Long Beach NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE

This city of roughly 460,000 people is the southern anchor of Los Angeles county. It's a mixed industrial, commercial, and residential area with several distinct parts: the port here is the second busiest in the United States, downtown is home to office buildings, hotels, and tourist attractions, and beyond are quiet residential streets.

Long Beach has dozens of neighborhoods, ranging from upscale places like Belmont Heights to unique middle class areas like Hellman Historic District to a few parts that are considered undesirable. Local amenities and walkability can vary quite a bit depending on the neighborhood.

Given that its a decent sized city, there is a lot to do here. Its got hundreds of restaurants ranging from taco trucks to fancy restaurants. Nightlife is relatively varied, with cocktail bars, jazz lounges, pubs, dive bars, and music venues providing the 200+ options. Most of the action is located within a half mile of the beach.  

Of the hundred or so schools in Long Beach, about 20 are considered above average in quality and they tend to be clustered around the wealthier neighborhoods here.

Long Beach is bordered on the north by Compton, Paramount, and Lakewood, on the east by Cypress, Rossmoor, and Seal Beach, on the south by the Pacific Ocean, and on the west by Wilmington and Carson.

Commute:
Burbank: 35.7 miles / 60-100 minutes by car / 120 minutes by transit
Century City: 30.6 miles / 60-120 minutes by car / 130 minutes by transit
Downtown LA: 23.2 miles / 40-80 minutes by car / 75-90 minutes by transit
Santa Monica: 30.4 miles / 60-120 minutes by car / 120 minutes by transit