Situated as it is by the sea, one of Long Beach's main attractions is the Queen Mary. Since its 1967 retirement, the ocean liner has been moored in Long Beach as a tourist destination, rental facility and accommodation hub wrapped into one. Stories of ghostly hauntings have become part of the Queen Mary's lore.

Long Beach real estate is heating up. The website Money.CNN.com reports that property values have appreciated almost 20% in the last two years, with the median price of a home now at $466,000. DataQuick Information services put the median price of new and resale homes and condominiums at $500,000 for 2006. According to Coldwell Banker's Home Price Comparison Index, a single-family home with 2,200 square feet, four bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, a family room and a two-car garage would go for $921,000. And a recent study by the National Assn. of Realtors found that 25% of the homes sold in 2004 were strictly for investment, according to Nextag.com.