“People like the variation,” Klisanin said. The Hill holds many suburban-style, three-bedroom homes set on larger lots Old Town sits closer to the beach and features small lots with a variety of styles that include 1940s bungalows. Jim Klisanin of Baytown Realty has been selling homes in Seal Beach for four decades.Īrchitecturally, he said, Seal Beach has two defining areas. Oceanfront prices: Although Leisure World offers good deals for older home buyers, non-retirees looking for homes close to the beach can expect to pay well north of $1 million. County: Close to Long Beach and Orange County hot spots, Seal Beach makes a great home base to enjoy nearby shopping, dining and entertainment options. Surf ’n’ sun: A broad, sandy beach and California’s second-longest wooden pier make Seal Beach a popular spot to while away warm summer days. Boasting innovations such as guarded gates and on-site medical facilities (two ambulances are stationed in the neighborhood at all times), it was a smash hit with the retirement set.Ī small-town vibe: Seal Beach feels like the small town it is, complete with walkable Main Street lined with shops, restaurants and bars. In 1960, Leisure World, one of the first planned senior living communities in the U.S., began construction north of town. Boats regularly ferried high rollers from the pier to offshore gambling ships, and a general state of lawlessness prevailed.ĭuring World War II, the Navy provided Seal Beach an infusion of economic activity - and a rich source of customers for its less savory establishments - when it established a munitions dump for the Pacific Fleet on downtown-adjacent Anaheim Bay. When the stock market crashed in 1929, bringing the tourism trade down with it, the area around the defunct Joy Zone - and Seal Beach in general - became a place notorious for its brothels and speak-easies. It boasted two bowling alleys, a dance hall and a secondhand wooden roller coaster procured from San Francisco. The town also saw the construction of the Joy Zone, Orange County’s first seaside amusement park, which sat at the head of the Seal Beach pier.

Jordin sparks instagram photos