BixbyKnolls

An 1844 adobe, the Bixby family ranch, bean fields turned subdivision, and the glamour and revival of Atlantic Avenue.

The story starts with the land. Bixby Knolls sits on what was Rancho Los Cerritos, a piece of a much larger Mexican-era land grant. In 1844 a Monterey-style adobe ranch house was built here, and after 1866 the Bixby family and their partners ran large-scale sheep and cattle operations from it. That adobe still stands on the western edge of the neighborhood as a City of Long Beach historic site and museum.

In the 1920s, Jotham Bixby's heirs began subdividing the old ranch. Around 1929 they turned to roughly 120 acres they intended to develop into one of the most attractive residential sections in Long Beach, envisioned for the city's business and civic leaders. The timing was famously bad: the stock market crashed just after the plans were announced, and the 1933 Long Beach earthquake stalled sales further.

The New Deal restarted it. In 1935 the federal FHA loan program reopened sales, lot prices were cut roughly in half, and building took off. Over the next years dozens of distinctive custom homes went up, many designed by notable local architects such as Kenneth S. Wing, who built his own residence in the neighborhood. Carson Street was the area zoned for stylish apartment buildings, several of which date from the start of World War II.

By the 1950s Atlantic Avenue was genuinely glamorous, an uptown strip of supper clubs, two movie theaters, the Bixby Knolls Shopping Center, and upscale shops. As regional malls like Lakewood Center drew shoppers away in the following decades, the retail district slowly declined, even as the homes stayed in excellent shape.

The revival is recent. Over roughly the last two decades the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association has led a determined comeback, and the First Friday art walk, launched in 2008, helped bring energy and new businesses back to Atlantic Avenue. Today uptown is once again one of the liveliest neighborhood main streets in Long Beach.

• Built on Rancho Los Cerritos; the 1844 adobe survives as a museum
• Subdivided by the Bixby heirs from the 1920s; FHA loans revived sales in 1935
• 1950s Atlantic Avenue glamour, later decline, and a First Fridays-led revival

Craftsman, Spanish, Tudor, ranch, and mid-century houses, with grand estates near the country club.

The housing stock is the reason many buyers fall for Bixby Knolls. Because most homes were custom-built between the 1920s and 1940s, the streets read like a tour of period Southern California design: Spanish Colonial Revival with tile roofs and arched windows, Craftsman bungalows, Tudor Revival with steep gables, and, on the later blocks, ranch and mid-century modern homes. Notable architects, including Kenneth Wing and figures connected to the Killingsworth mid-century movement, left their mark here.

Compared with the beach neighborhoods, the lots are bigger and the streets are greener, so homes more often come with real yards, driveways, and detached garages, and the mature tree canopy is a defining feature. That extra space, at a price well below the coast, is a major part of the appeal for families and remote workers.

The high end sits on the west side. The Los Cerritos streets around the Virginia Country Club hold some of the largest and grandest old-money homes in Long Beach, a distinct enclave within the wider area. Elsewhere, the mix includes post-war ranch homes and the 1940s to 1950s apartment buildings along Carson Street, which offer a more accessible entry point.

Because Bixby Knolls is not a formal historic district, most homes can be updated with standard city permits rather than a historic design review, so buyers get period character with more renovation freedom. For a real read on today's prices and what's actually available, scroll to the live listings mapped to Bixby Knolls on this page.

• Custom 1920s to 1940s Spanish, Craftsman, Tudor, ranch, and mid-century homes
• Bigger lots, mature trees, yards, and garages versus the beach neighborhoods
• Grand Los Cerritos estates near the Virginia Country Club anchor the high end

A walkable main street of independent restaurants, coffee, shops, and the densest cluster of breweries in the city.

Daily life in Bixby Knolls centers on Atlantic Avenue. The revived strip is genuinely walkable, with independent restaurants, coffee bars, bakeries, vintage and gift shops, wellness studios, and a calendar full of community events. It's the kind of main street where regulars know the baristas and neighbors run into each other on a Saturday morning.

The area has become a craft-beer destination. Long Beach's tourism board has pointed to Bixby Knolls as having the highest concentration of brewpubs in the city, earning it the affectionate nickname Brewery Knolls. Ambitious Ales, Rasselbock's German beer garden, Beachwood, and the container-built SteelCraft food hall, with craft beer and a rotating lineup of kitchens, give the neighborhood a strong food-and-drink identity.

Culture and community are built in. The Expo Arts Center and the Historical Society of Long Beach sit on Atlantic Avenue, the Long Beach Shakespeare Company performs nearby, and the monthly First Fridays art walk fills the street with art, music, and food. For green space, Scherer Park anchors the north end with lawns, ponds, and paths, and the Rancho Los Cerritos gardens offer a quiet historic retreat on the west side.

• A walkable Atlantic Avenue of independent restaurants, coffee, and shops
• Brewery Knolls: SteelCraft food hall plus several craft breweries
• First Fridays art walk, Expo Arts Center, and Scherer Park anchor community life

What to check when buying a pre-war house in a non-historic-district neighborhood.

The good news for renovators: because Bixby Knolls is not a designated historic district, exterior changes generally follow standard City of Long Beach permitting rather than a historic Certificate of Appropriateness. That gives owners more flexibility to update windows, add on, or modernize than in nearby California Heights or Bluff Park. If a specific block or property has any overlay or deed restriction, confirm it, but most of the neighborhood is conventional.

That said, these are older homes, so inspect accordingly. Houses from the 1920s to 1940s can have original foundations, knob-and-tube or updated-but-aging electrical, galvanized plumbing, and additions of varying quality. Budget for inspections of the structure, roof, sewer lateral, and systems, and confirm that past work was permitted. Original detail, a period-appropriate remodel, and a real primary suite all drive value here.

Then the usual due diligence. Verify LBUSD school assignments for your exact address, since boundaries vary street by street. Check proximity to the 405 and 710 freeways, the Metro A Line along Long Beach Boulevard, and, on the east side, the Long Beach Airport flight paths, which can affect some blocks. Confirm taxes, insurance, and any assessments through official sources before relying on them.

• Not a historic district: standard permits and more renovation freedom
• Inspect older foundations, electrical, plumbing, and past additions
• Verify LBUSD boundaries, freeway and Metro access, and airport flight paths

A family-driven, character-home market that offers space and charm below beach-neighborhood prices.

Bixby Knolls is one of the strongest inland markets in Long Beach. Demand is driven by buyers who want a real house with a yard, garage, and architectural character in a walkable, community-minded setting, and who get meaningfully more square footage here than they would near the coast. Well-preserved or tastefully updated pre-war homes tend to draw strong interest.

Within the area, price turns on the block, the architectural style and condition, the lot size, and the quality of any remodel. The Los Cerritos estates near the Virginia Country Club sit well above the neighborhood norm, while post-war ranch homes and the Carson Street apartments and condos offer more accessible entry points. Proximity to Atlantic Avenue's walkable core is a plus for many buyers.

Because it's a large and varied district, broad averages can be misleading; a grand Los Cerritos home and a compact bungalow are very different products. Lean on the live listings mapped to Bixby Knolls on this page and recent comparable sales for a realistic read on today's prices.

• Inland value: more house and yard than the coast, in a walkable setting
• Block, style, condition, lot, and remodel quality drive price
• Los Cerritos estates sit high; ranch homes and condos offer the entry point

A central, car-friendly location with a walkable core and quick freeway and transit access.

Bixby Knolls is built around the car but rewards walking at its center. Day to day, residents walk or bike to Atlantic Avenue for coffee, dinner, and errands, and to Scherer Park for green space. Away from the main street, the neighborhood is quiet residential blocks with easy street parking, a contrast to the crowded beach areas.

For getting around the region, the location is genuinely central. Atlantic Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard run north to south, the 405 and 710 freeways are minutes away, and the Metro A Line stations along Long Beach Boulevard connect to Downtown Long Beach and, in the other direction, to Los Angeles. Long Beach Airport is a short drive east, which is convenient for travelers but means some eastern blocks sit under flight paths.

• Walk or bike to Atlantic Avenue and Scherer Park; easy residential parking
• Central to the 405 and 710 freeways and the Metro A Line to LA and Downtown
• Long Beach Airport is close by, a plus for travel and a factor on some blocks