world, as well as one of the largest.
As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 461,522. In 2004 its population is estimated to have been increased to 476,564. It is 34th largest city in the nation, 5th in California and 2nd in Los Angeles County (after Los Angeles). Long Beach is also the largest U.S. city that is not a county seat. Long Beach is the largest suburb in the United States and more populated than some central cities of large Metropolitan Area, such as New Orleans, Louisiana (462,269 in 2004) and Cleveland, Ohio (458,684).
According to the 2000 US Census, Long Beach is the most ethnically diverse large city in the United States . For example, Long Beach has the second-largest population of Cambodians outside of Asia (after Paris), and the area along Anaheim St. is sometimes called "Little Phnom Penh". There are also sizable populations of Blacks, Mexicans, Salvadorians and other Central Americans, Filipinos, Vietnamese and other Asians. There is a small population of Pacific Islanders in Long Beach and the surrounding communities, especially Samoans. There is also a significant population of gays and lesbians, with many gay-owned businesses along Broadway, 2nd Street and 4th Street between Downtown Long Beach and Belmont Shore.
The R.M.S. Queen Mary has been located in Long Beach since her retirement in 1967 and now serves as a hotel, convention center, and tourist attraction. The Aquarium of the Pacific, a world-class research facility, is a popular tourist destination.
The Long Beach Grand Prix, an annual Champ Car race, takes place on city streets near the Convention Center and is one of the largest Grand Prix events in the world. The Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Parade & Festival, is the second largest event in Long Beach, and is the third largest Gay Pride Parade in the United States.
Long Beach is the location of the second largest California State University, CSULB, and the headquarters of the California State University system. The city also has a Veterans Affairs hospital.
Signal Hill is an incorporated city surrounded entirely by Long Beach.
Long Beach is located at 33°47' North, 118°10' West, about 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown Los Angeles. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 170.6 km2 (65.9 mi2). 130.6 km2 (50.4 mi2) of it is land and 40.0 km2 (15.4 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 23.42% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 461,522 people, 163,088 households, and 99,646 families residing in the city. The population density is 3,532.8/km2 (9,149.8/mi2). There are 171,632 housing units at an average density of 1,313.8/km2 (3,402.6/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 45.16% White, 14.87% African American, 0.84% Native American, 12.05% Asian, 1.21% Pacific Islander, 20.61% from other races, and 5.27% from two or more races. 35.77% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among its Asian population, Long Beach is home to a large Cambodian community, the second-largest Cambodian community outside of Asia (after Paris).
There are 163,088 households out of which 35.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% are married couples living together, 16.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% are non-families. 29.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.77 and the average family size is 3.55.
In the city the population is spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,270, and the median income for a family is $40,002. Males have a median income of $36,807 versus $31,975 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,040. 22.8% of the population and 19.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 32.7% of those under the age of 18 and 11.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The area was originally occupied by the Tongva people who lived in a rancheria named Tibahangna. Along with other Tongva villages, it disappeared in the mid-1800s.
The Rancho los Cerritos was divided from the larger Rancho Los Nietos, which had been granted by the King of Spain to a mulatto soldier, Manuel Nieto. Rancho Los Cerritos was bought in 1843 by John Temple, a Yankee who had come to California in 1827. Soon after he built what is now known as the "Los Cerritos Ranch House," an adobe which still stands and is a National Historic Landmark. Temple created a thriving cattle ranch and prospered, becoming the wealthiest man in Los Angeles County. Both Temple and his ranch house played important local roles in the Mexican American War.
Meanwhile, on an island in the San Pedro Bay, Mormon pioneers made an abortive attempt to establish a colony (as part of Brigham Young's plan to establish a continuous chain of settlements from the Pacific to Salt Lake).
In 1866 Temple sold Rancho Los Cerritos to the firm of Flint, Bixby & Co, which consisted of brothers Thomas and Benjamin Flint and their cousin Lewellyn Bixby, for $20,000. Later that year the company selected Lewellyn's brother Jotham Bixby, the "Father of Long Beach", to manage their southern ranch, and three years later Jotham bought into the property and would later form the Bixby Land Company. It was during this period that the Rancho Los Cerritos was converted to sheep ranching. In the 1870s as many as 30,000 sheep were kept at the ranch and sheared twice yearly to provide wool for trade. In 1880, Bixby sold 4,000 acres (16 km2) of the Rancho Los Cerritos to William E. Willmore, who subdivided it in hopes of creating a farm community, Willmore City. He failed and was bought out by the "Long Beach Land and Water Company." They changed the name of the community to "Long Beach", which was incorporated as a city in 1888. When Bixby died in 1916 the remaining 3,500 acres (14 km2) of Rancho Los Cerritos was subdivided into the neighborhoods of Bixby Knolls, California Heights, North Long Beach and part of the city of Signal Hill.
The town grew as a seaside resort (The Pike was one of the most famous beachside amusement parks on the West coast from 1910 until the 1960's) and then as an oil, Navy, and port town. The town was once referred to as "Iowa by the sea," due to a large influx of people from that state and other states in the Midwest. Huge picnics for each state were a popular annual event in Long Beach until the 1960s.
The Long Beach earthquake of 1933 was a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that caused significant damage to the city and surrounding areas. Most of the damage occurred in unreinforced masonry buildings, especially schools. One hundred twenty people died in this earthquake.
Long Beach used to have a sizable Japanese-American population mostly working in the fish canneries on Terminal Island and small truck farms in the area, but with intermarriage and other factors, it is now less than 1% of the population of Long Beach. There is still a Japanese Community Center and a Japanese Buddhist Church in Long Beach.
Source:
LongBeachCA.com
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