Bixby Knolls, Long Beach Explained

Bixby Knolls, California
Settlement Type:Neighborhood of Long Beach
Nickname:Bixby
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2: Los Angeles
Subdivision Type3:City
Subdivision Name3: Long Beach
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Density Km2:auto
Postal Code Type:ZIP Code prefix
Postal Code:90807
Area Code:562

Bixby Knolls is a neighborhood in Long Beach, California, named after the Bixby family.[1]

Location

Bixby Knolls is an area of Long Beach adjoining North Long Beach to the north, California Heights on the southeast, Wrigley on the southwest. Its approximate boundaries are the 405 Freeway to the south (or Wardlow Avenue), Del Amo Blvd to the north (or the Southern Pacific railroad tracks), the Los Angeles River and the Lakewood city boundary to the west of Atlantic Avenue, south of Bixby Road. Atlantic Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard are the main north-south arteries through the neighborhood. The neighborhood includes the Los Cerritos - Virginia Country Club and the original Los Cerritos Ranch House historic site.

Description

The majority of the homes in the area were custom-built between 1920 and 1940, providing a variety of home architecture. Small shops and restaurants dot a strip of Atlantic Avenue south of San Antonio and north of the 405 Freeway, as well as on the streets surrounding this main thoroughfare. The neighborhood is also served by several nearby grocery stores and shopping centers.

Bixby Knolls has an active local community. The Helen Borgers Theater, home to the Long Beach Shakespeare Company, and the Historical Society of Long Beach, are housed on Atlantic Avenue, just north of Carson Street. On the west side of the neighborhood, adjacent to the Los Angeles River, is the large Virginia Country Club, which is also the location of the Rancho Los Cerritos historic site.[2]

Schools

The Long Beach Unified School District serves Bixby Knolls.

Bixby Knolls area public schools include Longfellow Elementary School,[3] [4] Los Cerritos Elementary School,[5] Burroughs Elementary School. and Hughes Middle School. Several private schools are also in the area including St. Barnabas School.[6]

For high school, the home school is Long Beach Polytechnic High School, but students can apply to any eligible program in the Long Beach Unified School District.

Parks

The Bixby Knolls Park is in the area.[7] Other parks include Los Cerritos Park in the Los Cerritos neighborhood and Somerset Park in the Bixby Terrace neighborhood.[8] [9]

Historical places and notable architecture

Southern California chain Robert's department store had its flagship store in Bixby Knolls at 4450 Atlantic Avenue. It opened in December 1967 and was 52,000 sq. ft. in size.[10] [11] closed in 1994, and sat empty for 15 years.[12] It was razed only in 2009, to make way for a new Marshall's. The loss of the store was long symbolic of the decline of Bixby Knolls as a retail center, and in a broader sense.[13] [14] The Petroleum Club operated between 1955 and 2019.[15]

Notable architecture includes:

See also

External links

33.8356°N -118.1767°W

Notes and References

  1. News: Molen. Jan. Long Beach shopping: Cool finds in Bixby Knolls. 29 September 2015. Los Angeles Times. May 12, 2012.
  2. Web site: Sonksen. Mike. Uptown Long Beach: Bixby Knolls and California Heights. LA Letters. KCET. 29 September 2015. July 18, 2014.
  3. Web site: history. https://web.archive.org/web/20061009205401/http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/longfell/map.htm. dead. October 9, 2006. October 9, 2006.
  4. Web site: index.htm. https://web.archive.org/web/20060925140443/http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/longfell/index.htm. dead. September 25, 2006. September 25, 2006.
  5. Web site: Los Cerritos. loscerritos-lbusd-ca.schoolloop.com.
  6. Web site: Saint Barnabas Parish School. Saint Barnabas Parish School.
  7. Web site: Bixby Knolls. City of Long Beach. 29 September 2015.
  8. Web site: Los Cerritos Park. City of Long Beach. 29 September 2015.
  9. Web site: Somerset Park. City of Long Beach. 29 September 2015.
  10. News: Newest Roberts Department Store Opened in Long Beach . December 3, 1967 . Independent Press-Telegram . Long Beach, CA . B4 . April 25, 2019 . Newspapers.com .
  11. News: Karen . Robes Meeks . October 13, 2009 . Former Roberts Store to Be Demolished . Independent Press-Telegram . Long Beach, CA . April 25, 2019 .
  12. Web site: Demolition Begins at Roberts Department Store in BK . October 15, 2009 . 2 . April 25, 2019 .
  13. News: Bixby Knolls Loses Two Big Retailers . Heather . Morrison . July 15, 2013 . The Grunion . Long Beach, CA . April 25, 2019 .
  14. News: Olga R. . Rodriguez . July 12, 2003 . A Push to Revive Interest in Bixby Knolls . Los Angeles Times . April 25, 2019 .
  15. News: Grobaty . Tim . Petroleum Club's well going dry at the end of March • Long Beach Post News . lbpost.com.