The oldest Long Beach Christmas traditions—just in case you were wondering—date to the era of the Spanish ranchos. On Christmas Eve, the early settlers would gather around a piñata hanging from the ceiling, not a Christmas tree, and take turns using a long stick to smash the clay jar filled with candy and gifts. Afterward, the community would attend Las Posadas (the Pageant of the Holy Family) at the nearby Mission followed by Midnight Mass. When Americans from the East Coas

Bixby Hill Bixby Hill is a gated community located across the street on the east side of California State University, Long Beach. The majority of these homes were built 1966 to 1973 and feature large one to two-story single-family dwellings. More importantly, it is home to Rancho Los Alamitos, which at 7.5 acres is a rare vestige of the original 300,000-acre Los Coyotes land concession given to Manuel Nieto in 1790 for his service on the Gaspar de Portolá expedition to Califo

Willmore, Huntington, Drake, Nieto, Bixby —names you see and hear around Long Beach – the second largest city in the county. So, let’s explore the reasons behind some of the neighborhood names in Long Beach. Neighborhood map available for sale at welovelb.com Belmont Shore One of the more unique communities in Southern California, Belmont Shore’s major development began in 1920, although the area had been a part of the Naples tract that was purchased in 1903 by Henry Hunting

Ever wonder what’s in a Long Beach street name? Like what’s a Woodruff? And what’s the story behind the street no one can spell, or pronounce, for that matter -- is it Ximeno as in X-Zimeno or Hee-may-no Avenue? While not an exhaustive list, here’s what’s behind some of the colorful, creative, wacky, absurd and downright confusing street names you will encounter driving through Long Beach. ¿Qué paso? Long Beach’s Spanish Street Names The year was 1784. A magical year, at