What Are The 6 Best Neighborhoods In Long Beach, California?

Look to Long Beach, California for diverse and distinct neighborhoods, and of course, a sunny climate with beach access. Long Beach encompasses more than 30 distinct neighborhoods. With so many options, it can be hard for newcomers and seasoned residents alike to choose a part of the city to call home.

Long Beach draws people with its many beach neighborhoods. Naples, Belmont Shore, and the East Village Arts District mix beach life with other fantastic amenities. However, Long Beach has some other fantastic neighborhoods not on the beach that are worth a second look.

Read on to learn about some of the best and most popular neighborhoods for all lifestyles, budgets, and interests.

Bixby Knolls is a delightful neighborhood in itself, but its transportation access is a key selling point. This is the best Long Beach neighborhood for those who need to frequently go to Los Angeles.

The neighborhood is ideally located on the Metro Blue Line that goes into LA. For households with one foot in LA and the other in Long Beach, Bixby Knolls provides a great compromise as it also has an easy commute into downtown Long Beach, and of course, to the beach.

In this part of town, you will find a variety of homes, allowing for actual income diversity here. Condos, townhomes, apartments, and single-family homes are all available. Homes sale from the sub $500,000 range up to $3 million.

Bixby Knolls residents can visit Atlantic Avenue for shops and restaurants, and the ample parks and walking paths bring a nice quality of life to the neighborhood.

You will notice many streets, parks, restaurants, and even neighborhoods with ‘Bixby’ in the name. The Bixby family had a major impact on the development of Long Beach. The land that Bixby Knolls is on was formerly part of a Bixby ranch.

Los Cerritos Elementary school ranks highly. The middle and high schools rank less favorably.

For those who picture Long Beach as an ocean scene with bustling public areas full of rollerbladers and a day in the sun, Naples is the perfect fit. Naples is the best beach neighborhood in Long Beach. Actually, to call it a beach neighborhood is a bit of an understatement; it is actually three islands within Alamitos Bay.

You will get a really unique lifestyle in Naples, in part because of the public canals running through it. You can paddle through the canals or have a gondolier do the paddling on a rentable gondola.

Homes are expensive here; no surprise given the very small amount of land in this very desirable neighborhood. You’ll find predominantly single-family homes, and the median sale price is $1.2 million.

Shops, restaurants, and nightlife on Second Avenue give the islands an insular feeling, but a quick jaunt across one of the three bridges will take you to all Long Beach has to offer.

Young people looking for spas, shops, dining, and the beach all in one neighborhood will appreciate Belmont Shore. Belmont Shore is the best neighborhood in Long Beach for young professionals.

This neighborhood is the mainland equivalent to Naples. In fact, just cross the bridge from Belmont shore, and you are in Naples. Home prices remain high in this neighborhood, with the median price being about $1 million. Keep in mind though, that Belmont Shore has a variety of housing – from apartments to luxurious, beachfront single-family homes.

The high housing averages should not scare you away from Belmont Shore if you are in the market for a condo or a one-bedroom house. This is especially true if you are willing to take a property further from the beach.

Several small business offices have popped up in Belmont Shore, making it a great place to live and work if you can time it right. Otherwise, it offers the amenities and conveniences that you would expect in the suburbs, only it is very, very walkable. And a lot more fun than the suburbs.

If culture, diversity, and emphasis on the arts are important for you, the East Village Arts District would be a good fit. It is the best neighborhood for art lovers.

This neighborhood is in the southeast portion of downtown and people love it for the murals; small, unusual shops; artisan restaurants, and the overall vibe of vibrant diversity. Essentially, it has everything a stereotypical hipster would want: independent restaurants and coffee shops; record stores; and boutiques. The East Village Arts District really appeals to people from all walks of life though; you will also find art galleries and tons of restored older buildings, all with a small-town feel.

Housing options are across the board in this neighborhood. From lofts to cottages, they’re in the East Village Arts District. Small studio condos average about $300,000, and modest single-family homes will range from $500,000 to $1 million and more.

Carson Park is the neighborhood with the best high school. Long Beach has several highly rated elementary schools spread across the city. McBride High School stands out as the best high school in Long Beach, and it is in Carson Park.

McBride High School ranks as the 77th best high school in California, the 31st best in the Los Angeles metro area, and number 2 in the Long Beach Unified School District. The number one school in the Long Beach district is actually in Carson, California, rather than in Long Beach.

McBride High surpasses district and state math and reading test scores and features a diverse student body. Your younger children also have great options from several highly rated elementary schools in the neighborhood.

Families moving to Carson Park for the high school will find somewhat cohesive single-family homes across the neighborhood. A majority were built by GIs returning from World War II in the 1940s through 1960s.

Carson Park must be easy to love when you’re there; the average length of household occupancy is 26 years! Whether you plan to live there for 26, or just until your kids finish school, know that you are trading close beach access for tree-lined streets.

If you are willing to step away from the beach for a more peaceful lifestyle, Lakewood Village may be the right fit. Lakewood Village is the best neighborhood in Long Beach with a suburban feel.

While most of America loves to mock the suburbs, some people prefer the quieter lifestyle with a little more space. While many suburbs lure people with less expensive homes, Lakewood Village is firmly city in that regard. Much like the rest of Long Beach, homes range from $500,000 to $1 million.

Lakewood Village offers some amenities harder to find by the beach. Two golf courses are nearby, and so are several parks. You’ll find two main shopping centers, as well as a small campus for the Long Beach City College liberal arts campus.