Loading AI tools
City in California, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022.[11] A charter city,[3] Long Beach is the 7th-most populous city in California, the 2nd-most populous city in Los Angeles County, and the largest city in California that is not a county seat.
Long Beach, California | |
---|---|
Nickname: "Aquatic Capital of America"[1] | |
Motto: "The International City" | |
Coordinates: 33°46′6″N 118°11′44″W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Los Angeles |
CSA | Los Angeles-Long Beach |
MSA | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim |
Incorporated | December 13, 1897[2] |
Government | |
• Type | Council-manager[3] |
• Mayor | Rex Richardson[4] |
• Vice Mayor | Cindy Allen |
• Legislative body | City Council[5] |
• City manager | Tom Modica[6] |
Area | |
• City | 80.35 sq mi (208.10 km2) |
• Land | 50.70 sq mi (131.32 km2) |
• Water | 29.64 sq mi (76.77 km2) 2.22% |
Elevation | 52 ft (16 m) |
Population | |
• City | 466,742 |
• Rank | 44th in the United States 7th in California |
• Density | 9,205.96/sq mi (3,554.23/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-08:00 (Pacific) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-07:00 (PDT) |
ZIP Codes[10] | 90801–90810, 90813–90815, 90822, 90831–90835, 90840, 90842, 90844, 90846–90848, 90853, 90895, 90899 |
Area code | 562 |
FIPS code | 06-43000 |
GNIS feature IDs | 1652747, 2410866 |
Website | www |
Incorporated in 1897, Long Beach lies in Southern California, in the southern part of Los Angeles County.[12] Long Beach is approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of downtown Los Angeles, and is part of the Gateway Cities region. The Port of Long Beach is the second busiest container port in the United States and is among the world's largest shipping ports.[13] The city is over an oilfield with minor wells both directly beneath the city as well as offshore.
The city is known for its waterfront attractions, including the permanently docked RMS Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific. Long Beach also hosts the Grand Prix of Long Beach, an IndyCar race and the Long Beach Pride Festival and Parade. California State University, Long Beach, one of the largest universities in California by enrollment, is within the city.
Indigenous people have lived in coastal Southern California for over 10,000 years, and several successive cultures have inhabited the present-day area of Long Beach. By the 16th-century arrival of Spanish explorers, the dominant group was the Tongva, who had established at least three major settlements within the present-day city. Tevaaxa'anga was an inland settlement near the Los Angeles River, while Ahwaanga and Povuu'nga were coastal villages.[14] Povuu'nga was particularly important to the Tongva, not only as a regional trading center and hub for fishermen,[15] but for its deep ceremonial significance, being understood as their place of emergence as a people from which their lives began.[16]
In 1784, the Spanish Empire's King Carlos III granted Rancho Los Nietos to Spanish soldier Manuel Nieto. The Rancho Los Cerritos and Rancho Los Alamitos were divided from this territory. The boundary between the two ranchos ran through the center of Signal Hill on a southwest to northeast diagonal. A portion of western Long Beach was originally part of the Rancho San Pedro. Its boundaries were in dispute for years, due to flooding changing the Los Angeles River boundary between Rancho San Pedro and Rancho Los Nietos.
By 1805, what had been the major Tongva village of Puvunga was thoroughly depleted of villagers, most of whom were brought to Mission San Gabriel for conversion and as a labor force.[15][17] Many villagers died at the mission, which had a high rate of death, particularly among children,[18] attributed to many factors like diseases that spread quickly in the close quarters of the mission's walls, as well as torture, malnourishment, and overworking.[19]
In 1843, Juan Temple bought Rancho Los Cerritos, having arrived in California in 1827 from New England. He built what is now known as the "Los Cerritos Ranch House", a still-standing adobe which 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. 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).
Following the U.S. Conquest of California, Temple had his Rancho Los Cerritos deeded to him by the Public Land Commission. In 1866, Temple sold Rancho Los Cerritos for $20,000 to the Northern California sheep-raising firm of Flint, Bixby & Company, which consisted of brothers Thomas and Benjamin Flint and their cousin Llewellyn Bixby. Two years previous Flint, Bixby & Co had also purchased along with Northern California associate James Irvine, three ranchos which would later become the city that bears Irvine's name. To manage Rancho Los Cerritos, the company selected Llewellyn's brother Jotham Bixby, the "Father of Long Beach". Three years later, Bixby bought into the property and would later form the Bixby Land Company. 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 a Los Angeles syndicate that called itself the "Long Beach Land and Water Company". They changed the name of the community to Long Beach at that time.
The City of Long Beach was officially incorporated in 1897. The town grew as a seaside resort with light agricultural uses.[20] The Pike was the most famous beachside amusement zone on the West Coast from 1902 until 1969; it offered bathers food, games and rides, such at the Sky Wheel dual Ferris wheel and Cyclone Racer roller coaster. Gradually the oil industry, Navy shipyard and facilities and port became the mainstays of the city. In the 1950s it was referred to as "Iowa by the sea", due to a large influx of people from that and other Midwestern states. Huge picnics for migrants from each state were a popular annual event in Long Beach until the 1960s. Another Bixby cousin, John W. Bixby, was influential in the city. After first working for his cousins at Los Cerritos, J.W. Bixby leased land at Rancho Los Alamitos. He put together a group: banker I.W. Hellman, Llewellyn and Jotham Bixby, and him, to purchase the rancho. In addition to bringing innovative farming methods to the Alamitos (which under Abel Stearns in the late 1850s and early 1860s was once the largest cattle ranch in the US), J.W. Bixby began the development of the oceanfront property near the city's picturesque bluffs. Under the name Alamitos Land Company, J.W. Bixby named the streets and laid out the parks of his new city. This area would include Belmont Heights, Belmont Shore and Naples; it soon became a thriving community of its own. J.W. Bixby died in 1888 of apparent appendicitis. The Rancho Los Alamitos property was split up, with Hellman getting the southern third, Jotham and Llewellyn, the northern third, and J.W. Bixby's widow and heirs keeping the central third. The Alamitos townsite was kept as a separate entity, but at first, it was primarily run by Llewellyn and Jotham Bixby, although I.W, Hellman (who had the largest single share) had a significant veto power, an influence made even stronger as the J.W. Bixby heirs began to side with Hellman more and more.
When Jotham 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, Los Cerritos, North Long Beach and part of the city of Signal Hill.
Pine Avenue near 4th became the center of a large shopping district. Besides upscale Buffums (1912; expanded 1926),[21] in 1929 alone Barker Brothers, the Hugh A. Marti Co., and Wise Company and Famous department stores built large new stores,[22][23] Walker's (1933), and nearby at American and 5th, Sears (1928) and Montgomery Ward (1929). It would remain popular until suburban malls sprung up starting in the 1950s. (see also: History of Retail in Southern California)
Oil was discovered in 1921 on Signal Hill, which split off as a separately incorporated city shortly afterward. The discovery of the Long Beach Oil Field, brought in by the gusher at the Alamitos oil well #1, made Long Beach a major oil producer; in the 1920s the field was the most productive in the world.[24] In 1932, the even larger Wilmington Oil Field, fourth-largest in the United States, and which is mostly in Long Beach, was developed, contributing to the city's fame in the 1930s as an oil town.[25][26]
The M6.4 1933 Long Beach earthquake caused significant damage to the city and surrounding areas, killing a total of 120 people. Most of the damage occurred in unreinforced masonry buildings, especially schools. Pacific Bible Seminary (now known as Hope International University) was forced to move classes out of First Christian Church of Long Beach and into a small local home due to damage.[27]
The Ford Motor Company built a factory called Long Beach Assembly at the then address in 1929 as "700 Henry Ford Avenue, Long Beach" where the factory began building the Ford Model A. Production of Ford vehicles continued after the war until 1960, when the plant was closed due to a fire,[29] and January 1991 when the factory was demolished partially due to air quality remediation efforts. Ford had earlier opened a factory in Los Angeles at 12th Street and Olive, with a later factory built at East Seventh Street and Santa Fe Avenue after 1914.[30]
Come 1938, the creation of Housing Authorities for both the City and County of Los Angeles were complete — and North Long Beach was to be home to the County Authority's first order of business: the Carmelitos Housing Project, Southern California's first affordable housing complex.[26]
Long Beach, as a port city, had a relationship with the U.S. Navy even before the war.[31] The city was part of the Battle of Los Angeles during World War II when observers for the United States Army Air Forces reported shells being fired from the sea. Anti-aircraft batteries fired into the night sky, although no planes were ever sighted.
Long Beach's population grew substantially during and after the war, with workers being needed for wartime manufacturing and G.I. bill recipients seeking out homes in California.[31] Suburbs were built by the Bixby land companies and others.[31]
Douglas Aircraft Company's largest facility was its Long Beach plant, totaling 1,422,350 square feet (132,141 m2). The first plane rolled out the door on December 23, 1941. The plant produced C-47 Skytrain transports, B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, and A-20 Havoc attack bombers simultaneously. Douglas merged with the McDonnell Aircraft Company in 1967 where the Douglas DC-8 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 were built. In 1997 McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing, which made C-17 Globemaster transport planes in Long Beach until the closure of the manufacturing facility in 2015.[32][33]
Long Beach also saw an instance of the Chicano(a) movement in 1968.[34]
Long Beach is about 21 miles (34 km) south of downtown Los Angeles. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 80.35 square miles (208.1 km2), of which 50.70 square miles (131.3 km2) is land and 29.64 square miles (76.8 km2) (36.8%) is water. Long Beach completely surrounds the city of Signal Hill.
Long Beach has a climate that can either be described as a hot semi-arid climate or a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. In general, the city features hot summers and mild to warm winters with occasional rainfall. Days in Long Beach are mostly sunny, as in Southern California in general. Temperatures recorded at the weather station at the Long Beach Airport, 4.0 miles (6.4 km) inland from the ocean, range more greatly than those along the immediate coast. During the summer months, low clouds and fog occur frequently, developing overnight and blanketing the area on many mornings. This fog usually clears by the afternoon, and a westerly sea breeze often develops, keeping temperatures mild. Heat and high humidity can sometimes coincide in summer, which may cause discomfort due to the heat index.[35]
According to data analysis provided by the NWS, The annual average temperature of Long Beach is 64.9 °F (18.3 °C), of which August is the hottest month with an average temperature of 74.3 °F (23.5 °C), while December is the coldest month with an average temperature of 56.7 °F (13.7 °C).[36] In terms of temperature, Long Beach and other California cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have the hottest month of the year usually in August and the coolest month in December. Long Beach has 23 days of afternoon temperatures above 90 °F (32.2 °C) each year, and about two days a year are above 100 °F (37.8 °C).[37]
Long Beach's location directly east of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, paired with its south facing coastline, results in the city sometimes experiencing different weather patterns than the Los Angeles metropolitan area coastal communities to the northwest and southeast of Long Beach, which largely have west facing coastlines. The 1200 ft Palos Verdes hills block west to east airflow and a significant amount of the coastal moisture that marks other coastal cities, such as Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, and Newport Beach.
As in most locations in Southern California, most rainfall in Long Beach occurs during the winter months. Storms can bring heavy rainfall.[38] The annual precipitation in Long Beach is 12.02 inches (305.3 mm), of which the precipitation from December to March of the following year accounts for 81% of the whole year.[36] June to September is usually rainless, especially August.[37]
Climate data for Long Beach, California (Long Beach Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1958–present | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 93 (34) |
92 (33) |
98 (37) |
105 (41) |
104 (40) |
109 (43) |
109 (43) |
105 (41) |
111 (44) |
111 (44) |
101 (38) |
92 (33) |
111 (44) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 83.1 (28.4) |
82.4 (28.0) |
84.9 (29.4) |
89.4 (31.9) |
89.4 (31.9) |
89.4 (31.9) |
93.0 (33.9) |
95.9 (35.5) |
99.7 (37.6) |
95.5 (35.3) |
89.4 (31.9) |
80.1 (26.7) |
102.1 (38.9) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 67.4 (19.7) |
66.8 (19.3) |
68.6 (20.3) |
71.4 (21.9) |
73.1 (22.8) |
76.1 (24.5) |
81.4 (27.4) |
83.2 (28.4) |
82.4 (28.0) |
77.7 (25.4) |
72.5 (22.5) |
66.7 (19.3) |
73.9 (23.3) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 57.1 (13.9) |
57.6 (14.2) |
59.9 (15.5) |
62.7 (17.1) |
65.5 (18.6) |
68.7 (20.4) |
73.1 (22.8) |
74.3 (23.5) |
73.1 (22.8) |
68.4 (20.2) |
62.0 (16.7) |
56.7 (13.7) |
64.9 (18.3) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 46.9 (8.3) |
48.4 (9.1) |
51.2 (10.7) |
53.9 (12.2) |
57.9 (14.4) |
61.3 (16.3) |
64.9 (18.3) |
65.5 (18.6) |
63.9 (17.7) |
59.1 (15.1) |
51.6 (10.9) |
46.6 (8.1) |
55.9 (13.3) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 38.7 (3.7) |
40.2 (4.6) |
43.4 (6.3) |
47.2 (8.4) |
52.6 (11.4) |
56.8 (13.8) |
60.7 (15.9) |
61.2 (16.2) |
58.3 (14.6) |
51.8 (11.0) |
43.2 (6.2) |
37.9 (3.3) |
36.4 (2.4) |
Record low °F (°C) | 25 (−4) |
33 (1) |
33 (1) |
38 (3) |
40 (4) |
47 (8) |
51 (11) |
55 (13) |
50 (10) |
39 (4) |
34 (1) |
28 (−2) |
25 (−4) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.89 (73) |
3.02 (77) |
1.65 (42) |
0.56 (14) |
0.26 (6.6) |
0.07 (1.8) |
0.05 (1.3) |
0.01 (0.25) |
0.08 (2.0) |
0.53 (13) |
0.75 (19) |
2.15 (55) |
12.02 (305) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.0 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 5.2 | 35.0 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 64.7 | 66.9 | 67.2 | 65.4 | 68.2 | 69.6 | 68.3 | 68.5 | 69.2 | 67.6 | 67.1 | 66.2 | 67.4 |
Average dew point °F (°C) | 41.4 (5.2) |
43.9 (6.6) |
45.3 (7.4) |
47.1 (8.4) |
52.0 (11.1) |
55.6 (13.1) |
59.2 (15.1) |
60.6 (15.9) |
58.8 (14.9) |
53.4 (11.9) |
46.9 (8.3) |
42.1 (5.6) |
50.5 (10.3) |
Source 1: NOAA (dew points and relative humidity 1961–1990)[36][39] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: National Weather Service[37] |
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
See or edit raw graph data.
Long Beach is composed of many different neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods are named after thoroughfares, while others are named for nearby parks, schools, or city features.
Long Beach suffers from some of the worst air pollution in the entire United States.[40] Most of the city is in proximity to the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the prevailing westerly-to-west-south-westerly winds bring a large portion of the twin ports' air pollution directly into Long Beach before dispersing it northward then eastward.[41] Heavy pollution sources at the ports include the ships themselves, which burn high-sulfur, high-soot-producing bunker fuel to maintain internal electrical power while docked, as well as heavy diesel pollution from drayage trucks at the ports, and short-haul tractor-trailer trucks ferrying cargo from the ports to inland warehousing, rail yards, and shipping centers. Long-term average levels of toxic air pollutants (and the corresponding carcinogenic risk they create) can be two to three times higher in and around Long Beach, and in downwind areas to the east, than in other parts of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, such as the Westside, San Fernando Valley, or San Gabriel Valley.[42] While overall regional pollution in the Los Angeles metropolitan area has declined in the last decade, pollution levels remain dangerously high in much of Long Beach due to the port pollution, with diesel exhaust from ships, trains, and trucks as the largest sources.[43]
Additionally, Long Beach is directly downwind of several of the South Bay oil refineries. Any refinery process or chemical upset that results in the atmospheric release of refinery by-products (commonly sulfur dioxide)[44][45] will usually impact air quality in Long Beach due to the west-south-westerly prevailing wind.[41]
Similarly, the water quality in the Long Beach portion of San Pedro Bay, which is enclosed by the Federal Breakwater, commonly ranks among the poorest on the entire West Coast during rainy periods. Long Beach beaches average a D or F grade on beach water quality during rainy periods in the Beach Report Card published by Heal the Bay.[46] However, during dry periods the water may have an A or B rating in the same reports. The Los Angeles River discharges directly into the Long Beach side of San Pedro Bay, meaning a large portion of all the urban runoff from the entire Los Angeles metropolitan area pours directly into the harbor water. This runoff contains most of the debris, garbage, chemical pollutants, and biological pathogens washed into storm drains in every upstream city each time it rains. Because the breakwater prevents tidal flushing and wave action, these pollutants build up in the harbor. The water enclosed by the breakwater, along most of the city's beaches, can be subject to red tides due to this stagnation as well. Because of these factors, the water in Long Beach is sometimes unsafe for swimming, up to weeks each year.[46]
The area has historically included several ecological communities, with coastal scrub dominating.[47]
The top five countries of origin for Long Beach's immigrants are Mexico, the Philippines, Cambodia, El Salvador and Vietnam.[48] The most common foreign languages spoken in Long Beach are Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog.[49] There is a Mexican American/Chicano community in Long Beach.[50] Cambodian people and Hmong Americans also settled in Long Beach.[51]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 564 | — | |
1900 | 2,252 | 299.3% | |
1910 | 17,809 | 690.8% | |
1920 | 55,593 | 212.2% | |
1930 | 142,032 | 155.5% | |
1940 | 164,271 | 15.7% | |
1950 | 250,767 | 52.7% | |
1960 | 334,168 | 33.3% | |
1970 | 358,879 | 7.4% | |
1980 | 361,498 | 0.7% | |
1990 | 429,433 | 18.8% | |
2000 | 461,522 | 7.5% | |
2010 | 462,257 | 0.2% | |
2020 | 466,742 | 1.0% | |
2023 (est.) | 458,222 | [52] | −1.8% |
U.S. Decennial Census[53] 2010–2020[9] |
Historical Demographic profile | 2019[54] | 2010[55] | 1990[56] | 1970[56] | 1950[56] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
White | 52.3% | 46.1% | 58.4% | 91.8% | 97.4% |
—Non-Hispanic | 28.4% | 29.4% | 49.5% | 86.2% | N/A |
Black or African American | 11.3% | 13.5% | 13.7% | 5.3% | 1.7% |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 43.2% | 40.8% | 23.6% | 6.0% | N/A |
Asian | 11.8% | 12.9% | 13.6% | 1.9% | 0.7% |
As of the 2022[update] American Community Survey estimates, there were 451,319 people and 170,965 households.[57][58] The population density was 8,906.7 inhabitants per square mile (3,438.9/km2). There were 181,251 housing units at an average density of 3,576.9 per square mile (1,381.0/km2).[57][59][60] The racial makeup of the city was 34.6% White, 20.1% some other race, 12.5% Asian, 11.8% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American or Alaskan Native, and 1.0% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, with 18.2% from two or more races.[57] Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 44.0% of the population.[57]
Of the 170,965 households, 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.9% had seniors 65 years or older living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 9.7% were couples cohabitating, 22.3% had a male householder with no partner present, and 32.5% had a female householder with no partner present.[58] The median household size was 2.57 and the median family size was 3.34.[58]
The age distribution was 20.0% under 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36.7 years.[61] For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males.[57]
The median income for a household was $80,493, with family households having a median income of $96,970 and non-family households $56,245. The per capita income was $41,896.[62][63] Out of the 443,634 people with a determined poverty status, 13.8% were below the poverty line. Further, 17.9% of minors and 16.2% of seniors were below the poverty line.[64]
In the survey, residents self-identified with various ethnic ancestries. People of German descent made up 6.0% of the population of the town, followed by English at 5.2%, Irish at 5.0%, Italian at 3.1%, American at 1.8%, Polish at 1.3%, French at 1.1%, Scottish at 1.1%, Sub-Saharan African at 0.8%, Swedish at 0.7%, Greek at 0.6%, Scotch-Irish at 0.6%, Caribbean (excluding Hispanics) at 0.6%, Russian at 0.5%, Dutch at 0.5%, Danish at 0.5%, and Norwegian at 0.5%.[58]
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[65] | Pop 2010[66] | Pop 2020[67] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 152,899 | 135,698 | 121,970 | 33.13% | 29.36% | 26.13% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 66,836 | 59,925 | 55,894 | 14.48% | 12.96% | 11.98% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 1,772 | 1,349 | 1,119 | 0.38% | 0.29% | 0.24% |
Asian alone (NH) | 54,937 | 58,268 | 59,308 | 11.90% | 12.61% | 12.71% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 5,392 | 4,915 | 3,937 | 1.17% | 1.06% | 0.84% |
Other race alone (NH) | 1,013 | 1,118 | 2,736 | 0.22% | 0.24% | 0.59% |
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 13,581 | 12,572 | 19,781 | 2.94% | 2.72% | 4.24% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 165,092 | 188,412 | 201,997 | 35.77% | 40.76% | 43.28% |
Total | 461,522 | 462,257 | 466,742 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The 2010 United States Census[68] reported that Long Beach had a population of 462,257.[55] The population density was 9,191.3 inhabitants per square mile (3,548.8/km2). The racial makeup of Long Beach was 213,066 (46.1%) White, 62,603 (13.5%) Black or African American, 3,458 (0.7%) Native American, 59,496 (12.9%) Asian (4.5% Filipino, 3.9% Cambodian, 0.9% Vietnamese, 0.6% Chinese, 0.6% Japanese, 0.4% Indian, 0.4% Korean, 0.2% Thai, 0.1% Laotian, 0.1% Hmong), 5,253 (1.1%) Pacific Islander (0.8% Samoan, 0.1% Guamanian, 0.1% Tongan), 93,930 (20.3%) from other races, and 24,451 (5.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 188,412 persons (40.8%). 32.9% of the city's population was of Mexican heritage.[69] Non-Hispanic Whites were 29.4% of the population in 2010,[55] down from 86.2% in 1970.[56]
The ethnic Cambodian population of approximately 20,000 is the largest outside of Asia.[70]
The Census reported 453,980 people (98.2% of the population) lived in households, 5,321 (1.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 2,956 (0.6%) were institutionalized.[69]
There were 163,531 households, out of which 58,073 (35.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 61,850 (37.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 26,781 (16.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 10,598 (6.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 12,106 (7.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 3,277 (2.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. Of the households, 46,536 (28.5%) were made up of individuals, and 11,775 (7.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78. There were 99,229 families (60.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.52.
The age distribution of the city was as follows: 115,143 people (24.9%) were under the age of 18, 54,163 people (11.7%) aged 18 to 24, 140,910 people (30.5%) aged 25 to 44, 109,206 people (23.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 42,835 people (9.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
There were 176,032 dwelling units at an average density of 3,422.2 per square mile (1,321.3/km2), of which 67,949 (41.6%) were owner-occupied, and 95,582 (58.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%. 195,254 people (42.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 258,726 people (56.0%) lived in rental housing units.
During 2009–2013, Long Beach had a median household income of $52,711, with 20.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[55]
As of 2014, the population of Long Beach was 473,577.
As of the census[71] of 2000, there were 461,522 people, 163,088 households, and 99,646 families residing in the city. The population density was 9,149.8 inhabitants per square mile (3,532.8 inhabitants/km2). There were 171,632 dwelling units at an average density of 3,402.6 per square mile (1,313.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 45.2% White, 14.9% Black or African American (U.S. Census), 0.8% Native American, 12.1% Asian, 1.2% Pacific Islander, 20.6% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 35.8% of the population.
The city has changed since the 1950s, when its population was predominantly European-American and the city was nicknamed "Iowa by the Sea" or "Iowa under Palm Trees" as it had a slower pace than neighboring Los Angeles. In 1950, whites represented 97.4% of Long Beach's population.[72] Since the second half of the 20th century, the city has been a major port of entry for Asian and Latin American immigrants headed to Los Angeles. The Harbor section of downtown Long Beach was once home to people of Dutch, Greek, Italian, Maltese, Portuguese and Spanish ancestry, most of them employed in manufacturing and fish canneries until the 1960s.
According to a report by USA Today in 2000, Long Beach is the most ethnically diverse large city in the United States.[73] It has a relatively high proportion of Pacific Islanders (over 1% as of the 2000 Census), from Samoa and Tonga. Most American Indians, about 0.8% of the city's population, arrived during the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs urban relocation programs in the 1950s.
Long Beach once had a sizable Japanese American population, which largely worked in the fish canneries on Terminal Island and on small truck farms in the area. In 1942, not long after the Attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent Japanese declaration of war on the United States and the British Empire, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued United States Executive Order 9066 which allowed military commanders to designate areas "from which any or all persons may be excluded". Under this order, all Japanese and Americans of Japanese ancestry were categorically removed from Western coastal regions and sent to internment camps, without regard for due process.[74]
24,000 Jews live in Long Beach. Jews are concentrated in Rossmor, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, and Lakewood in the Greater Long Beach area.[75]
As of the 2000 census, there were 163,088 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. Of all households, 29.6% were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.55.
In the city, 29.2% of the population was 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% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,270, and the median income for a family was $40,002. Males had a median income of $36,807 versus $31,975 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,040. About 19.3% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.7% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over. In 2008, the Census Bureau showed the number of people living below the poverty line had dropped to 18.2%.[76]
The most commonly reported ancestries of Long Beach residents were Mexican (28.1%) and German (5.5%), according to the 2000 census. Mexico (51.0%) and the Philippines (10.3%) were the most common foreign places of birth.[77]
In 2022, the Long Beach's point-in-time Homeless Count counted 3,296 homeless individuals in the city.[78]
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
2015 | 2,345 | — |
2017 | 1,863 | −20.6% |
2019 | 1,894 | +1.7% |
2020 | 2,034 | +7.4% |
2022 | 3,296 | +62.0% |
Source: Long Beach Homeless Count |
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2007) |
The economic base has changed over the years. Oil extraction created a boom and continues to fund portions of the city budget.[79] Long Beach was a Navy town for many years before the base closed.[80] The aerospace industry played an important role. Douglas Aircraft Company (later McDonnell Douglas and now part of Boeing) had plants at the Long Beach Airport where they built aircraft for World War II, and later built DC-8s, DC-9s, DC-10s, and MD-11s. Boeing built the Boeing 717 until 2006 and the C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter until 2015, the plants were leased by Mercedes-Benz and Relativity Space.[81][82][83] Even after greatly reducing the number of local employees in recent years, Boeing is still the largest private employer in the city. Polar Air Cargo, an international cargo airline, was formerly based in Long Beach. TABC, Inc., a part of Toyota, makes a variety of car parts, including steering columns and catalytic converters, in Long Beach.
Epson America, Inc. the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, is headquartered in Long Beach.[84] Pioneer Electronics, the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Pioneer Corporation, is also headquartered in Long Beach along with SCAN Health Plan, a non-profit "Medicare Advantage" HMO for seniors. Molina Healthcare, Inc., a Medicaid management healthcare program, is headquartered in Long Beach. The real estate company HCP is based in Long Beach. Jesse James' West Coast Choppers custom motorcycle shop was in Long Beach, and much of the Monster Garage cable TV show was shot in Long Beach. Long Beach Green Business Association is an organization working to create economic growth through the promotion of green business and promoting a buy local program for Long Beach.[85] The North American subsidiary of video game developer and publisher Spike Chunsoft is headquartered in a building adjacent to the Long Beach Airport.
The Long Beach Accelerator was founded in 2019 as a public-private partnership between the city of Long Beach, Sunstone Management, and California State University, Long Beach, with the aim of growing the presence of diverse technology entrepreneurs in the city.[86]