Seal Beach

Seal Beach is a beach town located in the northwest corner of Orange County. The population of Seal Beach is about 24,000. Sandwiched between the larger cities of Huntington Beach and Long Beach, Seal Beach has managed to maintain its own unique small-town identity.

Seal Beach is home to Leisure World, a gated community for senior citizens. With 9,000 residents, Leisure World represents a major portion of the population of Seal Beach. Seal Beach also contains the Naval Weapons Station, a series of large seemingly vacant fields that contain bunkers of hidden weapons and munitions. The Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge is located within the Naval Weapons Station but is only open for guided tours.

The main coastal neighborhood in Seal Beach is known as Old Town. This area has retained its traditional beach charm. It’s home to the longest wooden pier in Orange County and to restaurants and shops located along Main Street. Ruby’s Diner at the end of the pier is a great place to eat with a nostalgic theme. Seal Beach is very popular for surfing, swimming, fishing, kite flying, bike riding and other beach activities.

Seal Beach has one of the most accessible downtown beach areas. There are a variety of community events held throughout the year in Seal Beach. Neighborhoods in the Old Town area have a lot of beach charm that comes with a high price tag.

Found in the western corner of the County of Orange in Southern California, Seal Beach is known for one of the first planned gated retirement community, the Leisure World, which houses about 9000 residents. It also has a small gated community called the Surfside Colony. The many neighborhoods within Seal Beach are the Old Town that comprises of the oceanic part of the Pacific Coast Highway, the Hill, which is the neighborhood on the northern side of the PCH, the College Park West, a small neighborhood that borders Long Beach and the College Park East, another small one that borders the Garden Grove region.

Households in the Seal Beach region earn a median income of about $42,000. The biggest employer in Seal Beach is the Boeing Company. Boeing Homeland Security & Services and Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems also have their headquarters based in the Seal Beach. The children of Seal Beach attend schools managed by the Los Alamitos School District.

Seal Beach is also known for their many recreational points of interest and cultural events. The Red Car Museum on Electric Avenue features the restored version of the Pacific Electric Railway Red Car. These used to run through the Seal Beach, and one could travel from the Los Angeles County to the Newport Beach on these red car trolleys. Seal Beach also houses the Bay Theater and the National Wildlife Refuge.

Seal Beach also has a wooden pier that is regarded as the second longest in all of California. This pier is greatly known to be used for fishing and sightseeing. Seal Beach is also a great spot for surfers. It is also close to the training grounds of the US Men and Women Olympic water polo teams.

Seal Beach organizes annual events such as the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast in April and the Fish Fry event in July. The people here have also been conducting the Rough Water Swim event on the same weekend as the Fish Fry since the 1960s. Seal Beach has also known to sponsor several events like car shows, concerts and Christmas Parades. They also host the Kite Festival in September.

Seal Beach is a combination of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. It has the laid back vibe of Huntington Beach, but, the real estate market of Newport Beach. Like Newport, the house are within inches of each other, but, if you can afford it and like the lifestyle, it would be a great place to live - you would never have to leave to get anything! Unlike Huntington Beach, there are lots of other entertainment options besides drinking on Main Street. Yes, Seal Beach has their own version of Main Street, but, it is much more low-key and family friendly. Seal Beach also has a movie theater, tons of restaurants ranging from super casual to super fancy and, although it is not right next to the freeways, it has easier access to the freeways than Huntington Beach.

Like all beach cities, as it is full of people who are on permanent vacations (or, at least act like they are), it is a bit noisy. The Pacific Coast Highway (or PCH, as the locals call it) runs right through town and it is pretty busy most times of the day, but, it is never deadlocked in traffic.

The people here are friendly and are mostly locals, which is great, because the downside of nearby Huntington Beach is all the visitors who tear up the city and then leave. There is a greater sense of community pride here. If only I could afford it!