South Bay Los Angeles California

Redondo Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area and is one of the three Beach Cities.

Redondo Beach was originally part of the 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant of the 43,000-acre Dominguez Rancho that later became the ten-mile Ocean frontage of Rancho Sausal Redondo. The city's territory has an unusual shape because it controls a long block of land dividing the two other beach cities (Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach) from the inland city of Torrance. The western terminus of the Metro Rail Green Line is in Redondo Beach, and the primary attraction is its unusually shaped Municipal Pier.

Lifestyle

Redondo Beach is the focus of many who want to be in the sun and near the ocean. Although a vibrant community in its own right, much of the Redondo Beach lifestyle is a blend of the neighborhoods, activities and people of the three Beach Cities of Southern California's South Bay. Like its sister cities of Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, Redondo's key lifestyle draw is the vast beach that links these three cities.

A wide sand beach starts below the bluffs of Palos Verdes in the south and carries north to the Redondo Pier. A paved path, called The Strand runs from South Redondo north to Santa Monica. A typical day on this path will see thousands of people on foot, bicycle, skateboard, rollerblade, wheelchair and stroller enjoying the sun and surf. The continuous path is broken only by the massive Redondo Beach King Harbor Marina and Pier complex, where it veers away from water and onto dedicated lanes of surface streets for about a mile before again turning to the ocean in Hermosa Beach. Continuing north from Manhattan Beach, this path stretches well into Marina Del Rey and beyond with few breaks.

Surfing is a key element of the South Bay lifestyle year-round; it is common to see locals catching waves on both Christmas and New Year's Day. Powerful winter storms in the Pacific ocean can turn typically placid and rolling South Bay waves into large and occasionally dangerous monsters, a natural draw for the local surfing population. Local wave heights in December 2005 were some of the largest on record and were reported to top 15 to 20 feet in some instances; at least one surfer required resuscitation when he was thrashed against the ocean bottom after trying a particularly large wave.

Beach Volleyball is another important aspect of Redondo Beach's lifestyle. The wide and flat sand beaches provide the perfect venue for the sport and permanent poles and nets are placed and maintained by the city year-round. Professional tournaments managed by the AVP take place in neighboring Hermosa and Manhattan Beach. Redondo Beach is home to Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh and AVP Pro Casey Jennings.

Currently Redondo Beach is growing in popularity to filming production. In 2006 "Medium" crews were seen shooting at a local coffee shop. Fox's "The OC" has also been seen filming at Redondo Union High School and local parks. Rob Schnider's The Hot Chick (2002) has a memorable scene when Rob falls down a long row of benches at Redondo High's football field.

South Bay Galleria, a shopping mall on the border of Lawndale Redondo Beach's borders

There are a lot of one way streets in Redondo Beach. Redondo Beach is often divided into two logical North/South areas with 190th, Anita, and Herondo streets forming its east-west boundary line. South Redondo plays host to the pier and marina/harbor complex and directly borders active Hermosa Beach; life on the ocean side of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) can be frenetic with restaurants and boating activities keeping people active and engaged at all times. Inland of PCH is largely residential.

Bordering North/South Redondo at the Marina is a massive power plant, which has been the source of substantial political debate in the city over the last decade, largely centered over what to do with the land once the plant becomes inactive over the next 25 years (subject to change and compromise). This power plant sports a 586ft. x 95ft. whale mural by world-famous artist Wyland titled "Gray Whale Migration".

The small business district near the pier and marina was revived in the 1990s by beachgoers and new residents wanted to sell beachwear and surfing accessories. But that district was once focused on fishing and canning when the pier was used to transport fish-based foodstuffs and canned fish to American and Asian consumers, but that industry had an economic downfall in the 1970s and 1980s.

South Redondo is a bit more on the gentrified, quiet side; its wide streets, wide sand beaches and laid-back feel make it a prime destination for those seeking a "bike to the grocery store" community. Several close-knit neighborhoods exist; South Broadway hosts street parties in the summer where children play on jumping gyms and the local Fire Department judges the best dessert contest while kids climb their pumper truck. South Redondo is also known as the cleanest part of Redondo and is considered to be "higher-class" by many of its citizens. The homes in South Redondo cost considerably more than homes in North Redondo.

North Redondo begins north of 190th Street. As a result of Redondo Beach's geography, North Redondo is primarily an inland experience as the beachfronts form most of Hermosa Beach and part of Manhattan Beach. While primarily residential, North Redondo contains some of the city's major industry and commercial space, including the inland aerospace and engineering firms that are part of Southern California's long space legacy. It is also home to the South Bay Galleria Shopping Center and a revitalized Artesia Boulevard. North Redondo is the home of the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, one of the South Bay's premier cultural facilities, and home to the Civic Light Opera of the South Bay Cities. North Redondo is home to nearly two-thirds of the children in Redondo Beach. Until 2006, North Redondo residents were prohibited from attending Mira Costa High School, which is closer than Redondo Union High School.

Many original homes still stand in Redondo Beach neighborhoods, but these small Arts and Crafts style homes are quickly being bought, demolished and rebuilt to match the tastes of the modern, more affluent buyer that makes South Bay their home. Zoning allows properties within two to three blocks of the beach to be developed as large two to three-unit luxury townhomes; inland areas are more likely to have single-family homes. There is a citywide height limit of 32 ft. for new homes; unlike Manhattan Beach, Redondo allows rooftop living spaces and decks.