Is California Heights part of Bixby Knolls?

No. They're separate neighborhoods that meet at Bixby Road, with Cal Heights to the south, and they share ZIP 90807. The western blocks of both are informally called Chateau Thierry, after a 1919 flying field at Bixby Road and Long Beach Boulevard.

Which is cheaper, Bixby Knolls or California Heights?

It depends on what you're buying. In September 2026, Bixby Knolls houses were listed at about $860,000 to $1.8 million, while the only two Cal Heights houses for sale were asking $1.1 million and $1.25 million. Cal Heights condos were cheaper, about $340,000 to $450,000 compared with about $500,000, and the Bixby Knolls mobile home park was the cheapest option of all.

Is Bixby Knolls or California Heights better for families?

Bixby Knolls, if you want space. Homes there more often have a yard, a driveway and a garage on a bigger lot, and Scherer Park is at the north end. Cal Heights has quiet, protected streets but modest lots. Both are in Long Beach Unified, and school assignments go by address.

Can you remodel a house in California Heights?

Yes, with city approval. Any exterior change needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, even work that wouldn't need a building permit, and second stories or additions over 250 square feet go to the Cultural Heritage Commission. In Bixby Knolls, exterior work generally follows standard city permits.

Does the Mills Act apply in Bixby Knolls?

Not through a historic district, because Bixby Knolls isn't one. California Heights is, and owners there can apply; the city says new owners usually save 30% to 50% on property tax, and the next application window opens in early January 2027.

Is there airport noise in Bixby Knolls and California Heights?

Yes, on some blocks of both. Small planes using Long Beach Airport, including flight-school traffic, often fly over parts of the two neighborhoods, and the east side is closest to the airport. Visit on a weekday afternoon before you buy.

Can you walk to Atlantic Avenue from California Heights?

Yes. Atlantic Avenue north of Bixby Road is a short walk from most of the district, and the west side is closest. In Bixby Knolls, that stretch of Atlantic runs through the neighborhood.

Which has older houses, Bixby Knolls or California Heights?

California Heights, on average. Most of its houses went up in the late 1920s and 1930s. Bixby Knolls houses date from the 1920s to the 1940s, and almost all of the ones listed in September 2026 were built between 1939 and 1951.

What schools serve Bixby Knolls and California Heights?

Long Beach Unified serves both. Longfellow Elementary and Hughes Middle School are in or near both neighborhoods, but assignments go by address, so check your address in LBUSD's School Finder.

Are Bixby Knolls and California Heights near the Metro?

Yes. Metro A Line trains stop on Long Beach Boulevard, including at Wardlow, a few blocks west of the Cal Heights district, and run to Downtown Long Beach and up to Los Angeles. The 405 and 710 are close to both.

Bixby Knolls vs California Heights, Long Beach

Bixby Knolls or California Heights? The short answer.

Bixby Knolls if you want a bigger lot, Atlantic Avenue right in the neighborhood and fewer rules when you remodel; California Heights if you want an original 1920s or 1930s Spanish revival house on a protected street and don't mind city review. They share ZIP 90807 and meet at Bixby Road. Cal Heights has been a historic district since 1990, so any exterior change needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, and many houses there can qualify for Mills Act tax savings. In September 2026, Bixby Knolls houses were listed at about $860,000 to $1.8 million, while only two Cal Heights houses were for sale, at $1.1 million and $1.25 million.

See them for yourself.

Pale yellow Colonial Revival house with white trim and shutters behind a large shade tree, clipped hedges, red roses and a broad lawn — Bixby KnollsA Colonial home on a wide lawn under an old tree in San Marino, like those in Los Cerritos

Two story white Spanish Revival house with tile roofs, three arches, a wooden balcony and a dry garden in warm low light — California HeightsWarm light on a Spanish Revival house with an arched porch in Los Angeles

Single story ranch house with a shake roof and brick trim, a curving path with low lights across a wide green lawn, and tall trees — Bixby KnollsA ranch style house on a sweeping lawn under tall trees in San Marino

Jacaranda trees covered in purple flowers over a green park lawn scattered with fallen petals, with pines and picnic tables behind — California HeightsJacarandas bloom over the lawns of El Dorado Park in east Long Beach

Two story Colonial Revival house with white columns wrapped in holiday garlands, a big wreath on the balcony and a lawn in morning sun — Bixby KnollsEarly sun on a Colonial Revival house dressed for the holidays in Long Beach

Green Craftsman bungalow with deep eaves, exposed rafters and a wide front porch behind a sunny lawn and flower beds — California HeightsA Craftsman bungalow in Los Angeles, a style also found in California Heights

Live from the MLS

Bixby Knolls vs California Heights by the numbers.

Bixby Knolls asks 26% more than California Heights.

Bixby Knolls$617

California Heights$571

$610Long Beach

Homes for sale in Bixby Knolls are 43% bigger than in California Heights.

Bixby Knolls1,400 sq ft

California Heights979 sq ft

All of Long Beach1,156 sq ft

Listings in California Heights have been on the market 24 days longer than in Bixby Knolls.

The price scale and the gauge run from one end of the Long Beach neighborhoods we cover to the other. Each bar on the price per square foot card is one of them, lowest asking price first. Gray always marks the median for all of Long Beach. Right now Bixby Knolls has 21 homes for sale and California Heights has 14. Asking prices for homes on the market right now inside each mapped area, not sale prices.

Updated October 3, 2026, 7:00 PM PT

Which one fits you?

Bixby Knolls 4California Heights 3

Bixby Knolls

Easier to remodel

Bixby Knolls isn't a historic district, so exterior work generally follows standard city permits. In California Heights, any exterior change needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, even work that wouldn't need a building permit.

California Heights

Historic homes and streets

Cal Heights is Long Beach's largest historic district, with nearly 1,500 homes, and the city protects the vintage streetlights and big street trees along with the houses. Many houses still have their original floors, coved ceilings, tile and built-ins.

California Heights

A possible property tax break

Owners in the district can apply for a Mills Act contract, and the city says new owners usually save 30% to 50% on property tax. Bixby Knolls isn't a historic district, so that isn't an option there.

Bixby Knolls

Bigger lot, yard and garage

Bixby Knolls homes more often come with yards, driveways and detached garages on bigger lots. Cal Heights lots are modest.

Bixby Knolls

More houses to choose from

In September 2026, 12 houses were listed in Bixby Knolls and two in California Heights. Cal Heights houses don't come up often.

California Heights

Cheapest condos

In September 2026, condos in a 1973 complex on Linden Avenue were listed at about $340,000 to $450,000, compared with about $500,000 for Bixby Knolls condos.

Bixby Knolls

Main street in the neighborhood

Atlantic Avenue north of Bixby Road, with its breweries, restaurants and First Fridays, runs through Bixby Knolls. From most of Cal Heights it's a short walk north.

Compare the details.

Two story shingled Craftsman house with deep eaves and exposed beams behind a leafy hedge and a sunlit green lawn

Bixby Knolls

North Long Beach's uptown: 1920s to 1940s houses under big trees, with the breweries on Atlantic a walk away

Median asking $1.1M

See homes Read the Bixby Knolls guide

White stucco Spanish Revival bungalow with a red tile roof, an arched front window, iron window grilles and a green front lawn

California Heights

Long Beach's largest historic district: nearly 1,500 homes, most of them Spanish Colonial Revival, on streets with vintage lampposts

Median asking $870K

See homes Read the California Heights guide

Homes and lots
	Bixby Knolls	California Heights
What it is	Residential neighborhood north of Bixby Road, around Atlantic Avenue	The city's largest historic district, just south of Bixby Road
Era of homes	Custom houses from the 1920s to the 1940s; most listed in Sept 2026 were built between 1939 and 1951	Mostly late 1920s and 1930s
Signature styles	Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor, Craftsman and ranch	Spanish Colonial Revival, with Tudor, Norman Revival and California bungalows
Typical lot	Bigger than in the beach neighborhoods, often with a yard, driveway and detached garage	Modest, on streets lined with big trees
Asking prices (Sept 2026)	Houses about $860K to $1.8M; condos about $500K	Two houses at $1.1M and $1.25M; condos about $340K to $450K; duplexes about $900K to $1.45M
Housing mix	Houses, 1970s condos, duplexes to fourplexes and a mobile home park on Arbor Street	Mostly houses; condos and duplexes toward the west side

Daily life
	Bixby Knolls	California Heights
Atlantic Avenue	Runs through it north of Bixby Road	A short walk north across Bixby Road
School district	LBUSD; Longfellow Elementary and Hughes Middle in or near the neighborhood	LBUSD; Longfellow Elementary and Hughes Middle close by

Rules and risks
	Bixby Knolls	California Heights
Historic district	No; standard city permits	Yes, since 1990; any exterior change needs a Certificate of Appropriateness
Airport noise	Small planes over some blocks, especially on the east side	Small planes over some blocks; the east side is closest to the airport

Why the remodel rules differ

Both came out of the 1921 oil boom, but only Cal Heights is a historic district.

White stucco entry under a tile roof edge with a dark door, terracotta steps with patterned tile risers and a dog resting in the sun — Photo: Jazmin Wong, Unsplash License

Bixby Knolls and California Heights share ZIP 90807 and much of their history. Both were Bixby ranch land, part of the old Rancho Los Cerritos, until the 1921 oil strike on Signal Hill set off a land boom and the Bixby family's company started subdividing. Bixby Road is the line between them, and the western blocks of both still get called Chateau Thierry, after Earl Daugherty's 1919 flying field at Bixby Road and Long Beach Boulevard.

The big difference is in the rules. California Heights became the city's fourth historic district in 1990, after residents petitioned to down-zone it from R-2 back to R-1, and the district was expanded in 2000. Any exterior change there needs a Certificate of Appropriateness. Bixby Knolls isn't one of Long Beach's 18 historic districts, so a period house there can be remodeled with standard permits.

So I'd start with what you plan to do to the house. If you want to open it up, add on or swap the windows without historic review, Bixby Knolls is simpler. If you want the street itself protected, and possibly a lower tax bill, Cal Heights is the better fit.

Houses, lots and asking prices

Bixby Knolls has bigger lots and more houses for sale. In Cal Heights, you're more likely to find original details.

A white Streamline Moderne terminal with a control tower and Long Beach Airport lettering, a yellow taxi at the curb and palms on the right — Photo: Ms ArtGeek (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0

In Bixby Knolls, you'll mostly find custom houses from the 1920s to the 1940s in Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor, Craftsman and ranch styles, on bigger lots with yards, driveways and detached garages. The mix also includes 1970s condos, duplexes and fourplexes, and a mobile home park on Arbor Street where manufactured homes were listed at about $55,000 to $259,000 in September 2026.

California Heights is mostly one-story and story-and-a-half Spanish Colonial Revival houses from the late 1920s and 1930s, with Tudor, Norman Revival and California bungalows mixed in. Lots are modest, but many houses still have their original hardwood floors, coved ceilings, arched doorways, tile and built-ins.

In September 2026, the 12 houses for sale in Bixby Knolls were asking about $860,000 to $1.8 million, and condos about $500,000. California Heights had only two houses listed, at $1.1 million and $1.25 million, with condos on Linden Avenue at about $340,000 to $450,000 and duplexes at about $900,000 to $1.45 million. In Cal Heights, a restored showpiece and a fixer-upper aren't really comparable, and an existing Mills Act contract changes the math.

Bixby Knolls houses: about $860K to $1.8M (Sept 2026)
California Heights houses: two listed, at $1.1M and $1.25M
Cheapest options: Cal Heights condos and the Bixby Knolls mobile home park

Permits, the Mills Act and inspections

Either way you're buying an old house, and in Cal Heights the city also reviews exterior changes.

In California Heights, projects are reviewed under the district's own ordinance and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. Small projects are handled by city staff; second stories and additions over 250 square feet go to the Cultural Heritage Commission. Ask what work the seller did and whether it was approved. The upside is the Mills Act: the city says new owners usually save 30% to 50% on property tax, contracts run on a rolling 10-year term, and the next application window opens in early January 2027 (you have to attend a workshop first).

In either neighborhood, a house from the 1920s to the 1940s may have its original foundation, old wiring and galvanized plumbing, and additions of uneven quality. Get the structure, roof, sewer line and systems inspected, and find out whether past work was permitted.

Airport noise is worth checking in both. Small planes using Long Beach Airport, including flight-school traffic, often fly over parts of Bixby Knolls and California Heights, and the east side is closest to the airport. Stand on the block on a weekday afternoon before you commit.

Cal Heights: Certificate of Appropriateness for any exterior change
Mills Act for district houses; next window early January 2027
Both: full inspections and a weekday-afternoon noise check on east-side blocks

Atlantic Avenue, parks and getting around

For both neighborhoods, daily life centers on Atlantic Avenue north of Bixby Road: coffee, bakeries, vintage shops, the breweries the business association calls Brewery Knolls, and the monthly First Fridays art walk. That stretch runs through Bixby Knolls; from most of California Heights, it's a short walk north.

Scherer Park, 26.1 acres with a lake and courts, sits at the north end of Bixby Knolls and is the nearest large park to Cal Heights too. The Rancho Los Cerritos adobe and gardens, free to visit, are just west of Bixby Knolls. Compared with the beach neighborhoods, street parking is easy in both.

Both are centrally located. Atlantic Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard run north to south, and the 405 and 710 are close. The Metro A Line has stations on Long Beach Boulevard, including Wardlow, a few blocks west of the Cal Heights district, with trains to Downtown Long Beach and up to Los Angeles. Long Beach Unified serves both, with Longfellow Elementary and Hughes Middle School nearby; assignments go by address.

Homes for sale in Bixby Knolls

21 active listings in the mapped area

Just listed

$850,000

Single-Family2 bd1 ba810 sqft

Manufactured In Park1 bd1 ba408 sqft

300 E Arbor 25

11 days on market

$1,124,900

Single-Family5 bd3 ba1,860 sqft

Single-Family4 bd2 ba1,399 sqft

4333 Maury Ave

17 days on market

$1,175,000

Duplex4 bd3 ba1,957 sqft

1800 E Hardwick

23 days on market

$1,099,000

Single-Family4 bd2 ba1,850 sqft

3801 Gundry

29 days on market

$259,000

Manufactured In Park3 bd2 ba1,000 sqft

400 E. Arbor St. 1

32 days on market

$55,000

Manufactured In Park1 bd1 ba616 sqft

300 E Arbor St 18

43 days on market

$1,799,000

Single-Family3 bd4 ba2,535 sqft

4315 Olive Avenue

$1,236,900

Single-Family3 bd2 ba1,798 sqft

323 E Bixby

$1,620,000

Single-Family4 bd4 ba2,450 sqft

4001 Elm

$1,095,000

Single-Family3 bd2 ba1,741 sqft

1414 E Silva

$925,000

Single-Family3 bd2 ba1,141 sqft

5072 Gardenia

View all 21 homes on the live map

Still deciding? Ask me.

I’m a Realtor right here in Long Beach and I know it inside out. Buying or selling, tell me what you’re after and I’ll help you get there.

Call (424) 400-9003

Slava Ploshkin · DRE #02323623English and Russian · How I work in Long Beach

Homes for sale in California Heights

14 active listings in the mapped area

Just listed

$1,119,000

Single-Family3 bd3 ba1,730 sqft

3729 Olive Avenue

Just listed

$799,900

Single-Family2 bd1 ba1,040 sqft

3439 California Avenue

Just listed

$1,050,000

Single-Family2 bd2 ba1,133 sqft

3601 Cerritos

Just listed

$839,000

Single-Family2 bd1 ba798 sqft

3615 Falcon

9 days on market

$1,100,000

Single-Family3 bd3 ba1,926 sqft

3730 Rose Avenue

14 days on market

$339,999

Condo1 bd1 ba660 sqft

Condo1 bd1 ba689 sqft

3565 Linden Avenue 141

Condo2 bd2 ba794 sqft

3565 Linden Avenue

$899,999

Duplex2 bd2 ba1,400 sqft

3562 Orange

$514,900

Townhouse2 bd3 ba979 sqft

Condo2 bd2 ba721 sqft

3565 Linden Ave #153

See California Heights homes on the live map

Questions & answers

California Heights is a city historic district and Bixby Knolls isn't. Cal Heights, south of Bixby Road, has nearly 1,500 homes, mostly Spanish Colonial Revival, and exterior changes there need city review. Bixby Knolls, north of Bixby Road, has houses of a similar age on bigger lots and the Atlantic Avenue business strip, and remodeling there needs only standard permits.