Seaside

I love this community. It sits between Anza, Sepulveda, PV Blvd, Prospect, PCH & Calle Mayor. there are approximate 1800 home and as many wonderful families. The area has a new park "Seaside Heroes park" that is the newest park in the neighborhood. It even boasts a 9 hole Golf Course "SeaAire Golf course". On any given weekend you will see golf carts scooting through the neighborhood. The Schools consist of "Seaside Elemenatary" that just got totally remodeled thanks to Measure Y & Z. It is primarily families, or older adults with Adult children that have moved away. There are many small homes that have been purchased, and either added on to, or torn down and built a new custom home. J

At Christmas time.. It's the place to be!

I have lived in Seaside Ranchos since 1983, and raised my two kids here. The extra large lots, beautiful tree-lined streets, close proximity to the beach and award winning schools, make this one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Torrance. Half of the Seaside Ranchos tract (west of Linda Drive) was built by Ben Haggott in 1947. These homes originally sold for $11,500 and if you were a veteran you could purchase a home for only $1,400 down! Four different floor plans were offered featuring 3 bedrooms and 1 bath in about 1,200 square feet. Today, prices range from the mid $700,000's to nearly $2,000,000. Over the years, many homes have undergone extensive remodeling or have been torn down and built new. Homeowners are a nice mix of ages, with long time owners, families, and young professionals mixed through-out.

One of the best things about Seaside Ranchos, are the residents themselves. "Old fashioned" neighborhood spirit abounds here, from the festive holiday block parties and community ball field (TABB), to the impressive display of decorations during the Holidays and Halloween. Would you believe I had over 800 kids come to my door this Halloween? Well, it's true!
The month of December is buzzing with people, too. It all started back in the mid1980's, with little white lights hanging from the Chinese Elm trees on Reese Road. More lights soon followed and the lights and holiday displays became more and more elaborate. Today, you can expect bumper to bumper traffic, and lots of people walking the neighborhood, especially on the weekends.

One of my neighbors, who is an original owner, gave me her original sales brochure. Here is a quote from the brochure that sums up this wonderful neighborhood...

"Nowhere else in California will you find the climate so ideal. Nestled behind protective hills...clean, cool ocean breeze keeps the air pure of industrial smoke and "smog"...yet there is almost never a hint of dampness or mist...with California's most inviting beach only two minutes away...here Mother Nature has created a perfect location for your home. Buy your home in Seaside Ranchos where you will enjoy the finest of home living and where, because of its desirable features, VALUES CAN MAINTAIN"

This is a great neighborhood to raise a family, with the elementary school (Seaside), middle school (Calle Mayor), and South High school, all within close proximity. The oversized lots offer plenty of room for a large home and a big yard, a rare combination in the South Bay. The wide, tree-lined streets offer plenty of parking, too.
My husband and I love living here, and I would highly recommend this area if you are looking for a new home!

Seaside aka Seaside Ranchos is famous for their Annual Christmas Light Display. It's also called Candy Cane Lane and Sleepy Hollow due to the tree lined streets draped in lights. Every house is done up and people sometimes buy here to be part of a neighborhood with so much spirit. Thanksgiving til New Years is the ONLY time of year there is traffic and activity due to the light display. The train of cars from far and wide drive 5miles an hour. Neighbors have gotten used to this and are now making the best of it and selling hot cocoa and holiday goodies.

Built on sand dunes, less than a mile from the beach, at the border South Redondo Beach, adjacent to the Hollywood Riviera is Seaside Ranchos. It is walking distance to Seaside Elementary (Home of the Dolphins), St. Lawrence (for private school), Calle Mayor Middle School (Home of the Bulldogs), and South High (Home of the Spartans). It is all single family homes, no condos or apartments. Most lots are 6500sq.ft.+ and usually range 8000-12000sq.ft.. They used to be beach bungalows and second homes. In the 50's when they were built a lot of TRW workers lived here. There are rarely homes for sale or rent because they usually stay in the family for generations. Over the years many homeowners have remodeled, rebuilt, mansionized, or modernized. You will see original bungalows, variations of spanish style (californian, modern, and ranch influences), as well as cape cod and traditional ranch style homes with copper finished rain gutters. Bindewald Rd., Vanderhill Rd., parts of Doris Rd., and Zakon Rd. are the VIEW streets. Bindewald Rd. is the highest point and has the best views. On the North Side there are ocean views as well. I always knew all my neighbors and growing up we rarely locked our doors. We always could go to our friends house and play in the street. Every morning, we walked down the street to school, more kids would join us on the way.

All the dining is pretty much off PCH between Hawthorne all the way to Palos Verdes Blvd. You can have Chinese, Thai, Hawaiian, Mexican, French, American. Or even shop and dine in the Riviera Village less than a mile away. You can work out at Elite, Riviera, Pop Physique, Shapeshift Pilates, Unity Jiu Jitsu, or at the Personal Trainer on Calle Mayor. There is a bar, florist, and liquor store on Calle Mayor and Anza you can walk to as well. You're blocks away from Ralphs. It's still one of the better Ralphs in the area. And after 15 years later, I'm still going to Deluxe Nail Spa behind South High School. After school, we would walk to Jack's Pizza or Taco Bell, then hangout at Vanguard Surf & Skate and see what new shoes we should buy. What more could you ask for growing up?

In many ways, this Torrance neighborhood can be described much like many of the others—quiet, leafy streets and Ranch homes. But Seaside is just a touch different. The homes here are a little bit larger and better kept than many of those in other sections of Torrance. The streets are a little bit leafier than those in other sections. And the sea air is just a little bit stronger around here.

Another thing about this area is that although you do get your fair share of larger Ranch homes, you also get quite a bit more variety than in other Torrance neighborhoods. Mission Revival and Prairies styles are not uncommon here. In addition, these homes are larger than normal, often incorporating a second story in order to make the most of space. There are also a number of modernist reinterpretations of traditional homes. For example, along some lanes you will find what look somewhat like bungalow style homes, but they have clearly been refashioned with newer materials to create an odd mix of traditional and contemporary. Some homes here take on the look of office buildings or even firehouses even though they are just residences. Very unusual and difficult to describe.

The residents here also have a taste for the unusual. It is not uncommon to see vintage cars around town. There is a bit of the seaside hippy town in Seaside.

The schools here like in the rest of Torrance are also quite good. Seaside Elementary receives top marks across the board.

There is also a little bit of choice when it comes to eating out and shopping. There are a number of restaurants and stores for example along the strip malls on Lomita Blvd. You can get Chili and Indian food there. You can also go there for dance lessons, to get the dogs groomed or to buy cookware. The affluence of the local population draws a lot of businesses to this area.

Overall this is a good high end place to live.