Long Beach Public Library

Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the 43rd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California, and the second most populous city in Los Angeles County, after the city of Los Angeles. Incorporated in 1897, Long Beach lies in Southern California, in the southern part of Los Angeles County. Long Beach is approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of downtown Los Angeles, and is part of the Gateway Cities region. The Port of Long Beach is the second busiest container port in the United States and is among the world's largest shipping ports. The city is over an oilfield with minor wells both directly beneath the city as well as offshore. The city is known for its waterfront attractions, including the permanently docked RMS Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific. Long Beach also hosts the Grand Prix of Long Beach, an IndyCar race and the Long Beach Pride Festival and Parade. California State University, Long Beach, one of the largest universities in California by enrollment, is within the city.

Landmark Square is a 24-story office building in Long Beach, California. It is the fourth tallest building in Long Beach at a height of 312 feet (95 meters), only surpassed in height by One World Trade Center, West Ocean Condominiums 1 and, as of 2021, Shoreline Gateway East Tower. Landau Partnership designed the building, while Englekirk Partners, Inc. was the structural engineer. Landmark Square was completed in 1991. The high-rise features a helipad on the roof and has received a LEED silver rating.

Downtown Long Beach station (formerly Transit Mall station) is an at-grade light rail station on the A Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station is located in the middle of 1st Street between Pine Avenue and Pacific Avenue in Downtown Long Beach, California, after which the station is named. It is the southern terminus of the A Line. It is a key part of the Long Beach Transit Mall, which extends along 1st Street between Pacific Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard. As the city's major transit center, this section of 1st Street is closed to private vehicles and only trains and transit vehicles are allowed. In 2010, a $7 million project was undertaken by Long Beach Transit to upgrade the transit mall. New bus shelters were constructed, with improved lighting and new artwork. The project was completed in spring 2011.During the 2028 Summer Olympics, the station will serve spectators traveling to and from venues located at the Long Beach Sports Park including handball at the Long Beach Arena, temporary facilities for BMX and water polo, along with marathon swimming and triathlon in Long Beach harbor.

The First National Bank (also known as the Metropolitan Building and the Enloe Building) building in downtown Long Beach, California is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original bank building had three stories, which were surpassed in 1906 with the current building, designed by Los Angeles architects Robert F. Train and Robert E. Williams. The distinctive clock tower with its six-foot-diameter clock face was added in 1907. The structure was designed in a French Renaissance Revival style utilizing pressed yellow brick on the street sides and common red brick on the remaining two sides. A number of bank tenants have occupied the building, including (in order): The First National Bank of Long Beach (5456) (1906-1925) The California National Bank of Long Beach (11873) (1925-1929) California First National Bank of Long Beach (11873) (1929-1936) Bank of America, National Trust & Savings Association (13044) 1936 to sometime in the 1960s.During the 1950s, many of the original decorative elements such as the decorative cornice were removed or covered as part of modernizations efforts. In the 1980s, federal tax incentives motivated a project to restore the building to its original look and to repair the clock tower. Today, the ground floor of the building has housed L'Opera Ristorante since 1990.

West Ocean Condominiums 2 is a residential high-rise in Long Beach, California, United States. At a height of 253 ft (77 m), it is the ninth-tallest building in Long Beach. The building is one of two high-rises in its complex, with the other being West Ocean Condominiums 1, which is 92 ft (28 m) taller. The modernist building contains 21 storeys. Amenities include 24-hour security, a club house, fitness center, pool and spa, and wine storage room.

The 2005 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was the first round of the 2005 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on April 10, 2005 on the streets of Long Beach, California. Paul Tracy was the polesitter and the race winner was Sébastien Bourdais.

The Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race was an annual 10-lap auto race held each April since 1977 until 2016 as part of the United States Grand Prix West, and later the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend at Long Beach, California. Beginning in 1991, the event raised money for "Racing for Kids," a national fund-raising program benefiting children's hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County. The TPCR pitted celebrities against professional racers from various types of motor racing. They raced in identically prepared cars built by Toyota or Toyota owned Scion. From its inception until 2005, the drivers drove showroom stock Toyota Celicas. Scion tCs were used from 2006 to 2012, and the Scion FR-S began use in 2013. Celebrity contestants ranged from Hollywood's "A-list" elite, budding young stars and starlets, professional sports figures, local Southern California television and radio personalities and selected Toyota dealers. One seat was put up for auction, the high bidder for which also participated in the race. Often, a member of the broadcast team for the feature race would race in the event; Ken Squier, Paul Page, Jack Arute, and Jamie Little (the 2008 winner) have all participated in the race while broadcasting the feature. All celebrities were given thorough practice, safety, and training sessions before competing, and no serious injuries occurred, despite a large number of crashes throughout the years. Several celebrities who have taken part in the TPCR have gone on to take up auto racing as a part-time hobby or as team owners. The celebrities received a 30-second head start to begin the race against the professionals and past champions. In 2015, actor Alfonso Ribeiro won while classed as a pro (thus starting with a 30-second handicap) and thereby became the third driver to have won the event in both "celebrity" and "pro" classifications, after Adam Carolla in 2013 and Sean Patrick Flanery in 1997/1998. On March 11, 2016 it was announced that the 2016 running of the event would be the final event due to Toyota moving its headquarters from nearby Torrance to Texas.

The 2001 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on April 8, 2001 on the streets of Long Beach, California, USA. It was the 2nd round of the 2001 CART FedEx Championship Series season. Team Penske driver Hélio Castroneves led all 82 laps from pole position ahead of Monterrey winner Cristiano da Matta and Penske teammate Gil de Ferran to win his fourth career race. While Castroneves dominated the race from the front, his lead was threatened with each of the four caution periods throughout the race, which grouped the field together behind the pace car and erased the gap between each driver. Nevertheless, Castroneves was able to pull away each time with little threat to his position. After starting in 2nd place, Kenny Bräck was forced to retire early due to a gearbox issue. Castroneves jumped five places in the points standings to 3rd overall, while podium finishers da Matta and de Ferran remained 1st and 2nd, respectively. Meanwhile, Honda eked ahead of Toyota in the manufacturer's standings by one point. This would be the last CART race for Dale Coyne Racing's two drivers, Luiz Garcia Jr. and Michael Krumm; after competing full-time since 1984, the team withdrew from the series after the race and did not return until 2003.

The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event. It was the premier race on the CART/Champ Car World Series calendar from 1996 to 2008, and the 2008 race was the final Champ Car series race prior to the formal unification and end of the open-wheel "split" between CART and IRL. Since 2009, the race has been part of the unified IndyCar Series. The race is typically held in April. It is one of the longest continuously running events in IndyCar racing and is considered one of the most prestigious events on the circuit. The Long Beach Grand Prix is the longest running major street race held in North America. It started in 1975 as a Formula 5000 race, and became a Formula One event in 1976. In an era when turbocharged engines were starting to come to prominence in Formula One, Long Beach remains one of the few circuits used from the time Renault introduced turbos in 1977 until the last Long Beach Grand Prix in 1983 that never once saw a turbo-powered car take victory. John Watson's win for McLaren in 1983 holds the Formula One record for the lowest ever starting position for a race winner. In a grid consisting of 26 cars, Watson started 22nd in his McLaren-Ford. That same race also saw Watson's teammate (and 1982 Long Beach winner) Niki Lauda finish second after starting 23rd on the grid. René Arnoux, who finished third in his Ferrari 126C2B, was the only driver to ever finish on the Formula One podium at Long Beach driving a turbocharged car. In 1984, the race switched from a Formula One race to a CART Indy car event. Support races over the years have included Indy Lights, IMSA, Atlantics, Pirelli World Challenge, Trans-Am Series, Formula D, Stadium Super Trucks, Formula E, and the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. Toyota was a sponsor of the event since its beginning and title sponsor from 1980 to 2018, believed to be the longest continuously running sports sponsorship in the U.S. The Long Beach Grand Prix has been announced since 1978 by Bruce Flanders (and various guest announcers). The Long Beach Grand Prix in April is the single largest event in the city of Long Beach. Attendance for the weekend regularly reaches or exceeds 200,000 people. In 2006, the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame was created to honor selected past winners and key contributors to the sport of auto racing.

The General Tire 150 is a 150-mile (240 km) annual ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West race held at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. The inaugural event was held on March 6, 2020, and was won by Chandler Smith. In 2021, the ARCA Menards Series West joined the ARCA Menards Series in this race, making it a combination race for both series. The race is also currently the West Series season-opener.

The 2004 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was the first round of the 2004 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on April 18, 2004 on the streets of Long Beach, California. It was the first event for the new Champ Car World Series which was created when Gerald Forsythe, Kevin Kalkhoven, Paul Gentilozzi and Dan Petit purchased the bankrupt CART series' liquidated assets in an Indianapolis courtroom the previous January. Bruno Junqueira won the first Champ Car-era pole while Paul Tracy took the first win.

The Ocean Center Building is a 14-story, 197-foot-tall residential building in downtown Long Beach, California. It was built in 1929 and designed by Raymond M. Kennedy under the Los Angeles architecture firm Meyer & Holler.