LosCerritos

Subdivided in 1906 around Rancho Los Cerritos and built out with estate homes through the mid-20th century.

The story begins with the land grant. The 1844 Rancho Los Cerritos adobe was the headquarters of a vast cattle and sheep ranch run by the Bixby family and their partners. On October 7, 1906, some 330 acres surrounding the old ranch house were designated as the Los Cerritos subdivision, streets were cut into the tract, and the lots began to sell, launching one of the earliest upscale neighborhoods in Long Beach.

Development accelerated in the 1910s and 1920s. In 1920 an Oklahoma oilman purchased ten acres along La Linda Drive and subdivided them into a development called La Linda, Spanish for the pretty, which today is one of Long Beach's oldest gated communities. Around the neighborhood, wealthy families commissioned large, high-style homes from prominent architects, and in 1929 the architect Kirtland Cutter designed several award-winning houses here.

The result, built out largely from the 1910s through the 1940s, is a neighborhood of estates set among wide avenues, tall palms, and eucalyptus. The private Virginia Country Club, one of the oldest in Southern California, anchored the community from its early years, and its charter members were among the city's founding figures.

The neighborhood's grandeur has kept it in the public eye. Its estate homes have appeared in numerous films, and in 2007 Los Cerritos was one of three national finalists for Neighborhood of the Year, a recognition of both its architecture and its strong community.

• Subdivided in 1906 from the 330 acres around Rancho Los Cerritos
• La Linda gated enclave created in 1920; estate homes built through the 1940s
• Anchored by the historic Virginia Country Club; a 2007 Neighborhood of the Year finalist

One of the most architecturally significant collections of large homes in Long Beach.

The homes are the reason Los Cerritos commands the prices it does. These are large, well-built estate houses on generous lots, and the range of styles is remarkable: stately Spanish Colonial Revival with tile roofs and courtyards, Tudor and Colonial Revival, Craftsman and Prairie, Cape Cod, Monterey, and mid-century designs. Many retain original details, wood, plaster, tile, and craftsmanship that is hard to reproduce today.

The pedigree runs deep. The neighborhood includes homes by Pacific Northwest master Kirtland Cutter, such as Casa el Sueño on Pacific Avenue and the John Clock House on Devon Place, work attributed to Greene & Greene, and residences by other noted designers. Country Club Drive, with its parade of grand houses, is the most famous street and the one Hollywood keeps returning to.

Because supply is so limited, roughly 700 homes, most long owner-occupied, listings are relatively rare and can move quickly when they are special. Prices generally run from about $1 million to $2 million, while the largest estates near the country club reach $3 to $4 million. For a real read on what is available and at what price, scroll to the live listings mapped to Los Cerritos on this page.

• Large estate homes in Spanish, Tudor, Colonial, Craftsman, and mid-century styles
• Architect-designed houses by Kirtland Cutter, Greene & Greene, and others
• Most homes run about $1M to $2M; country-club estates reach $3M to $4M

What to weigh when buying an estate in a low-turnover, architecturally important enclave.

The first thing to understand is scarcity. With only about 700 homes and a culture of long ownership, inventory is thin and the best homes attract serious competition. Buyers should be prepared to move decisively and to value a property on its architecture, lot, and condition rather than on a large pool of recent comparable sales.

Second, respect the architecture. Unlike a formal historic district, Los Cerritos does not require a Certificate of Appropriateness for most work, so owners generally have renovation flexibility. But many homes here are architecturally significant, and buyers who preserve and restore original detail, rather than stripping it out, tend to protect value best. A few individually landmarked homes and the La Linda gated section may carry their own considerations, so confirm any restrictions for a specific property.

Then the usual estate and older-home due diligence. Large, older homes can carry big-ticket systems, roofs, foundations, and dated electrical or plumbing, so inspect thoroughly and budget for maintenance that matches the scale of the house. Verify LBUSD school assignments for your exact address, and confirm taxes, insurance, and any club or HOA obligations through official sources before relying on them.

• Limited inventory and long ownership mean rare listings and real competition
• Not a formal historic district, but preserve significant homes to protect value
• Inspect large older systems; verify LBUSD boundaries and any HOA or club terms

A scarce, prestige-driven market where pedigree and preservation set the price.

Los Cerritos is a top-tier Long Beach market defined by scarcity and prestige. Demand comes from long-time Long Beach families, professionals and executives, and move-up buyers seeking a larger, architecturally distinguished home, and increasingly from buyers priced out of comparable enclaves elsewhere in Los Angeles. Because homes rarely turn over, a well-preserved estate can draw strong, motivated interest.

Within the neighborhood, price turns on the architecture and its pedigree, the size and quality of the home and lot, the level of preservation or tasteful updating, and proximity to the country club. Most homes trade between roughly $1 million and $2 million, while the grandest estates near the Virginia Country Club reach the $3 to $4 million range.

With so few sales in any given period, broad averages are unreliable here; a Cutter-designed estate and an updated traditional home are very different products. Lean on the live listings mapped to Los Cerritos on this page and recent comparable sales, and expect a more relationship-driven, sometimes off-market process at the high end.

• A scarce, prestige market with rare listings and durable value
• Architecture, pedigree, size, lot, and preservation drive price
• Most homes $1M to $2M; top country-club estates reach $3M to $4M

A quiet, car-oriented enclave that is central to uptown, the freeways, and the Metro A Line.

Los Cerritos is a quiet, residential enclave, so daily life is mostly by car, but the location is genuinely central. Uptown Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls, with its restaurants, coffee, shops, and breweries, is a short drive east, and Scherer Park and the Rancho Los Cerritos gardens are close by for green space. The wide, low-traffic streets also make the neighborhood a favorite for walking and jogging.

For the region, Long Beach Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue run north to south nearby, the 405 Freeway is just south and the 710 is minutes west along the river, and the Metro A Line's Wardlow and Willow stations on Long Beach Boulevard connect to Downtown Long Beach and up to Los Angeles. Long Beach Airport is a short drive east for travel.

• Quiet, walkable streets; uptown Atlantic Avenue and parks a short drive away
• Central to the 405 and 710 freeways and the Metro A Line to LA and Downtown
• Long Beach Airport is close by for convenient travel