The City of Long Beach profile is difficult to define, and that’s one of its strengths. With ocean beaches and a clean Alamitos Bay (rated A+ by Health The Bay during Spring and Summers), it’s also an industrial and shipping superpower. It’s a beach city with 6 core prominent shopping neighborhoods near the coast and which are home to an eclectic mix of businesses, retail concepts, art, history and appeal.
The large and popular Belmont Shore is a prototypical California beach environment with trendy restaurants, retail and fitness. The there’s Retro 2nd and PCH, Retro Row on 4th Street, LBX and The Hangar in Douglas Park, the East Village Arts District and Bixby Knolls. Its diversity is a powerful driver for growth.
In the past, the institutional money back East and in New York did not invest or develop in Long Beach because they did not understand or recognize our city and its vastly promising growth dynamics, but that has changed. Over 4,000 rental units downtown were built over the past eight years, and an additional 3,000 for rent units are in planning, approved or under construction. Additionally with California’s Housing Affordability Act, 25,000 dwelling units throughout all of Long Beach are mandated to be constructed over the next eight years. Clearly Long Beach is thriving market and powerful financial anchor for the entire Greater Los Angeles economy.
As the other SoCal beach cities become more and more prohibitively expensive places to own and live, Long Beach is becoming more and more attractive than ever. It’s one of the few cities on the beautiful Southern California Pacific Ocean coastline.