Living in Long Beach

In my crazy nomadic life, I’m finally able to call Long Beach (not California) home. I’ve been here for almost 9 months now, and am really mad at myself for not making this happen sooner. There’s just something really special about living at the beach and still having the city a stone’s throw away. I’ve kind of been all over the map on where I lived, from Boston to Eastern Long Island, but I’m really glad I landed on Long Beach.

Why I decided Living in Long Beach was the best option.

There were a couple defining moments that took place in 2021 that really solidified LBNY as the place to call home.

I got a new job in Manhattan!

At the time I accepted my new job offer, there was a lot of uncertainty around the return to office post-covid. My house hunt actually started in NYC. I was honestly one signature away from locking in a 1-bed in Gramercy Park, and I’m glad I decided to second guess it. After finding out my company would not be requiring employees to be in-office, I saw this an my opportunity to expand my search. With the rental market in the city exploding and prices going crazy, I went back to the island to search!
Fully Flexible Work

I wanted to be somewhere that is close enough to the city where I could commute in if necessary, and have plenty of train options to do so. Living in Long Beach was a no-brainer at this point. I found this cute table for my balcony and I live here working every day. You really can’t beat it!!
Cost of Living

This one might sound crazy – but when you’ve been searching for shoebox apartments in Manhattan, LBNY rent doesn’t look that bad. Based on my budget and calculations, I’m saving over 120% on rent, parking, and utilities by living in Long Beach. …Not to mention I have the beach a couple feet from my door step, private outdoor space, and a garage. Manhattan just doesn’t have that for a mildly reasonable price.
Summer Beach Volleyball

Even while living in Boston, I was playing beach volleyball in Long Beach. Yes, I commuted and Yes, it’s ridiculous that I did that. Knowing I spend so much time here in the summer, it just made sense to get a place here because it really checked all the boxes. There was really no other option than living in Long Beach

I heard so many rumors about living in Long Beach. Being a born and raised Long Islander, you always hear of Long Beach being the place to go if you don’t want to grow up. It absolutely had a reputation for partying. Let’s set a few things straight about living in Long Beach….

It’s not as young as you would think…

“I’m too old for Long Beach.” I think I said that when I was 25… and now I’m 31 enjoying everything single day in Long Beach. Yes, there are young crowds and pockets of recent college graduates, but by no means is Gen Z running around the streets and causing a scene. Quite frankly, the price it costs to live here, strict rental requirements, and sky-rocketing rent are definitely keeping younger renters from securing a place (but this is true throughout Long Island, not just Long Beach). Moral of the story is there is a ton of different people living in Long Beach – if you live here you are pretty much guaranteed to find your crew, your people circle.
It’s very clique-y

Long Beachers are a clique. If you manage to break into a pre-existing group in Long Beach, consider yourself lucky. It was really helpful for me to have my friend group foundation that I made through 3 years of Beach Volleyball here, but moving here with friends or making friends with other new Long Beachers is helpful!
It’s easy to become a regular

Long Beach is smaller than you think. Going on walks on the boardwalk or frequenting the local shops and restaurants means seeing the same faces time and time again. People start to recognize you quick, just because you’re new and then because you’re always around. This helps break the clique-iness you feel when you first move here. If I could give one piece of advice to someone moving to Long Beach, get outside and really explore everything this town has. It’s the best way to meet people!
It’s an incredibly active city

Do not move to lbny if you are a slug. Everyone is always out and about! I’ve found it so easy to be active. I went from a dedicated indoor Peloton rider (which I still am) to going on daily bike rides on the boardwalk. Big shoutout to my adorable beach cruiser!! There’s tons of run clubs, beach yoga meet-ups, and beach volleyball. No matter the weather, you can see people walking, running, skating, and biking on the boardwalk. It’s honestly pretty hard to stay inside when you live on the beach, so it makes sense. Realistically, when you commit to living in Long Beach, you’re pretty much committing to a very active lifestyle.
Parking sucks. Get a bike.

If you are lucky enough to have a driveway, garage, or parking spot, consider yourself blessed, especially in the West End. If you find a parking spot near your place, take it. Leave your car for as long as possible and ride your bike everywhere. The speed limits are super low and the police are super strict, so driving here in general is annoying. Biking to the beach, the bar, the grocery store, really anywhere is the norm around here. If you don’t have a bike and are interested in living in long beach, check out this cute beach cruiser!
There’s awesome nightlife

There are a lot of bars and they all are super low-key. It’s a beach town after all, so don’t think you’re getting NYC clubs. There’s some younger party spots and theres some laid back restaurants with great drink menus. Whatever your vibe, there’s a spot for you. There’s also great happy hour specials, bingo, trivia, and more at most (if not all) bars. From living in Long Beach, you’ll learn which spots are for younger crowds, or even the times they become spots from younger crowds. It helps navigate that rumor of Long Beach being a super young town.
There’s nothing better than living on the beach

I went through some shitty days last year and living in Long Beach really helped turn that around. There’s really something special about walking down the street and being on the sand. It sounds so sappy, but it really makes you not worry about the little stuff that can bug you. Living in Long Beach is just fun. It’s hard to be in a bad mood here. From experience, I’ll go to the city to work in the office for a day, I’ll get stressed out from work and just dealing with the hustle and bustle of the city, come back to Long Beach and just have a instant mood change. I’m incredibly lucky to live here and call Long Beach home.