Recreation - 3/3/2009

Overall a nice place to live, but expensive, and very busy!

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Crime in long beach - 9/23/2008

Crime in Long Beach make tihs a difficult city to raise children.

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Long Beach - 6/9/2008

Long Beach is just too expensive for the average person. Housing is in a good part of town is astronomical. I am a teacher and owning a home here is just a dream for me. I can barely afford the rent. $1900 for a 2 bedroom. Have to pay a lot just to live in a safe area. Schools are great....district has a great rep. in SoCal. Enrollment is declining though because so many young families are leaving SoCal and CA altogether because of the cost of living. Crime and gangs are a problem. Very multicultural city, can't beat the diversity of the people and attractions. So many things to do ....that is one of the great things about LB.

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Quality of life - 1/1/2008

The cost of living has become astronomical on an average budget. The main reason I want to leave is the overcrowding. The population in Long Beach alone increases each year, and the mix of cultures is great, but no one seems to have any manners anymore. The weather cannot be beat. It is temperate most of the time, but the people outweigh the climate for me.

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Airport - 8/17/2007

We live right under the airport. The plane traffic is getting worse by the day. We now want to move. I would like better air quality and less noise.

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Long Beach - 7/23/2007

Long Beach is ok. They have been renovating the downtown area so it is looking better, however, they have a long way to go!

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we're fleeing Long Beach! - 12/9/2006

unfortunately, this place is too crowded and expensive for most people to own a home - even with the real estate market 'crashing'. My husband and I are both public school teachers, with small businesses on the side, and we can't afford to buy a home here. We're taking our skills and moving on - unfortunately, a lot of good teachers are, too.

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curious - 8/14/2006

I use to live in Long Beach for 3 years..and loved it except for the parking issues, and the occasional "hostage" situations on my block, at the time my 11 year old daughter was attending an OC school,But I am considering moving back to LB from Portland Oregon, I use to live near 2nd/Falcon in the Alamitos Beach area..it seemed like a safe gay neighborhood..I loved it..BUT if now I am confused where is a good area, especially since I am moving there with a section 8 voucher...I am concerned about a decent apartment in a decent area of LB and how bout middle schools? or jobs? help me..and advice is great!

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Maggie - 8/6/2006

Long Beach has some very nice (expensive) areas and very poor areas. Lots of traffic, tremendous influx of illegal immigrants (like most of So. Calif). In fact, beginning to look a lot like Mexico. Housing is very expensive.

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Long Beach - 7/22/2006

Long Beach is "OK" - I am looking for a different location to retire, however.

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Parking Spaces in Long Beach - 7/20/2006

Long Beach needs to work on making more parking spaces for the residents in Long Beach. More apartments need to have valid parking spaces or licensed street parking for residents only. This is a big issue in Long Beach that the majority of everyone that resides here wishes the city would work on and fix.

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More on Long Beach - 7/14/2006

More things I wanted to mention that I forgot in my last post: The downtown area of the city has recently been refurbished, attracting a lot of businesses that cater to both tourists and residents alike (like restaurants and shops). The Aquarium of the Pacific is a great place to visit and take kids. Shoreline Village is a fun place on the water to browse, shop and eat. I worked in downtown Long Beach over 10 years ago, and one thing that remains is the panhandlers. Some of them can get pretty aggressive, especially if you refuse to give them any money! And I must concede that it is expensive to live here, as in every major California city--I believe in San Diego it's called the "Sunshine Tax." It definitely takes two incomes to even qualify to purchase a townhome or condo in this area, and renting a one-bedroom apartment in a nicer area of town will run about $900-$1,000 a month. Just something for anyone out of state reading this to consider if you're looking at Long Beach and surrounding areas as possible areas to relocate to.

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Mark - 7/13/2006

Wonderful climate. I like to walk/hike, and I can do this year around. The same can be said for sailing.

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Very Expensive. - 7/11/2006

We have moved to Long Beach 6 years ago. We have been very lucky. We have moved 3 times. Currently we are living in a house worth 1.1 mill and no place to go.

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Long Beach area jobs - 7/9/2006

I have to agree with many of the positive comments others have posted regarding Long Beach. For a coastal Southern California, it's relatively reasonably priced in terms of housing. Lots of things to see and do in the city, lots of diverse neighborhoods, each with its own character. As one person stated, there are good and bad areas of town---it seems that the nicer, safer neighborhoods are in the eastern part of the city, near Orange County. Lots of ethnic diversity adds to the unique character of Long Beach. However, my one big complaint about Long Beach is in the area of decent-paying, skilled jobs. There used to be a lot of good job offerings in the area, but it seems many of the companies doing business in Long Beach are moving to Orange County cities, such as Costa Mesa and Irvine. As a result, lots of Long Beach-area residents have to commute long distances for work in horribly gridlocked traffic, especially the 405 going south. (Been there, done that!) Fortunately for me, I was able to find a job close to home, but the downside is that it doesn't pay as well as my last job in Irvine. With Boeing closing down its last aircraft assembly plant, that many more people in this area will be out of a job, and may be forced to look out of the area for something with comparable pay and benefits. This can be an enjoyable place to live if one weighs all the positive and negative aspects, and makes decisions accordingly.

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expensive - 6/25/2006

very expenive place to live and taxes are high and crime rate is high

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California Distinguished Schools - 6/21/2006

10 elementary schools in Long Beach were rated as "California Distinguished Schools"for 2006 by the California Dept. Of Education. Good Job LB!

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Pleasant city - 6/19/2006

Temperate climat, many water sport venues, vibrant ethnic restaurants, Theaters, cinemas, shopping, University, and colleges. Real Estate prices have significantly shot up in the last three years. Average three bedrooms + two baths house in a so so neighborhood sells for $650,000.

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EXCELLENT BEACH CITY - 6/14/2006

Long Beach is one of the most diverse communities in Southern California. A wonderful place to raise children. So many things to do. The neighborhoods do vary in terms of style and feel. Check out Bixby Knolls and Lakewood Village for architecture and style! Los Altos for a down to earth style. For the most part, LB is a safe and progressive city. For a city by the water, the prices are reasonable. Also, Long Beach boasts great schools. Check out the Blue Ribbon school list, and you'll see several in Long Beach. Can't say enough about this city. I could choose to live in a depressing and overpriced Los Angeles or a homogenous beach city like Manhattan Beach...but Long Beach offers a genuine, culturally rich, & laid back california style.

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Long Beach, CA is a great place to live - 4/27/2006

I live in a beach district community in Long Beach and I love it. I always have a hard time convincing those who are not familiar with the city that it's not a "scary" place to live. I believe it is the cheapest beach city in CA to live in and I think that's quite a bargain!

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