Westside, Long Beach, California
Encyclopedia
West Long Beach is a working-class neighborhood in Long Beach
, California
.
It is the westernmost part of Long Beach, separated from the rest of the city by the Long Beach Freeway (Interstate 710) and the Los Angeles River
. Its boundaries are the Los Angeles River to the east, Interstate 405
to the north, Anaheim Street to the south, and Los Angeles
and Carson
to the west.
The largest industry in the area is the combined Ports of Long Beach
and Los Angeles
. There is also a large Shell Oil refinery
in nearby Wilmington and the massive Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) on the neighborhood's western edge. The neighborhood is a mix of older residential housing, apartments and townhouses, and industrial buildings. The primary thoroughfare is Santa Fe Avenue, which runs north to south through the center of the neighborhood. The neighborhood has three official parks, including Silverado Park
. In 2010 a renewed 12.39 acre park, named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd
, was completed next to Cabrillo High School.
The neighborhood was historically a working-class neighborhood due to its proximity to the Port of Long Beach and the large Shell Oil refinery in nearby Wilmington. A large U.S. navy housing complex once stood in the neighborhood, on Santa Fe Avenue near Pacific Coast Highway (Cabrillo High School
now stands on the site). Like many neighborhoods with largely working-class populations, de-industrialization in the 1970s took its toll, and the neighborhood was largely poor by the early 1980s. A local neighborhood group, the West Long Beach Association, was founded in 1997 to improve the living conditions in the neighborhood. While conditions have improved in the early 2000s, the neighborhood is still one of the poorest in Long Beach. , residents in West Long Beach had no access to banking services. There has been and continues to be heavy gang activity and a high rate of violent crime in the neighborhood, and large portions of the neighborhood are under gang injunctions directed at the West Side Longos gang and Rollin 80's West Coast Crip Gang, as well as home to other local gangs such as Sons of Samoa Samoan gang, Westside Islanders Guamanian/Filipino gang, and Long Beach Satanas Filipino gang, and the West Side Longo.
According to the 2000 US Census, there were 35,637 residents of the 90810 ZIP code
, which is nearly coterminous with West Long Beach. In terms of race and ethnicity, the neighborhood's population was roughly 23.8% Caucasian, 16.4% African American, 0.8% American Indian, 23.2% Asian, 3.1% Pacific Islander, 27.2% other races, and 5.5% two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos made up 45.6% of the population.
The area is served by Cabrillo High School
(9–12), Stephens Middle School (6–8), Muir Academy (K–7), Garfield Elementary (K-6) and Hudson School (K-8); all operated by the Long Beach Unified School District. Police service in the area is rendered by the Long Beach Police Department Western Division, which operates a station at Pacific Coast Hwy and Santa Fe.
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
It is the westernmost part of Long Beach, separated from the rest of the city by the Long Beach Freeway (Interstate 710) and the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
. Its boundaries are the Los Angeles River to the east, Interstate 405
Interstate 405 (California)
Interstate 405 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in Southern California. It is a bypass of Interstate 5, running along the western areas of the Greater Los Angeles Area from Irvine in the south to near San Fernando in the north...
to the north, Anaheim Street to the south, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Carson
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
to the west.
The largest industry in the area is the combined Ports of Long Beach
Port of Long Beach
The Port of Long Beach, also known as Long Beach’s Harbor Department, is the 2nd busiest container port in the USA. It adjoins the separate Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for U.S.-Asian trade, the port occupies of land with of waterfront in the city of Long Beach, California...
and Los Angeles
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
. There is also a large Shell Oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
in nearby Wilmington and the massive Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) on the neighborhood's western edge. The neighborhood is a mix of older residential housing, apartments and townhouses, and industrial buildings. The primary thoroughfare is Santa Fe Avenue, which runs north to south through the center of the neighborhood. The neighborhood has three official parks, including Silverado Park
Silverado Park, Long Beach, California
Silverado Park is a city-operated park of in the West-Side area of Long Beach, California. It was built in the 1930s under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration....
. In 2010 a renewed 12.39 acre park, named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd
Isaac C. Kidd
Isaac Campbell Kidd was an American Rear Admiral in the United States Navy who was killed on the bridge of the during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the father of Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, Jr.. He was a posthumous recipient of his nation's highest military honor — the Medal of...
, was completed next to Cabrillo High School.
The neighborhood was historically a working-class neighborhood due to its proximity to the Port of Long Beach and the large Shell Oil refinery in nearby Wilmington. A large U.S. navy housing complex once stood in the neighborhood, on Santa Fe Avenue near Pacific Coast Highway (Cabrillo High School
Cabrillo High School (Long Beach, California)
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo High School is one of the latest schools to be built in Long Beach, California. The school is a part of the Long Beach Unified School District.-History:...
now stands on the site). Like many neighborhoods with largely working-class populations, de-industrialization in the 1970s took its toll, and the neighborhood was largely poor by the early 1980s. A local neighborhood group, the West Long Beach Association, was founded in 1997 to improve the living conditions in the neighborhood. While conditions have improved in the early 2000s, the neighborhood is still one of the poorest in Long Beach. , residents in West Long Beach had no access to banking services. There has been and continues to be heavy gang activity and a high rate of violent crime in the neighborhood, and large portions of the neighborhood are under gang injunctions directed at the West Side Longos gang and Rollin 80's West Coast Crip Gang, as well as home to other local gangs such as Sons of Samoa Samoan gang, Westside Islanders Guamanian/Filipino gang, and Long Beach Satanas Filipino gang, and the West Side Longo.
According to the 2000 US Census, there were 35,637 residents of the 90810 ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
, which is nearly coterminous with West Long Beach. In terms of race and ethnicity, the neighborhood's population was roughly 23.8% Caucasian, 16.4% African American, 0.8% American Indian, 23.2% Asian, 3.1% Pacific Islander, 27.2% other races, and 5.5% two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos made up 45.6% of the population.
The area is served by Cabrillo High School
Cabrillo High School (Long Beach, California)
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo High School is one of the latest schools to be built in Long Beach, California. The school is a part of the Long Beach Unified School District.-History:...
(9–12), Stephens Middle School (6–8), Muir Academy (K–7), Garfield Elementary (K-6) and Hudson School (K-8); all operated by the Long Beach Unified School District. Police service in the area is rendered by the Long Beach Police Department Western Division, which operates a station at Pacific Coast Hwy and Santa Fe.