Hermosa Beach obtained its city charter on January 14, 1907. It is one of very few cities in California to own its beaches. Early founders quickly recognized the uniqueness of Hermosa’s beaches. With clean sand and very little kelp debris and few rip tides or dangerous undertows it was among the safest, if not one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California. When planning for future growth and development, the founders protected areas on either side of the pier and deeded that the area “was to 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.” Over 110 years later, the City of Hermosa Beach has continued the original ideals by protecting and providing ample public space to be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Hermosa Beach has been named on numerous “Best Of” lifestyle lists and has been featured on The Travel Channel as a destination beach community.
Today, Hermosa Beach is a virtual playground for beach enthusiasts who enjoy cruising The Strand by foot, on skateboards, beach bicycles or roller skates. The city hosts numerous, popular community events such as KROQ’s Hermosa Summer Concert Series, Taste at the Beach, and the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk. Most recently the city hosted the MTV Teen Choice Awards. Hermosa is a haven for beach athletics and is home to annual AVP and AAU volleyball tournaments as well as the Surfer’s Walk of Fame that honors Hermosa’s early and continuing surfing heritage. The world famous Comedy and Magic Club is located in the heart of Hermosa Beach and is where Jay Leno regularly performs. Hermosa officially kicks off and closes down the traditional summer season with Fiesta Hermosa – two 3-day weekend events centered around Memorial Day at the end of May and Labor Day at the beginning of September.
Music has long been part of Hermosa’s unique heritage as well. The world famous Lighthouse Cafe (featured in the Oscar winning film La La Land) was the first club of its kind in the beach cities and has a rich history of launching jazz greats throughout the 50s and 60s. After the Jazz scene blew up in the area, the punk rock scene arose next. Black Flag was formed by locals in 1976-77. The band eventually moved into and issued albums on their own from the old Baptist Church on Manhattan Avenue. Black Flag influenced other South Bay punk groups to evolve: The Circle Jerks, Red Kross, The Minutemen, The Descendants and Pennywise.
With such a rich history of classic Southern California beach culture, it is no wonder why so many people flock to the smallest little city in the South Bay. There are only three MLS areas in Hermosa Beach real estate. Residents who live along Hermosa’s most eastern border can easily access the beach by way of a 15 minute bike ride. Hermosa Beach has its own school district with just two campuses. One campus houses Hermosa View school where younger elementary students attend while older elementary aged students attend Hermosa Valley. The middle school is also located on the Hermosa Valley campus. There is no high school within the HBUSD, so all Hermosa students have “school-of-choice” privileges at either of two award-winning high schools: Mira Costa High in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Union High in South Redondo Beach. The majority of all South Bay public schools rank among the highest performing schools in the nation.
