| Long Beach is a large
city located in southern California, USA, on the Pacific coast. It is situated
in Los Angeles County, about 20 miles (32 km) south of downtown Los Angeles.
Long Beach borders Orange County on its southeast edge.
Long Beach is the 36th-largest
city in the nation and the sixth-largest in California. In addition, Long
Beach is the 2nd largest city within the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
The city completely surrounds the city of Signal Hill.
The Port of Long Beach is
one of the world's largest shipping ports. 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
Plan. Long Beach has grown with the development of high-technology and
aerospace industries in the area.
The RMS Queen Mary
is a 1936 art deco ocean liner permanently docked at Long Beach. Roughly
200 ft (61 m) longer than the Titanic, the former Cunard Liner is famous
for being the fastest in the world from 1936 to 1952, for its distinctive
art deco design and for its use during World War II as a troop transport.
It was purchased by the city of Long Beach in 1967 for conversion to a
hotel and maritime museum.
Due to its proximity to the
Pacific Ocean, temperatures in Long Beach are moderate throughout the year.
Temperatures recorded at the weather station at the Long Beach Airport,
4 miles (6.4 km) inland from the ocean, range more greatly than those along
the immediate coast.
During the summer months,
low clouds and fog occur frequently, developing overnight and blanketing
the area on many mornings. This fog usually clears by the afternoon, and
a westerly sea breeze often develops, keeping temperatures mild. Heat and
humidity rarely coincide, making heat waves more tolerable than they would
be otherwise.
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