Indigenous people have lived in coastal Southern California for over 10,000 years, and several successive cultures have inhabited the present-day area of Long Beach.

[15] Povuu'nga was particularly important to the Tongva, not only as a regional trading center and hub for fishermen,[16] but for its deep ceremonial significance, being understood as their place of emergence as a people from which their lives began.

The Alamitos townsite was kept as a separate entity, but at first, it was primarily run by Llewellyn and Jotham Bixby, although I.W, Hellman (who had the largest single share) had a significant veto power, an influence made even stronger as the J.W.

Pacific Bible Seminary (now known as Hope International University) was forced to move classes out of First Christian Church of Long Beach and into a small local home due to damage.

[32] The city was part of the Battle of Los Angeles during World War II when observers for the United States Army Air Forces reported shells being fired from the sea.

Temperatures recorded at the weather station at the Long Beach Airport, 4.0 miles (6.4 km) inland from the ocean, range more greatly than those along the immediate coast.

[42] Similarly, the water quality in the Long Beach portion of San Pedro Bay, which is enclosed by the Federal Breakwater, commonly ranks among the poorest on the entire West Coast during rainy periods.

This runoff contains most of the debris, garbage, chemical pollutants, and biological pathogens washed into storm drains in every upstream city each time it rains.

People of German descent made up 6.0% of the population of the town, followed by English at 5.2%, Irish at 5.0%, Italian at 3.1%, American at 1.8%, Polish at 1.3%, French at 1.1%, Scottish at 1.1%, Sub-Saharan African at 0.8%, Swedish at 0.7%, Greek at 0.6%, Scotch-Irish at 0.6%, Caribbean (excluding Hispanics) at 0.6%, Russian at 0.5%, Dutch at 0.5%, Danish at 0.5%, and Norwegian at 0.5%.

The Harbor section of downtown Long Beach was once home to people of Dutch, Greek, Italian, Maltese, Portuguese and Spanish ancestry, most of them employed in manufacturing and fish canneries until the 1960s.

Long Beach once had a sizable Japanese American population, which largely worked in the fish canneries on Terminal Island and on small truck farms in the area.

[88] The North American subsidiary of video game developer and publisher Spike Chunsoft is headquartered in a building adjacent to the Long Beach Airport.

[99] Long Beach Community Concert Association[100] is a volunteer organization that provides musical entertainment appealing to seniors and others, four Sunday afternoons a year at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center[101] at CSULB.

[105] Huntington Beach-based Heavy Metal band Avenged Sevenfold performed their 'Live in the LBC' show on April 10, 2008, closing out the Taste of Chaos tour for the year.

A major video and film artist (such as former CSULB student Steven Spielberg) screens and discusses their own work as well as the ten productions that most influenced their cinematic vision.

[117] Rancho Los Cerritos is a 4.7-acre (19,000 m2) historical site owned by Long Beach in the Bixby Knolls area near the Virginia Country Club.

[121][122] Long Beach led Southern California in parks access, size and spending, ranking 16th among a survey of 75 large U.S. cities, with Los Angeles and Anaheim tied for 51st and Santa Ana 69th, according to a study released by a national conservation group.

The 815 acres (3.30 km2) El Dorado Regional Park, which features fishing lakes, an archery range, youth campground, bike trails, and picnic areas.

These highlight the pivotal role the ecosystem played in the City of Long Beach's establishment in the late 1800s and helps preserve the site's history and unique topography.

The Walk of Fame was created in 2006 to honor key contributors to motorsports and annually inducts new members in conjunction with the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Triggered by a local protest of a multi-apartment dwelling which tenanted several paroled registered sex offenders, and fueled by local radio hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou of KFI's John and Ken show, city council members voted 7–0 to enact 18 ordinances, of which the most restrictive prohibits residency by all registered sex offenders, whether they are on parole or not, within 2,000 feet (610 m) of any child care center, public or private school, or park.

The project, completed in 2002, created a trench 20 miles (32 km) long and 33 feet (10 m) deep in order to eliminate 200 grade crossings and cost about US$2.4 billion.

The free shuttle carries passengers to the Aquarium of the Pacific, Pine Avenue, Shoreline Village, the Long Beach Convention Center, the Queen Mary, Catalina Landing, various hotels, and other points of interest.

From the 7th Street/Metro Center Station, passengers can make connections to Hollywood, Universal Studios, and other points of interest along the Los Angeles Metro Rail subway (B and D lines) network.

[197] California State University, Long Beach also has a student newspaper published four times a week during the fall and spring semesters, the Daily Forty-Niner.

In August of the same year, just sixteen months after its much-publicized launch, Freedom Communications announced it would cease publication of the Long Beach Register completely,[202] citing lack of reader and advertiser interest.

St. Anthony High School's, Jack Errion Memorial Gymnasium has also been featured in a few movies and television shows, including Sunset Park, American Wedding, Coach Carter and Joan of Arcadia.

Long Beach Woodrow Wilson High School was used to shoot Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and has been used for commercials for Nike and Adidas, particularly one with Los Angeles Sparks basketball star Candace Parker.

Most of the viral hit Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus was also shot by the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier and Alamitos Energy Center in Long Beach.

The final scene from the Jim Carrey comedy remake Fun with Dick and Jane features Long Beach's scenic E. Ocean Blvd.