A remarkable 8mm video from 1939.

Film Poster: Laddie McCabe
Location: YouTube
Date: July 2, 2015

The video is a captivating look at an early 8mm, and now vintage film, depicting the initial development of the Los Altos Community within the city of Long Beach.

According to the narrator of this film, Los Altos was our ‘nation’s first planned community’. Can you believe it? It is interesting to note that the area of Los Altos was developed first, and all other surrounding communities grew from there. The film talks about Lloyd Whaley’s plan and how the first homes, and surrounding community, were developed along Clark Avenue in 1946. By 1949, Whaley had already completed 880 homes between Bellflower Blvd. and Clark at the East and West, and between Stearns and Atherton at the North and South.

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Los Altos

This is a small cohesive family oriented community located on the East side of Long Beach, a quiet residential neighborhood.  Los Altos was originally developed in 1946 by Lloyd S. Whaley at the end of World War II to provide housing to returning military personnel after the war.

“We love Los Altos”, my wife and I purchased our first home and moved here in 1983, at that time we were the ‘new kids’ on the block and continue to live in Los Altos ever since.  I recall how we used to frequent “Bob’s Big Boy” located at the corner of Bellflower and Spring and to this day remember ordering our favorite dessert, a “Hot Fudge Chocolate Cake”. I miss the early days and all our old neighbors.

Much has change since in Los Altos, the area is now mostly populated by younger families, lots of kids (the cycle continues!) running around the clever maze-like street-layout (by design for safety reasons minimizing unwanted through traffic in the area).  Los Altos today has many new shops, it is conveniently located within the city of Long Beach with easy access to the 405 freeway, close to the Long Beach Airport, coastline, beaches, entertainment and not to mention excellent dining.

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