The Beach Cities are:
Manhattan Beach
Hermosa Beach
Redondo Beach
They are part of the South Bay region of Los Angeles County.
You’ll find the Beach Cities south of Los Angeles Airport and north of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. On the west they are bound by the Pacific Ocean.
The attraction for most residents is the weather, lifestyle, excellent schools, proximity to freeways, jobs and LAX and often affordability. Even though Manhattan and Hermosa are two of the most expensive zip codes in the United States, you still get more value there than Westside LA.
Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach, located in the South Bay Beach Cities, is one of the most desirable places to live in coastal Los Angeles County. Homes are also quite expensive even by Southern CA standards and there are more $1M residential properties sold here than anywhere else in CA. In fact, 90266 is the 33rd most expensive zip code in the United States.
Many professional athletes (Lakers, Kings, and Clippers) as well as celebrity movie stars make their home in Manhattan Beach along with successful entrepreneurs, attorneys, doctors and business owners from many industries.
There are many reasons people want to live in Manhattan Beach such as fine restaurants, shopping and the excellent school system. Mira Costa High School, has been ranked in the top 1% of all high schools nationally. There is also easy access to LAX, freeways and that great sandy beachfront. Speaking of which, every August, the city hosts the Manhattan Beach Open Volleyball Tournament and the International Surf Festival.
Downtown Manhattan Beach is considered by locals to be the heart of the city. The area runs along Manhattan Beach Boulevard and the streets perpendicular to the Manhattan Beach Pier and Valley Drive. There are many casual/fine dining restaurants, specialty boutiques and retailers that create a pedestrian friendly, mixed-use downtown center.
Hermosa Beach
The city's beach is popular for sunbathing, beach volleyball, surfing, paddle boarding and bars. The city is only about 15 blocks from east to west and 40 blocks from north to south making it the smallest of the three Beach Cities by far. The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) which is not a highway just a very busy surface street is the main thoroughfare and N-S traffic conduit. Hermosa is the ultimate in laid back beach living with average temperature is 70 degrees most of the year. Westerly ocean breezes lessen what can be high summertime temperatures in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the county and help keep the smog away 360 days of the year. Until a few years ago, almost no one even had A/C. Many homes have roof top decks which are great for entertaining or just taking in the views. A paved path, called The Strand, runs along Hermosa's beach from Torrance Beach in the south approximately twenty miles north to Santa Monica and the Hermosa Beach pier is at the end of Pier Avenue, which is one of the beach community's main shopping, eating and partying areas.
Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach has been one of the hottest coastal markets for the last few years.
Buyers can find properties for sale in many price ranges from entry level condos to multi million dollar ocean view luxury mansions. Sellers have seen substantial price appreciation over the past few years and many are staying in their homes creating an ongoing shortage of listings for sale.
Recently Redondo Beach was voted one of the ten best places to live in California and it is easy to understand why. With great beachfront, top ranked schools, proximity to freeways and jobs, shopping, entertainment, easy access to LAX, fine restaurants and more, Redondo Beach represents the quintessential California lifestyle.
Redondo Beach is comprised of North Redondo Beach 90278 and South Redondo Beach 90277. While both are Redondo Beach home prices are different enough to merit separate treatment of each zip code. The primary difference is that South Redondo Beach has ocean view homes and direct beach access while North Redondo does not. North Redondo Beach is landlocked as it is bound on its western borders by Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach the other two Beach Cities. There are a limited number of homes with mountain and city views.
The dividing line between North and South Redondo Beach is 190th St with North Redondo being north of 190th and South on the other side. PCH refers to Pacific Coast Highway which is not a highway at all although it is a very busy road. Many businesses are located on PCH in South Redondo. South Redondo Beach has a very desirable town center known as Riviera Village. Homes within walking distance to Riviera Village may sell at a premium to similar properties in other parts of town. North Redondo really doesn't have a similar center of focus although there is a business district on Artesia Blvd as well as Aviation.
What North and South Redondo definitely share are the cooling ocean breezes.