Many distinct neighborhoods can be found in Long Beach, each fostering a sense of pride and ownership for its residents. On a recent walk through the Belmont Shore area I took a detour into the Peninsula, the first time in about a decade that I had been in that neighborhood. Many houses I remembered from before had been replaced with much larger beachside mansions, recalling those of Manhattan Beach’s Sand Section. While I missed seeing some of those former neighborhood landmarks, I was excited to encounter these new additions. Indeed, the Peninsula neighborhood has changed over the years to become one of the most exclusive beach communities in Los Angeles County.
The geography of the Peninsula holds the key to many of its desirable characteristics. Nestled within the southeast corner of Long Beach, along the oceanside border of Los Angeles and Orange County, the neighborhood shares more with Orange County beach communities like Sunset Beach and Seal Beach than it does with Long Beach ocean-facing neighborhoods like Bluff Park and Alamitos Beach. The Peninsula’s connection with the water is unmistakable. The neighborhood is long and slender, three quarters of a mile long but never more than a fifth that wide. This narrow profile means that every home has a view of either Alamitos Bay or the Pacific Ocean.
Indeed, the Peninsula’s connection to the water is more salient than its connection to the rest of Long Beach; the peninsula area includes a marina as well as over a mile of beach and boat centers offering a variety of aquatic activities. On the other hand, by road the neighborhood is accessible only via Ocean Boulevard, separated from Belmont Shore by a quarter mile of sand and asphalt. This relative isolation creates a sense of exclusivity that normally can be attained only by the less subtle methods of gated communities.
The diversity of architectural styles in this neighborhood may be greater than any other in Long Beach, ranging from California bungalows of the 1920s to contemporary Polynesian styles (the execution of which is cooler than one might imagine). The common thread linking these styles is a near-exclusive focus on attaining an optimal view of the water. Most homes in the neighborhood have garages in back, accessible via an alley. This frees up the ground floor of these homes facing the street for living spaces. Most homes in the neighborhood are built on lots only thirty feet wide, save a few more recent homes built on combined lots. This provides for a fairly active sidewalks, particularly on weekends: at such times, it is not unusual to find many residents relaxing in living rooms with large windows, or on an expansive front porch.
The remarkable variety of public spaces makes this neighborhood particularly interesting. This ranges from the medians of Ocean Boulevard to boardwalks, beaches, narrow side-streets, a small marina, a recreational park at one end of the neighborhood, and a small passive park at the other. One would be hard-pressed to find a community better conceived for outdoor lifestyles.
However, perhaps the most interesting aspect of this neighborhood is how residents have taken ownership of the public realm. At the end of almost every side street from Balboa Place to Seventy-First Place, one finds small gardens with a range of functions and aesthetics. Many of these gardens are filled with native plants; others feature succulents, while still others feel almost like Zen gardens. Some of these side streets end with functional spaces; one is filled with playground equipment, while another has a place for dogs, complete with a secure perimeter and gates.
Taking ownership of the public domain in this manner reflects a pride in one’s community characteristic of flourishing neighborhoods. Beautiful homes are typically the most recognizable feature of such neighborhoods, but just as crucial is how residents make use of public places. While the Peninsula area has many characteristics of a fine neighborhood, from its connection to the outdoors to the grandeur of its homes, what makes it great is the way in which residents have adopted the public realm.
Great treatment for palm trees
Variety of plantings
Place for a picnic
Enclosed space for a dog pee-patch
Changing the path
