Home to Port of Long Beach, the second-largest sea port in the US, this California city is worth a visit
City: Long Beach
State: California
Best Cities Overall Rank: 83
About Long Beach:
The Port of Long Beach is the second-largest seaport in the United States.
The RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed the North Atlantic from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line. It’s now permanently berthed in Long Beach and serves as a museum and hotel.
County: Los Angeles
Population: 463,789
Official website for city visitors’ bureau/city: Visitors’ bureau website
Newspaper with the largest circulation: Impacto USA (race and ethnic coverage)
Long Beach blogs:
Long Beach Seen
Day Tripping Mom
Everything Long Beach
Long Beach‘s Facebook page: Follow Long Beach on Facebook
Long Beach‘s Twitter page: Follow Long Beach on Twitter
Education rank: 99
High School graduation rate 2008: 79%
Blue Ribbon Schools, 2003-2009: 1
Blue Ribbon Schools per 100,000 people: 0.216
NEAYC-accredited preschools: 6
NAEYC schools per 100,000 people: 1.29
NAEP State proficiency reading, grade 8: 253
Pupil/Teacher Ratio: 20.90
Total Expenditures Per Student: $9,638
Health rank: 81
Quality children’s hospitals: 1
Hospitals per 100,000 people: 0.216
Quality Pediatricians: 7
Quality Pediatricians per 100,000: 1.51
Average number of Unhealthy Air Quality days between 2006-2008, by county: 24.33
Safety rank: 38
Violent Crimes, 2008: 3,158
Violent Crime Rate per 100,000: 680.91
Sex Offenders: 674
Sex Offenders per 100,000: 145.32
Economy rank: 81
Travel time to work, 2006-2008, in minutes: 27.70
Percent of labor force unemployed, January 2010: 12.4
Best Performing Cities Job Index: 1,165.49
Median Home Sale Price: $362,500
5-Year Home Value Index: -4.49%
Percent of homes sold for a loss: 29.06%
Recreation Rank: 73
Parkland acreage, 2008 (includes pools and playgrounds): 3,275
Parkland per 100,000: 706.14
Photo courtesy of Vmenkov
