Neighborhood Spotlight: Hermosa Beach’s quaint downtown makes it warm; nightlife makes it cool

Like its beach-city neighbors to the north and south, Hermosa Beach was formerly part of the Rancho Sausal Redondo, 25,000 acres of prime grazing land on the rolling coastal plain of the Los Angeles Basin.

At the beginning of the 20th century, 1,500 acres of the rancho were purchased by developers who formed the Hermosa Beach Land and Water Co. to facilitate the creation of a seaside vacation community for well-to-do Angelenos seeking to beat the heat; the wind blowing in off the bay kept summertime temperatures up to 30 degrees cooler than those farther inland.

Those cool breezes came with a downside, however: The persistent onshore flow whipping across the settlement’s dunes inspired one early resident to record her impression of life there: “But my inmost being shrank / From the greeting chill and dank / Of a wind forever blowing / O’er the sand dunes of Hermosa.”

But blowing sand did little to dissuade newcomers from moving to Hermosa or from visiting it via the Los Angeles Pacific Railway.

By 1903, a small downtown was built to serve the residents of five permanent homes and numerous beach shacks that were built atop skids and could be moved back and forth to avoid the tides.

Just one year later, the earliest version of the Strand boardwalk was under construction, and a wooden pier — the first in a succession of three municipal piers — was built, extending 500 feet into the ocean.

After the town incorporated in 1907, it purchased two miles of beach from the Hermosa Beach Land and Water Co., with the deed stating that it be “held in perpetuity as a beach playground, free from commerce, and for the benefit of not only the residents of Hermosa, but also for the sea lovers of Southern California.”

As the town grew, it became a popular vacation destination, with massive crowds converging during high tourist season.

In the 1940s, Hermosa became something of a jazz hot spot with the opening of the Lighthouse nightclub, which boasted a nationally renowned house band in addition to playing host to such jazz greats as Miles Davis and Chet Baker.

Two decades later, the third Hermosa Beach pier became a popular surfing spot, and the sport soon became central to the town’s culture, culminating with the opening of the Surfer’s Walk of Fame in 2003.

Neighborhood highlights

Hit the beach: Surfing, swimming, fishing, beach volleyball and just lying out in the sun with a cool drink in hand are all popular Hermosa Beach pastimes.

They got the jazz: The Lighthouse is still a great place to catch the hottest jazz acts and has recently received renewed national attention as a filming location for “La La Land.”

Retail therapy: Hermosa’s quaint, walkable downtown has plenty of shops and restaurants to explore, and after the sun goes down, there are nightlife options galore.

Neighborhood challenge

Not enough “there” there: With Hermosa Beach clocking in at less than a mile and a half square, there aren’t many houses available to buy, limiting opportunities for first-time home buyers or those looking for deals.

Expert Insight

David Keller of RE/MAX Estate Properties has been active in the Hermosa Beach community for more than three decades.

He said the neighborhood’s energy flows from Pier Avenue, which is lined with hand-painted murals, statues commemorating legendary surfers and very few franchise-type shops and restaurants.

On the architecture front, Keller said a new style is catching on in Hermosa Beach.

“Currently, there’s an equal draw toward a style which is formally called ‘Coastal Plantation,’” Keller said. “This style incorporates the idea of an elevated beach farmhouse with clean, contemporary lines.”

Market snapshot

In the 90254 ZIP Code, based on 14 sales, the median sales price for single-family homes in November was $1,575,000, up 3.7% year over year, according to CoreLogic.

Report card

There are two public schools within the Hermosa Beach boundaries. Hermosa Valley Elementary scored 935 on the 2013 Academic Performance Index, and Hermosa View Elementary scored 934.

Times staff writer Jack Flemming contributed to this report.

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