Long Beach, CA
| U.S. News Ratings | |
| Population: | 474,932 |
| Crime: | High |
| Cost of Living: | High |
| Health Care: | Comprehensive |
| Housing Price: | High |
| Income: | Low |
Even if you've never visited, you've probably seen Long Beach. This Southern California coastal city 22 miles south of Los Angeles has served as the backdrop for a number of well-known movies, including Casablanca, Speed, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Lethal Weapon. A mecca for sun worshipers, Long Beach enjoys year-round sunshine and mild temperatures.
This city of 472,494 is named for its 51/2 miles of sandy beaches that line the Pacific (a paved bike path spanning much of the length offers easy access). The area was first settled in 1784 as part of a massive Spanish land grant, but the city itself didn't take shape until the mid-1800s. In 1882, developer William Willmore dubbed the seaside town Willmore City, but residents renamed it Long Beach six years later. A major earthquake in 1933 caused many unreinforced buildings and schools to collapse, destroying much of the city. Today, downtown Long Beach is dotted with many earthquake-resistant and art deco-style buildings.
Popular tourist attractions include the Aquarium of the Pacific, home to more than 12,000 ocean creatures, and the Queen Mary, a historic ocean liner that was used as a troopship in World War II. The Queen Mary, which has been docked in Long Beach for more than 40 years, is open to the public for tours, overnight stays, and dining in three ocean-view restaurants.
The Museum of Latin American Art focuses on the city's Spanish roots and exhibits contemporary art from Mexico, Central America, and South America. For an art experience with an ocean view, visitors flock to the Long Beach Museum of Art, which is perched atop bluffs overlooking the Pacific. Long Beach also has a symphony orchestra, an opera, a performing arts center, and an international city theater.
More than 200,000 racing fans come each year to see cars whiz through the city's streets in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Distance runners can tackle the International City Bank Marathon race course, roughly 80 percent of which runs alongside the water. During the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Long Beach hosted four events: yachting, volleyball, fencing, and archery. The city also has hosted the U.S. Olympic Team swimming trials and the finish of the AMGEN Tour of California, a professional bicycle race.
Colleges in Long Beach include California State University–Long Beach, Long Beach City College, and a campus of DeVry University.
Major hospitals in Long Beach include Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, St. Mary Medical Center, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, and Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Long Beach residents can print out a discount prescription drug card that makes them eligible for savings of up to 75 percent at participating national and regional pharmacies.
Long Beach has the second-busiest seaport in the United States. It handles cargo valued at more than $140 billion annually, primarily from China, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan. The port supports more than 30,000 local jobs. Other top employers include the Long Beach Unified School District, Boeing, California State University–Long Beach, the city government, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, and Verizon.
Although housing is considerably less expensive than in nearby Los Angeles, the median home is valued at $344,887.
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