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Long Beach is a city located in southern
California, USA, on the Pacific coast. It is situated in
Los Angeles County, about 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown
Los Angeles. Long Beach borders Orange County on its southeast
edge.
Long Beach is the 35th-largest city in
the nation and the fifth-largest in California. As of 2006,
its estimated population was 466,718.
The Port of Long Beach is one of the world's largest shipping
ports.[2] The city also has a large oil industry; oil is
found both underground and offshore. Manufacturers include
aircraft, automobile parts, electronic and audiovisual
equipment, and home furnishings. It is also home to headquarters
for corporations such as Epson America, Molina Healthcare,
and Scan Health Care. Long Beach has grown with the development
of high-technology and aerospace industries in the area.
Environment
The area that is now Long Beach historically included
several ecological communities, with coastal scrub dominating
[5]. A handful of the native plants of the region can still
be found in the city. These include California buckwheat
(Eriogonum fasciculatum), California sagebrush (Artemisia
californica), and California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)).
Some stands of coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) still
remain in the El Dorado Nature Center. California fan palm
(Washingtonia filifera), a plant native further inland,
was introduced to the city as a garden ornamental and is
now naturalized. Some indigenous species of birds, mammals,
and other wildlife have adapted to development.
Since the arrival of Europeans, many alien species have
become naturalized in the area. Introduced plants include
yellow mustard, eucalyptus, wild radish, and tumbleweed.
Unfortunately, these plants now far outnumber the indigenous
plants and spread rapidly in the city's vacant lots and
oil fields.
However, the city and its residents
have initiatives underway to preserve and reclaim a small
part of its ecological heritage. The RiverLink project
has begun to revegetate the Long Beach stretch of the
Los Angeles River with indigenous plants. Part of the
remaining Pacific Electric Right of Way was cleared of
nonnatives, planted with indigenous plants, and made
accessible with foot and bike paths. This community open
space is now known as The Long Beach Greenbelt and is
the focus of continuing efforts in restoration and community
education. The El Dorado Nature Center has changed its
original "hands-off" approach and begun to
actively introduce indigenous species [6]. The Los Cerritos
Wetlands Study Group, state government agencies, and grassroots
groups are collaborating on a plan to preserve Long Beach's
last remaining wetlands Long Beach is the first city
in California to join the 'EcoZone' Program, intended to
measurably improve environmental conditions through public-private
partnerships. Such projects seek to reduce pollution, restore
native habitat, provide green areas for the city's residents
to enjoy.
Other places in Long Beach to see natural areas include
Bluff Park (coastal bluffs), the Golden Shores Marine Reserve,
the Jack Dunster Marine Reserve, Shoreline Park, and DeForest
Park.
Demographics and diversity
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 461,522 people,
163,088 households, and 99,646 families residing in the
city. The population density was 3,532.8/km² (9,149.8/mi²).
There were 171,632 housing units at an average density
of 1,313.8/km² (3,402.6/mi²). The racial makeup
of the city was 45.16% White, 14.87% African American,
0.84% Native American, 12.05% Asian, 1.21% Pacific Islander,
20.61% from other races, and 5.27% from two or more races.
Latino of any race were 35.77% of the population.
Non-Hispanic/Latino whites were 33.13%
of the population. This has been a significant decrease
since the 1950s, when the city was mostly Anglo-American
and nicknamed "Iowa
by the Sea" or "Iowa under Palm Trees." The
city was long a major port of entry for European, Asian
and Latin American immigrants headed to Los Angeles in
the 20th century. The Harbor section of downtown Long Beach
was once home to persons of Dutch, Greek, Italian, Maltese,
Portuguese and Spanish ancestry, most of them employed
in manufacturing and fish canneries until the 1960s.
According to a report by USA Today
in 2000, Long Beach is the most ethnically diverse large
city in the United States.[9] Its Asian community includes
a large Cambodian community, the second-largest Cambodian
community outside of Asia (after Paris); and a neighborhood
along Anaheim Street is called "Little Phnom Penh".
There are also sizable populations of immigrants and
descendants from Vietnam and the Philippines.
Latinos include Mexican-Americans, descendants and immigrants
from El Salvador and other nations in Central America,
such as Belize and Panama. It has attracted Puerto Ricans
and persons from South America, as well.
It has a relatively high proportion of Pacific Islanders
(over 1 percent), from Samoa and Tonga. Most American Indians,
about 2 percent of the city's population, arrived during
the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs urban
relocation programs in the 1950s.
Long Beach once had a sizable Japanese-American population
who mostly worked in the fish canneries on Terminal Island
and small truck farms in the area. They were victims of
racial prejudice and transported to internment camps in
1942, supposedly for national security reasons. Most did
not return to Long Beach after their release from the camps.
Due to their transportation, interracial marriage, and
other factors, Japanese Americans make up less than 1%
of the population of Long Beach. There is still a Japanese
Community Center and a Japanese Buddhist Church in Long
Beach. The Japanese-American Cultural Center is just over
the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro.
There were 163,088 households out of which 35.0% had children
under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married
couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder
with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 29.6%
of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4%
had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.77 and the average family
size was 3.55.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.2% under
the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44,
18.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age
or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females
there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and
over, there were 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,270,
and the median income for a family was $40,002. Males had
a median income of $36,807 versus $31,975 for females.
The per capita income for the city was $19,040. About 19.3%
of families and 22.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 32.7% of those under age 18 and
11.0% of those age 65 or over.
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