Alamitos Heights

Alamitos Heights

About Alamitos Heights

Alamitos Heights, one of the finest residential neighborhoods in the city of Long Beach, occupies a 150 acre area in east Long Beach. The neighborhood is in close proximity to Recreation Park Golf Course, Marine Stadium, Alamitos Bay, Marina Vista Park, Colorado Lagoon, CSULB, Veterans Administration Hospital and shopping, restaurants and entertainment. The quiet tree lined streets and larger, well landscaped lots contribute to a park like setting. The neighborhood has many older, well maintained homes which give it a warm character. Less than a mile from the beach, Alamitos Heights rises to a height of 90 feet above sea level. The prevailing westerly ocean breezes contribute to the neighborhoods milder temperatures and cleaner air.

Alamitos Heights now has 764 home sites, with an additional 52 under construction in 2001. The neighboring Windward Pointe development, on a site often referred to as the Knob of Naples, constructed 27 luxury homes in a gated community in 2000, however, this development lies outside of the Alamitos Heights neighborhood.

Alamitos Heights History

Alamitos Heights was attractive to early residents because it's higher elevations afforded ocean views. The first residents of Alamitos Heights purchased subdivided home sites in early 1920. Paul A. Hauser purchased the area North of Seventh Street, while Leigh Judson purchased substantial portions of the area south of Seventh Street. In order to stimulate land sales, Mr. Hauser built two spanish style homes at 801 and 815 Havana Ave and occupied the latter as his personal residence. Mr. Judson built a home on the southeast corner of Los Altos Ave and Seventh Street. The neighborhood was then known as Lakeview Terrace.

Oil was discovered in mid-1920 with wells producing as much as 2000 barrels per day. The bulk of this production was south of Sixth Street, however, a few wells were drilled as far north as Seventh Street. Oil speculation had a dampening effect on residential development. However, the high production of these wells soon tapered off as the underground strata were badly fractured by the faults extending through the area. The early 1930's saw little new residential development due to the nationwide economic depression, however, development resumed in earnest in the late 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. The last oil drilling areas in Alamitos Heights were cleared in 1999. The Alamitos Heights neighborhood was dramatically changed when Seventh Street was connected to the freeway in mid-1960.

For more history of Alamitos Heights, see the "Alamitos Heights History" link under Community Pages, on the AHIA Website.

About our association

Alamitos Heights Improvement Association

The Alamitos Heights Improvement Assocation is a volunteer organization made up of homeowners and residents dedicated to maintaining and improving the quality of life in our neighborhood. Alamitos Heights is a beautiful, safe, friendly, well established neighborhood with a strong sense of community. This association was formed by the residents to provide leadership, resources, and a common voice to assure that Alamitos Heights continues to be a great place to live.

The AHIA is a nonprofit public benefit corporation. As defined in the articles of incorporation, the AHIA exists to:
- promote, develop, and protect the interests and welfare of the property owners and residents of Alamitos Heights,
- foster and promote a community spirit,
- maintain the quality of the neighborhood,
- and to promote and engage in any and all kinds of civic and public benefit activities.

There are no covenants, conditions, or restrictions, and the association does not own any common areas. Membership is open to all residents of Alamitos Heights. In 1923, the AHIA had 35 members. Today, there are approximately 830 homes in Alamitos Heights, and each year about half of your neighbors become active members of the AHIA.

The AHIA benefits the residents of Alamitos Heights in many ways. The association acts as a forum for two way communication between our residents and our city government. The AHIA meets regularly with our 3rd district councilman, local police, fire and safety personnel. Information on issues affecting our neighborhood is passed down to residents through the newsletter, website and our meetings. Feedback, comments, and requests from our neighborhood are fed back up to our city officials.
The AHIA sponsors social events for the entire neighborhood. The annual meeting/picnic in August draws many residents and it is a great way to meet more of your neighbors. The AHIA supports the lagoon Christmas Trees and has a lighting ceremony to promote community spirit.
The AHIA publishes a Newsletter containing articles written by your neighbors on subjects that are important to our neighborhood, and maintains this website to promote communications.
The AHIA takes a leading role in issues affecting our neighborhood. For example, the AHIA has been very vocal regarding a project proposed by the county, the Termino Ave Drain Project, that would affect the Colorado Lagoon.

There are many other things, from tree planting to traffic signals, that the AHIA is involved with, and we continue to look for new ways to make Alamitos Heights a better place to live.

Becoming an active member of the AHIA will benefit you and all your neighbors. With each new membership, we gain clout with our city officials, and resources with which to affect the future of Alamitos Heights.

Dues are a very reasonable $20 per household per year, and it's never to late to send them in. If you are interested in getting involved with some of the ongoing projects, feel free to contact us.

The AHIA can be contacted using the link in the upper left hand corner of this page (Neighborhood Leader) or at the address below:

Alamitos Heights Improvement Association
P.O. Box 14571
Long Beach, CA 90803

Links

Official AHIA Website