Hermosa Beach (, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 U.S. census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area; it is one of the three Beach Cities. Hermosa Beach is bordered by the other two, Manhattan Beach to the north and Redondo Beach to the south and east.

The city's beach is popular for sunbathing, beach volleyball, surfing, paddleboarding, bars, cycling and running. The city itself extends only about 15 blocks from east to west and 40 blocks from north to south, with Pacific Coast Highway running down the middle. Situated on the Pacific Ocean, Hermosa's average temperature is in the summer and in the winter. Westerly sea breezes lessen what can be high summertime temperatures in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the county and help keep the smog away 360 days of the year.

A paved path, called The Strand, runs along Hermosa's beach from Torrance Beach in the south approximately twenty miles north to Santa Monica. The Hermosa Beach Pier is at the end of Pier Avenue, which is one of the beach community's main shopping, dining and entertainment areas.

History Hermosa Beach was originally part of the 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant that later became the ten-mile (16 km) ocean frontage of Rancho Sausal Redondo. In 1900, a tract of was purchased for $35 per acre from A. E. Pomroy, then owner of the greater part of Rancho Sausal Redondo. Messrs. Burbank and Baker, agents, bought this land for Sherman and Clark who organized and retained the controlling interest in the Hermosa Beach Land and Water Company.

In early days, Hermosa Beach — like so many of its neighboring cities (Inglewood, Lawndale, Torrance) — was one vast sweep of rolling hills covered with fields of grain, mostly barley. During certain seasons of the year large herds of sheep were grazed over this land, and corrals and large barns for storing the grain, as well as providing shelter for horses and farm implements, were located on the ranch between Hermosa and Inglewood. The Spanish words Rancho Sausal Redondo mean a large circular ranch of pasture of grazing land, with a grove of willow on it.

The first official survey was made in the year 1901 for the board walk on the Strand, Hermosa Avenue and Santa Fe Avenue; work on these projects commenced soon after. In 1904 the first pier was built. It was constructed entirely of wood even to the pilings and it extended five hundred feet out into the ocean. The pier was constructed by the Hermosa Beach Land and Water Company. In 1913 this old pier was partly washed away and later torn down and a new one built to replace it. This pier was built of concrete long, and paved with asphalt its entire length. Small tiled pavilions were erected at intervals along the sides to afford shade for fishermen and picnic parties. A bait stand was built eventually out on the end. Soon after, about 1914, an auditorium building was constructed; it has housed various enterprises and at present the public rest rooms, the Los Angeles Life Guard Service, and the local branch of the Los Angeles County Public Library occupy rooms in the building. This pier is municipally owned.

The Los Angeles Pacific Railway, a trolley system, was the first trolley service in Hermosa Beach, running the entire length of Hermosa Ave. on its way from L.A. to Redondo Beach. A few years later it was merged with most other trolley companies in the region to form the new Pacific Electric Railway Company, informally called the Red Cars.

The Santa Fe Railway was the first railroad to run through Hermosa Beach.1896 USGS Topo Map "Redondo Sheet" It was seven blocks from the beach. The street that led to the tracks was called Santa Fe Avenue, but was later renamed Pier Avenue. There was no Santa Fe railway station for Hermosa, but Burbank and Baker built a railway platform on the west side of the tracks near Santa Fe Avenue, and later the railroad company donated an old boxcar to be used as a storage place for freight. In 1926, the Santa Fe built a modern stucco depot and installed Western Union telegraph service in it.

The first city election for city officers was held December 24, 1906. On January 14, 1907, Hermosa Beach became the nineteenth incorporated city of Los Angeles County.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate Average air temperature - (summer / winter, )

Average water temperature - (summer / winter )

Hermosa Beach has an average of 325 days of sunshine a year. Because of its location, nestled on a vast open bay (Santa Monica Bay), morning fog and haze is a common phenomenon in May, June and early July (caused by ocean temperature variations and currents). Locals have a particular terminology for this phenomenon: the "May Gray" and the "June Gloom". Overcast skies are common for June mornings, but usually the strong sun burns the fog off by noon. Nonetheless, it will sometimes stay cloudy and cool all day during June, even as other parts of the Los Angeles area will enjoy sunny skies and warmer temperatures. At times, the sun shines east of PCH, while the beach area is overcast.

As a general rule, the temperature is from cooler than it is inland. A typical spring day (mid-April) is sunny, pleasant and about . In the summer, which stretches basically from May to late October, temperatures can reach to the mid-80s Fahrenheit (about 30 °C) at the beach. In early November, it is about . In late January, temperatures are around . It is winter, however, when the hot, dry Santa Ana winds are most common. In mid-December 2004, temperatures soared to in Santa Monica, for a few straight days, with perfectly sunny skies.

The rainy season is from late October through late March. Winter storms usually approach from the northwest and pass quickly through the Southland. There is very little rain during the rest of the year, on average, there is just about 14 inches of rain per year in the city.

Hermosa Beach usually enjoys a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean, keeping the air fresh and clean. Therefore, smog is less a problem for Hermosa Beach than elsewhere around Los Angeles.

Demographics

Hermosa Beach first appeared as a city in the 1910 U.S. census as part of the now defunct Redondo Township.

Racial and ethnic composition

+Hermosa Beach city, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)16,27915,98015,82215,78014,56390.09%87.71%85.22%80.90%73.82%Black or African American alone (NH)1751971412161950.97%1.08%0.76%1.11%0.99%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)98745128310.54%0.41%0.27%0.14%0.16%Asian alone (NH)3506818091,0971,3711.94%3.74%4.36%5.62%6.95%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)3543200.19%0.22%0.10%Other race alone (NH)362038521520.20%0.11%0.20%0.27%0.77%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xx4176581,332xx2.25%3.37%6.75%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,1321,2671,2531,6322,0646.26%6.95%6.75%8.37%10.46%Total18,07018,21918,56619,50619,728100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Hermosa Beach had a population of 19,728. The population density was .

The racial makeup of the city was 76.6% White, 1.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 7.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 12.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 10.5% of the population.

The census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 9,247 households, of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18. Of all households, 38.6% were married-couple households, 8.9% were cohabiting couple households, 26.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 25.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 36.0% of households were one person, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13, and there were 4,633 families (50.1% of all households).

The age distribution was 17.5% under the age of 18, 5.9% aged 18 to 24, 34.1% aged 25 to 44, 29.1% aged 45 to 64, and 13.4% aged 65 or older. The median age was 40.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.7 males.

There were 10,038 housing units at an average density of . Of these, 9,247 (92.1%) were occupied, 45.6% were owner-occupied, and 54.4% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%, the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%, and 7.9% of housing units were vacant.

2023 American Community Survey estimates In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $152,019, and the per capita income was $110,660. About 3.7% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Hermosa Beach had a population of 19,506. The population density was . The racial makeup of Hermosa Beach was 16,928 (86.8%) White (80.9% Non-Hispanic White), 229 (1.2%) African American, 49 (0.3%) Native American, 1,111 (5.7%) Asian, 46 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 325 (1.7%) from other races, and 818 (4.2%) from two or more races. There were 1,632 residents of Hispanic or Latino ancestry, of any race (8.4%).

The Census reported that 19,491 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 11 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 4 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 9,550 households, out of which 1,878 (19.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,254 (34.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 460 (4.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 325 (3.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 710 (7.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 64 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,644 households (38.2%) were made up of individuals, and 606 (6.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04. There were 4,039 families (42.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.80.

There were 3,093 residents (15.9%) under the age of 18, 1,242 (6.4%) aged 18 to 24, 8,516 (43.7%) aged 25 to 44, 4,898 (25.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,757 (9.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.1 males.

There were 10,162 housing units at an average density of , of which 4,255 (44.6%) were owner-occupied, and 5,295 (55.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%. 10,083 people (51.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 9,408 people (48.2%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States census, Hermosa Beach had a median household income of $101,655, with 3.4% of the population living below the federal poverty line. Economy

In 2024, the most common occupations of residents were management, sales, and administrative support. The top employers were: City of Hermosa Beach (168); Von's Companies (121); Lazy Acres (107); Trader Joe's (94); Hermosa Beach School District (90).

The city has of beach, and 1,570 parking meters.

Arts and culture

Fiesta Hermosa: Arts and crafts festival which has taken place for the last 35 years every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend Hermosa Ironman: Unofficial triathlon every July 4, consisting of running a mile in the sand, paddling a mile on a surfboard, and downing a 6-pack of beer. "First to finish without puking wins!"