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Seal Beach

Seal Beach History

   Seal Beach was first established in the 1860s as Anaheim Landing, a major port for the Santa Ana Valley. The town of Bay City grew around the port, and in 1915, it changed its name to Seal Beach for the large colony of seals that once lounged on its shores.
   Like many oceanside communities in the early 20th century, Seal Beach became a renowned amusement area. The beachfront, known as the "Joy Zone," hosted a roller coaster, bath palaces, gambling parlors and the longest pier south of San Francisco. Many tourists came to the city via Pacific Electric "Red Cars," a trolley system that carried commuters and sightseers to the cities, fruit groves and beach communities of Southern California.
   Tourism fell off during the Depression, but Seal Beach was about to get another lease on life. In 1943, the Navy purchased Anaheim Landing and established the Naval Weapons Station. The 5,000-acre station has changed over the years, but it still supplies much of our nation's firepower. Today the Naval Weapons Station comprises two-thirds of the land within the city, and it's a major employer for the region.
   Seal Beach is also home to Leisure World, the first major planned retirement community of its type in the United States. Construction on the project began in 1960. Today, nearly 9,000 residents live in the gated senior community -- about one-third of the population of Seal Beach.

Activities

   If you're searching for seals in Seal Beach, look no further than the Municipal Pier. Here, you'll find a statue of Slick the Seal, a sunbathing sea mammal whose bronze nose begs for a rub from visiting children.
   The pier offers activities such as fishing, bicycling, dining and shopping. Or take a stroll along the beach beneath the pier, where you can catch surfers hitting the waves along the north side.
   Seal Beach has been named the best sandcastle-building beach in the United States. Each year, the Sand Castle Festival is held the weekend after Labor Day, inviting experts and novices alike to showcase their artistic skills.
   Main Street offers gift shops, galleries, antique stores and restaurants within a three-block area. You can catch a classic movie at the Bay Theater, home to the biggest Wurlitzer organ in the Western United States. And Main Street is just steps away from Old Town Seal Beach.
   Seal Beach was the first community served by the Pacific Electric "Red Cars," a trolley system that linked Southern California cities in the early 20th century. A renovated Pacific Electric Red Car now serves as an archive for the community's history at the Red Car Museum, located at Main and Electric Avenue.
   The Seal Beach Nation Wildlife Refuge is one of the last undeveloped coastal areas in Southern California. The wetlands area is home to the snowy egret, the great blue heron, light-footed clapper rails and other endangered birds.

Seal Beach Fast Facts

   Location: Seal Beach is located six miles south of Long Beach, about 28 miles from downtown Los Angeles
  *Total area: 13.22 square miles (11.51 square miles land area; 1.72 square miles water area)
  *Population: 24,157
  *Housing units: 14,267
   Average annual rainfall: 12.94 inches
   Average temperatures: 75ºF in summer, 57ºF in winter
*Information provided by 2000 Census

Schools

   There is one school in Seal Beach: J.H. McGaugh Elementary. Older students attend schools in neighboring communities.

Beaches

• Old Town Seal Beach, located South of Ocean Avenue, between First and Neptune Avenue
• Seal Beach Pier, located at the foot of Main Street and Ocean Avenue
• Eisenhower Park, located beside the pier at Main Street and Ocean Avenue

Maps of Seal Beach

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