The city’s territory has an unusual shape including an area along the beach (South Redondo Beach) and another strip inland from Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach (North Redondo Beach). The primary attractions include Municipal Pier and the sandy beach, popular with tourists and a variety of sports enthusiasts. The western terminus of the Metro Rail Green Line is in North Redondo Beach. South Redondo includes the downtown area affectionately termed “Riviera Village”, named so after the Hollywood Riviera, which is the area it is in. Riviera Village provides locals an opportunity to eat, shop and commune in a quiet atmosphere.
The Marina, Harbor and Pier complexes are large, planned centers of activity that host seafood restaurants, bars, smaller shops and a games arcade. The pier is a common spot for anglers to cast for a local catch. The adjacent Marina, located just north of the Pier, is home to another half-dozen restaurants, a seafood shop, and a pub with almost 100 beers on tap. The large, monolithic concrete structures that make up the pier and harbor area stand in stark contrast to the venerable cozy feel of the rest of the South Bay’s neighborhood-style street front architecture; the city continues to consider options for the area as new entertainment and dining chooses to locate in other areas of the Beach Cities.
Redondo Beach is primarily a residential community with a population of 66,748 in the 2010 Census in an area of 6.35 square miles. It is a full-service city with its own police, fire and public works departments, two public libraries, a performing arts center, fifteen parks, thirteen parkettes, a large recreational and commercial harbor including King Harbor, a 1,500-slip private craft port; the Redondo Beach Pier and Seaside Lagoon; and a bathing and surfing beach.