Parks, Recreation and Marine

Rancho Los Alamitos

5400 Bixby Hill Rd
(562) 431-3541
(7.5 acres)

Information

(Enter through the residential security gate at the intersection of Anaheim and Palo Verde)

The barns area is home to a number of farm animals such as draft horses, sheep, goats and chickens. Rancho Los Alamitos is open for tours without reservations, Wednesday-Sunday, 1-5pm. Groups of ten or more are requested to make a reservation to assure accommodation. Tours are approximately every half hour and end at 4pm. Curriculum based school tours are offered by reservation only. All tours are free!

Volunteers Needed. Contact Claudia Jurmain if interested at 431-3541.

History

This historic rancho has buildings dating from prior to 1842, when Abel Stearns acquired the property from the Nieto family, the original recipients of the land grant in 1784. Abel Stearns lost the property to the J. Bixby Company, which purchased the site in 1878. The John Bixby family lived on the rancho until 1968, when the property was donated to the City of Long Beach. Originally operated by the Library Department, a management agreement was signed with the Rancho Los Alamitos Foundation in 1985 to manage the Rancho. Management of the agreement with the Foundation transferred to Parks, Recreation & Marine in 1993.

Restoration efforts include a garden restoration completed in 2009 with California State Wildlife, Coastal and Land Conservation Bond Act of 1988 funds. The seismic retrofit of the chimney was completed in 1996 with Parks, Recreation & Marine Capital Improvement funds. The seismic retrofit of the remainder of the Rancho was completed in 2006 with Los Angeles County Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond Act of 1996 funds.

A controversial restoration plan was approved in 2000. Construction will begin in 2009 now that lawsuits with the surrounding neighborhood are settled. The barn and accessory buildings will be relocated to original locations before the City moved them in the 1970's, and a visitor center and offices outside of the historic buildings will be built.

Map to the Park