06/13/2025
10 Facts You Didnโt Know About Long Beach, California ๐ค
1. Long Beach was originally named "Wilmore City" but was renamed in 1888 due to its long, wide beaches.
2. The city is home to the "Skinny House," recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the nation's narrowest house, measuring just 10 feet wide.
3. The Queen Mary, a historic 1936 Art Deco ocean liner, has been permanently docked in Long Beach since 1967 and now serves as a hotel and tourist attraction. It's also rumoured to be haunted.
4. In 1933, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Long Beach, causing significant damage and leading to stricter building codes in California.
5. The Pike, an amusement park operating from 1902 to 1979, was once a major attraction in Long Beach, featuring rides like the Cyclone Racer roller coaster.
6. Originally inhabited by the Tongva people, Long Beach has a history that dates back thousands of years.
7. The Long Beach Naval Shipyard was home to "Herman the German," one of the world's largest floating cranes, seized as a war prize after World War II.
8. During World War II, Long Beach was a major shipbuilding center, contributing to the war effort.
9. Long Beach is home to the Aquarium of the Pacific, housing over 12,000 animals and two full-scale replicas of the worldโs largest mammal, the Blue Whale.
10. Long Beach is the 7th most populous California city.