Homes for Sale in Hermosa Beach
About Hermosa Beach, CA
Hermosa Beach was originally part of the 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant that later became the ten-mile (16 km) Ocean frontage of Rancho Sausal Redondo. In 1900 a tract of 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) was purchased for $35 per acre from A. E. Pomroy, then owner of the greater part of Rancho Sausal Redondo. Messrs. Burbank and Baker, agents, bought this land for Sherman and Clark who organized and retained the controlling interest in the Hermosa Beach Land and Water Company.
In early days, Hermosa Beach — like so many of its neighboring cities, Redondo Beach to the south, Manhattan Beach to the north and Torrance to the east was one vast sweep of rolling hills covered with fields of grain, mostly barley. During certain seasons of the year large herds of sheep were grazed over this land, and corrals and large barns for storing the grain, as well as providing shelter for horses and farm implements were located on the ranch between Hermosa and Inglewood. The Spanish words Rancho Sausal Redondo mean a large circular ranch of pasture of grazing land, with a grove of willow on it.
The first official survey was made in the year 1901 for the board walk on the Strand, Hermosa Avenue and Santa Fe Avenue; work on these projects commenced soon after. In 1904 the first pier was built. It was constructed entirely of wood even to the pilings and it extended five hundred feet out into the ocean. The pier was constructed by the Hermosa Beach Land and Water Company. In 1913 this old pier was partly washed away and later torn down and a new one built to replace it.
The wide flat beach makes Hermosa Beach one of the most popular places to play beach volleyball, from professional to amateur. Hermosa Beach is home to the AVP Hermosa Beach Open tournament, and several amateur CBVA tournaments during the year. The Strand stretches north into Manhattan Beach and south into Redondo Beach and is a popular place for walkers, joggers and biking. Of the three Beach Cities, only Hermosa Beach owns its own beach. The other two cities’ beaches are owned by the county of Los Angeles.
Today, Hermosa Beach homes for sale ranks as one of the foremost cities enjoying rising prices, palatial residences that sit on the ocean front strand that runs the entire ocean frontages from Redondo Beach on the south to Manhattan Beach on the north.
West of Pacific Coast Highway, Hermosa Beach homes mix with apartments; some have sunset views. East of Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach, the hills rise into upper-middle-class neighborhoods of tract homes with custom touches. Since the 1980s gentrification has set in, and many single-family dwellings and apartment buildings have been razed for condominiums. Multiple housing units dominate slightly over single family homes.
The beautiful beach lifestyle comes at a price: according to public data Hermosa Beach real estate prices increased almost 20% per year between 1999 and 2005. Properties within short walking distance of the ocean routinely sell for well over $1.5 million. Those with direct, unhindered views routinely ask in excess of $2 million. Hermosa Beach homes located on The Strand frequently sell for $3–10 million. The home pictured to the above sold in 2003 for $8,100,000.