Redondo Beach, incorporated in 1892, can be seen as three very different communities:

 

South Redondo Beach provides the beach lifestyle including beachfront property:  easy walk or bike ride distances to the beach and potential for ocean views. The Redondo Beach Pier reigns over this area offering additional shops and restaurants to visit. Also located here in the south perimeter is the cozy Riviera Village with more restaurants, coffee houses, boutiques and more.

 

North Redondo Beach lies east of Hermosa and Manhattan Beach. This area provides for easier access to the rest of LA (including work commutes) as well as more affordable property prices. While very residential, this area is also home to many commercial amenities including the Civic Light Opera and the South Bay Galleria.

 

Hollywood Riviera is also considered a part of Redondo Beach since it is included in the Redondo Beach zip code but, this area is actually technically in the City of Torrance.  We’ve included this area here for discussion purposes.

 

South Redondo Beach

West of Pacific Coast Highway (“PCH”) – This area offers the beach life attitude and environment. Distinctly different neighborhoods here are:

 

“The Avenues”

Offering a large neighborhood of single-family homes one block from the ocean. These homes are predominantly older Craftsman style or Spanish homes sprinkled with newer construction homes. As a bonus, these are very walkable to the downtown area known as Riviera Village featuring shops and restaurants.

 

Esplanade/Catalina Ave

On the Esplanade and Catalina Ave, including the surrounding streets, you will find beachfront and ocean view properties including single-family homes, townhomes, condos and even some apartment buildings. The large condo complexes built during the 70’s and 80’s offer ocean and/or harbor view units and additional amenities such as pools, spas, etc. South of Knob Hill Ave, there are also newer larger townhomes.

 

East of Pacific Coast Highway (“PCH”)

This area enjoys easy access to the beach and the Hollywood Riviera but you may need your bike. Since this area slopes up from the beach, many of these homes have panoramic ocean views. This area is divided as “south of Torrance Blvd” or “north of Torrance Blvd.”

 

South of Torrance Blvd

Mostly smaller single-level single-family homes built during the 1950/1960’s. These cottages are typically 1100-1500 sq feet in size. The home styles are typically Spanish and Mediterranean but other styles exist as well.  Some older larger condo complexes can also be found here.

 

North of Torrance Blvd

Predominantly zoned for two on-a-lot townhomes. These are newer homes typically 1500-2800 sq feet in size. However, there is a niche of single-family homes from N. Lucia to Prospect creating a different type of neighborhood feel. Some older larger condo complexes can also be found here.

 

North Redondo Beach

Mostly known for its 2 or 3 on-a-lot townhomes on 7500 sq ft lots, many larger condo complexes can also be found here. There are also 2 niches of single-family homes:

 

TRW Tract – Zoned for single-family homes only

Originally, this tract was built as housing for TRW aerospace families. This neighborhood provides the traditional residential feel with full sized lots and mid-century homes.  This neighborhood is located in the north eastern corner (east of Vail Ave and north of Robinson St).

 

Golden Hills – Tall and Skinny

This area has many narrow lots (25 ft wide X 100 ft deep) resulting in “tall and skinny” homes. Typically these 2-story homes are a reversed living floor plan with two bedrooms on the entry level along with a shared bathroom and a laundry area. Upstairs finds the master bedroom and a great room area including the kitchen, dining room and living room. Some may have a guest bathroom upstairs as well. There are some “tall and skinny” homes that are a traditional floor plan with the living area on the entry level and all of the bedrooms upstairs but these are more rare.

 

Hollywood Riviera

Technically part of Torrance, this area lies at the southern end of the Redondo Beach neighborhoods. Consisting mostly of single-family homes, this area slopes up from the beachside shopping area to the Palos Verdes Peninsula hillside. A few larger condo complexes can also be found here.  Even though this area falls within the Redondo Beach zip code, it is served by the City of Torrance, including the Torrance schools.