About Rancho Los Alamitos | Long Beach Historic Site & Gardens

About Us

Mission

To steward Rancho Los Alamitos as a welcoming public place where people of all backgrounds gather to learn, reflect, and enjoy our region's history and landscape.

Vision

To be a place where history, land, and community life connect to shape a meaningful future.

Values

Belonging - We create a welcoming environment where people feel respected, reflected, and connected.

Connection - We strengthen relationships between people, place, history, and one another.

Learning - We cultivate curiosity and reflection by connecting people to the layered histories, landscape, and evolving stories of Rancho Los Alamitos.

Stewardship - We care for Rancho Los Alamitos, its history, landscape, and public trust with responsibility, integrity, and a commitment to sustaining it for generations to come.

Sustainability - We ensure the long-term vitality of the Rancho, the Foundation, and the communities we serve through responsible management of environmental, financial, and organizational resources.

Interior hallway of the historic Ranch House at Rancho Los Alamitos with chandelier and antique rug

Antique horse-drawn wagon displayed in the historic barn at Rancho Los Alamitos

Historic horse tack, harnesses, and saddles displayed at the Rancho Los Alamitos barnyard

Our History

The heirs of Florence and Fred Bixby gifted Rancho Los Alamitos to the people of Long Beach in 1968, and the site opened to the public in 1970. Beginning in 1986, the Rancho Los Alamitos Foundation assumed management of the historic site, partnering with the City of Long Beach to preserve and share its rich resources. The Rancho is located on Tongva-Gabrielino land known as Povuun’gna. The Foundation recognizes the profound significance of Povuun’gna as the sacred place of origin of the Indigenous people who stewarded this land for thousands of years before the disruption of Spanish colonization. Beginning with these Indigenous people, the land has nurtured a great diversity of people and cultures over its long history, from the Spanish and Mexican colonists to successive waves of settlers and entrepreneurs from all over the world. Today, the Rancho is a seven-and-a-half acre historic site within the City of Long Beach, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States.

Learn more about visiting the Rancho, becoming a Rancho volunteer, or review our recent annual reports to see how the Foundation stewards the site.

Ranch of the Little Cottonwoods

Rancho Los Alamitos, the “Ranch of the Little Cottonwoods,” is a Long Beach City Landmark and twice-listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Rancho is located on Tongva-Gabrielino land known as Povuun’nga. From the Tongva people who lived and gathered at Povuun’nga through waves of newcomers from Spain, Mexico, the United States, and beyond, the site has nurtured a great diversity of peoples and cultures over thousands of years. Today, the 7½-acre site includes four acres of nationally significant historic gardens, a ranch house (1790-1933), and a restored barnyard of the early 20th-century working ranch.

During your visit, wander garden trails, learn from knowledgeable docents and volunteers, meet the barnyard’s resident livestock (horses, sheep, goats, chickens, and ducks), and explore California history. Our mission is to inspire a sense of community by educating and engaging visitors with our rich history, our compelling stories, and our authentic connections to California’s past. We welcome you to join us.

Learn more about visiting the Rancho, becoming a Rancho volunteer, or review our recent annual reports to see how the Foundation stewards the site.