LONG BEACH

LONG BEACH. Located in the southern portion of Los Angeles County, the 2000 census placed Long Beach's population at 461,522, making it the fifth largest city in California. Long famous as a tourist destination, the city has also become an important commercial hub, with the port of Long Beach handling more container traffic than any other U.S. harbor. The city was originally established in the 1880s as a beachside resort, but its economy quickly diversified. Improvements on its harbor, completed in 1924, facilitated the expansion of commerce and fishing. The 1920s also witnessed the discovery of land petroleum deposits in Long Beach and surrounding communities that made Long Beach a major center of oil production. Struck by a devastating earthquake in 1933, the city's economy quickly rebounded, thanks in part to the emerging aircraft industry. During World War II federal investments in aircraft production and the creation of the Long Beach Naval Shipyards further strengthened the economy. Military spending spurred by the Cold War sustained Long Beach's prosperity, with the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation becoming the city's largest employer. In the late twentieth century the oil industry waned and federal investments slackened, forcing the closure of the naval shipyards and causing a decline in aerospace employment. However, the city remains a major convention and tourism center and the growth of trade with Asia and Latin America has facilitated the port's commercial prosperity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

DeAtley, Richard. Long Beach: The Golden Shore, a History of the City and Port. Houston, Tex.: Pioneer Publications, 1988.

Malone, Myrtle D., ed. Long Beach: A 21st Century City by the Sea. Houston, Tex.: Pioneer Publications, 1997.

Daniel J.Johnson

See alsoPetroleum Industry .