Long Beach, city in Los Angeles County, southwestern California, on San Pedro Bay. The city is located in a vast metropolitan region centered on Los Angeles. Long Beach is a major shipping, industrial, commercial, and resort center. The Port of Long Beach, adjacent to Los Angeles Harbor, is one of the nation's largest container ports. Extensive oil and natural gas fields lie under the city and extend offshore under the waters of the bay. The economic activities of the city are varied, and include the aerospace industry; oil extraction and related industries; high-technology industries, especially those in the field of satellite communications technology; and health care systems. The city is served by Long Beach Airport.
Long Beach is home to California State University-Long Beach (1949), a community college, and the newly-expanded Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. The retired ocean liner Queen Mary, docked in the city's harbor, is a hotel and major tourist attraction. Also of interest in the city are the Long Beach Museum of Art, housed in a 1912 mansion; the El Dorado Nature Center; and Rancho Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos, 19th-century adobe ranch houses. The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is an annual event.
