Cerritos, CA Properties

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Cerritos is a city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, within the Gateway Cities region that lines the corridor between Los Angeles and Orange County. It is bounded roughly by the 605 freeway on the east and the 91 freeway on the south, placing it about twenty miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles and adjacent to the Orange County line. The land that became Cerritos was once part of the Rancho Los Cerritos, and for generations the area was farmed and ranched. By the mid-twentieth century it was dominated by dairy operations, and when residents moved to incorporate in 1956 they named the new city Dairy Valley. That agricultural identity proved short-lived. As Southern California's postwar suburban boom reached the area, the city transformed rapidly, and in 1967 residents renamed it Cerritos, adopting the name of the Spanish land grant and signaling a new, master-planned suburban orientation. Cerritos is known today as a deliberately planned community. Its public amenities are unusually strong for a city of its size: the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts is a regionally significant venue, and the Cerritos Library has drawn national recognition for its design and programs. The Los Cerritos Center serves as the city's major regional shopping destination, and a large auto-sales corridor operates along its freeway frontage. The city's population of roughly 48,000 is notably diverse. Residents are served by the ABC Unified School District, and the city's planning history, cultural facilities, and freeway access make it a stable, amenity-rich suburban community within one of the nation's largest metropolitan regions.

Population 47,867

County Los Angeles County

Active Listings 82

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is Cerritos in?

Cerritos is in Los Angeles County, California. It lies in the Gateway Cities region of the southeastern part of the county, close to the Orange County border and roughly twenty miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

What was Cerritos called before 1967?

Cerritos was incorporated in 1956 as Dairy Valley, a name that reflected the area's dairy-farming heritage and the ranching economy of the time. As the community transformed into a master-planned suburb, it was renamed Cerritos in 1967.

What school district serves Cerritos?

The ABC Unified School District serves most of Cerritos. Formed in 1965 from the Artesia, Bloomfield, and Carmenita districts, it also serves Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens, and parts of neighboring communities, and Cerritos College sits just outside the city.

What is Cerritos known for?

Cerritos is known for the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, its nationally recognized Cerritos Library, and the Los Cerritos Center shopping mall. The city is also known for its transformation from a dairy-farming community into a master-planned suburb.

City Guide

About Cerritos

Real Estate & Housing

Cerritos' housing stock reflects its mid-century transformation from farmland to planned suburb. The city is largely built out with single-family homes developed primarily in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, often in neatly planned residential tracts with sidewalks, parkways, and mature landscaping. Multifamily and attached housing is present in select areas, but detached single-family homes set the dominant character. Because the city was master-planned, streets and lots tend to be orderly and consistent. With little undeveloped land remaining, the market is shaped by resale and renovation of existing homes rather than new construction.

Neighborhoods

Cerritos is organized around its schools, parks, and commercial anchors, with residential tracts distributed across the city's grid. Rather than distinct named historic districts, the city is known for consistent, well-kept single-family neighborhoods, many built around neighborhood parks and elementary schools. The area around the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and Cerritos Library functions as a civic and cultural core, while the Los Cerritos Center and the auto-square corridor anchor commerce along the freeway edges. The city's planned layout means most neighborhoods share a similar suburban character, distinguished mainly by era of construction and proximity to amenities.

Lifestyle in Cerritos

Cerritos offers a suburban lifestyle built around strong public amenities. The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts brings touring music, theater, and dance to the heart of the city, and the Cerritos Library is a destination in its own right. Dining reflects the city's diversity, with a wide range of Asian cuisines alongside other options, and the Los Cerritos Center provides regional shopping. The city's parks and recreation programs serve families throughout the year. Proximity to Long Beach, Orange County, and Los Angeles extends cultural, dining, and entertainment options well beyond the city limits.

Schools & Education

Cerritos is served primarily by the ABC Unified School District, which was formed in 1965 when the Artesia, Bloomfield, and Carmenita districts merged. The district serves Cerritos along with neighboring Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens, and parts of several other communities, and it has a long-standing reputation for strong schools that draws families to the area. Cerritos College, a large community college, sits just across the city boundary and provides two-year degree and transfer programs. The city's educational institutions are a significant part of its appeal for families.

Getting Around

Cerritos is positioned at the junction of several major freeways. Interstates 5, 605, and 91 frame the city, providing direct access to Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Orange County. Regional transit service connects the city to the broader Los Angeles Metro system, and Long Beach Airport and John Wayne Airport are both within reasonable driving distance. The city's freeway orientation makes it a practical base for commuters traveling across the southern Los Angeles Basin and into Orange County.

Parks & Recreation

Cerritos' recreation is anchored by its parks and public facilities. The city maintains a network of neighborhood parks, sports fields, and community centers, and the Cerritos Library and Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts double as cultural destinations. The civic center grounds offer additional public space, and regional recreation, including beaches in Long Beach and Orange County and the trails of the San Gabriel River, is within a short drive. The city's planned parks system is a defining feature of daily life.

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