Although some outside the Los Angeles megalopolis lump Long Beach in with L.A., the city (yes, it’s its own city!) has its own distinct identity and history. Long Beach is also far from insular; the Port of Long Beach has the second-busiest seaport in the U.S. (after the Port of Los Angeles), which means that it’s one of the main arteries that connects L.A. to the rest of the world. And the city itself is has a history of importing/exporting things that are distinctly Los Angeles, from Art Deco architecture to Snoop Dogg and the rest of the “213” crew. Which is all to say that, while the city exists geographically at the tip of the county, it’s very much central to the L.A. ethos (it is, after all, the second largest city in the Los Angeles area). Here, we comb over some of the lesser-known trivia about the proclaimed “International City.”

It Was The Starting Point For Social Security In The U.S.

In 1933, an American physician (and Long Beach resident) named Francis Townsend penned a lengthy “Letter to the Editor” to address poverty among the elderly. That article was published in the Long Beach Press-Telegram. It struck a chord with readers and led directly to a formalized plan (developed by Townsend himself) to enact a sales tax to give everyone over 60 a pension of $200 a month. As noted in the L.A. Times, the plan “drew millions of adherents, a nationwide flood of publicity and the nervous concern of politicians in Washington.”

Ultimately, President Franklin D. Roosevelt would flout Townsend’s idea and develop his own social security system, which was decidedly less generous (it maxed out at $41.20 a month). But it’s undoubtable that Townsend had forced the issue for the U.S. government, and had popularized the idea of social security (and thus easing its passage). As cited at the Social Security Administration’s website (which offers a bizarrely thorough takedown of Townsend’s 80 year-old plan), Roosevelt was quoted as saying that “Congress can’t stand the pressure of the Townsend Plan” unless it had “a solid plan which will give some assurance to old people of systematic assistance upon retirement.”

It Has A Connection With The Birth Of Disneyland

It’s said that Walt Disney used to take his children to the merry-go-round at Griffith Park, and that the attraction had inspired him to build his own fortress of themed-entertainment (this story has been vetted by one of his daughters). While the merry-go-round was built by the Spillman Engineering Company, it’s also said that some of the horses were carved by Charles Looff, a Danish-American who, to this day, is regarded as a master builder of carousels.

Looff’s resume is unimpeachable. He’d built Coney Island’s first carousel in 1876, and would later head west to bring his attractions to Santa Cruz, Venice Beach and Santa Monica (where he built the Hippodrome and basically founded the Santa Monica Pier entirely). He also installed a carousel at (the older version of) The Pike in Long Beach, and he took up residence on the second floor of the building that housed the twirling contraption. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed the carousel in 1943, and The Pike would later shutter in 1979. Today, Looff’s Lite-A-Line on 2500 Long Beach Boulevard serves as a museum dedicated to the wide bounty of Looff-created amusements from The Pike.

Coming back to Disney: apparently the horses at Disneyland’s own King Arthur’s Carousel each have a name, and you can get a list of them at the park’s “City Hall.” One of those horses was given the very appropriate name of “Looff,” according to this fansite.

The Spectacular Failure Of The Spruce Goose Happened Here

The Spruce Goose will never shake its reputation as being the laughing stock of aeronautics history, and it was in Long Beach that it cemented its place in lore.

During World War II, the U.S. government commissioned Howard Hughes and his company (the Hughes Aircraft Company) to develop a huge aircraft that was capable of hauling a large number of soldiers and equipment—it was also expected to be able to float on water. The problems rose from the start; because of wartime restrictions on steel, Hughes decided to construct the plane out of laminated wood (hence the “Spruce”). This dubious frame was then outfitted with eight propeller engines, and doused with $23 million in developmental costs. Ultimately, it took so long to make that the war had ended by the time it was completed.

Eventually, Congress demanded that Hughes demonstrate the plane to show that the money went to a good cause, and what resulted was an unannounced flight test in Long Beach Harbor on November 2, 1947. As noted in a Times article that covered the event, “an estimated 15,000 persons jammed beaches and piers along the course” to watch the trial…which turned out to be pretty anti-climactic, as the Spruce Goose flew only a mile before landing. It wasn’t quite as dull for the guys inside the plane, however, as they reported a nervy experience in which “the hull skipped from wave to wave when the speed increased,” and a “violent motion shook the cockpit,” as well as a “hollow booming of its hull.” The plane never flew again. It was later kept in a climate-controlled hanger that took $1 million a year to manage, and then moved to the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.

It Was Home To One Of The World’s Most Productive Oil Fields

On June 23, 1921, an oil well that was dubbed “Alamitos No. 1” sent a geyser of “black gold” shooting 114 feet into the air. It marked the beginning of what is known today as the Long Beach Oil Field, one of the most productive in the nation’s history. According to the American Oil & Gas Historical Society, the oil field was deemed by the Paleontological Research Institution as being the largest in Southern California at that time, which is made even more impressive by the claim that, by 1923, California was supplying a quarter of the world’s entire output of oil. Within two years of Alamitos No. 1’s discovery, the field was turning out 68 million barrels in a single year. And by the mid 20th century it had the highest oil production per acre in the world, according to the Atlantic.

Not surprisingly, the city went on to have a complicated history with oil. The proliferation of oil derricks became an eye-sore (see: photo above), and the field was said to be the basis for Upton Sinclair’s Oil!, a pointed critique of oil and the dangers of unchecked capitalism (the book itself was an inspiration for 2007’s Oscar-winning There Will Be Blood). Also, recent research suggests that drilling at another site (in Huntington Beach) may have caused the Long Beach Earthquake of 1933. The 6.4-magnitude quake led to 120 deaths, including 52 in Long Beach and 17 in Compton, making it the deadliest ever in Southern California.

Sidenote: technically, Alamitos No. 1 was in Long Beach only for a brief spell. After the discovery of oil, some guys decided that they didn’t want to pay Long Beach’s per-barrel tax, so they formed the city of Signal Hill, which was incorporated in 1924. The small enclave is completed surrounded by the city of Long Beach. The site of Alamitos No. 1 is memorialized today at Discovery Well Park in Signal Hill.

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1. This Long Beach Secret Is Anything But Dead And Buried

In the 1970s the film crew for “The Six Million Dollar Man” was filming inside the haunted house at Long Beach’s Nu-Pike Amusement Park. One poor bloke moved a “hanging man” prop for a shot, the crew soon discovered it wasn’t a prop after all. The man’s arm fell off and revealed REAL HUMAN BONE! *cue Twilight Zone music* The corpse was one Elmer McCurdy, an Oklahoma outlaw and train robber. When McCurdy died, the local undertaker who embalmed his body did a rather impressive job, and so began charging looky-loos a nickel to see the dead outlaw. After a few macabre years, carnival promoters purchased the body and displayed it on tours around the country. The undertaker must have done a bang up job, because by the time McCurdy reached Long Beach, someone assumed it was a well-made prop and hung it in the haunted house.

2. Long Beach Has Your Hangover Cure All Rolled Into One

A post shared by One Man Eats (@onemaneats) on Dec 27, 2017 at 2:38pm PST

The Attic in Long Beach is an American tavern that serves up the most intense Bloody Mary’s you’ve ever seen–for better or worse. If you’re looking to soothe that headache or upset stomach, why not try an entire slider for a garnish? How about a shrimp cocktail in your beverage? Maybe a side of BBQ rib with your tomato juice?

3. Explore The Depths Of Long Beach’s Long-Buried Tunnel

The Jergins Tunnel served as an underground pedestrian walkway from the late 1920s to sometime in the mid 1960s and then was completely sealed off with no sign of reopening. For years, mystery encircled the Jergins Tunnel and unsurprisingly it gained a few ghost stories. In 2007, the city reopened the Jergins Tunnel for Long Beach’s University by the Sea festival. The tunnel had beautiful Art Deco tiling throughout.

4. Sneak A Peek At The World’s Most Slender Abode

You can literally win a world record for anything. Long Beach also holds the world record for Most Couples Feeding Each Other Simultaneously, which is something absolutely no one cares about. Skinniest house on the other hand? That’s pretty fun. The house in Rose Park measures only 10-feet wide, but it makes up for its width by being extra long and three stories tall.

5. Breathtaking Views Await At This Hidden Vista

A post shared by V. Martinez🔥 (@sunsetpalmsandwine) on Dec 19, 2017 at 2:39pm PST

The aptly named Hilltop Park offers one of the best views of Long Beach, Signal Hill, and San Pedro. Technically, the park resides within the city limits of Signal Hill, but it’s a popular sunset picnic spot for Long Beachers too. It’s also an insanely cheap location for weddings.

This article originally appeared on Movoto.com

The holidays are widely known as a time when people acquire more stuff for their already well-appointed homes. But in fact, it’s also a great time to purge—in part by necessity (removing the old makes room for the new), but mainly because the holidays require you to dig through your attic, cupboards, and linen closet to deck the halls, throw together huge feasts, and basically make use of all your worldly possessions down to your rattiest bed linens and last scrap of tinsel.

In short: If you aren’t using something over the holidays, then odds are you’ll never use it at all. Here are some prime things to toss.

1. Kitchen gadgets you never use

“There is a good chance you are using the maximum potential of your kitchen tools and cutlery during the holidays,” says Lily Cameron, a cleaning expert at Fantastic Services. Between big family meals, holiday party hosting, and the special baking projects you do once a year, you’ll probably be pulling out all of the kitchen gear that’s normally crammed in the back of cabinets or sitting in boxes in the basement.And guess what? That makes this the perfect time to do a clear-eyed assessment of what you really need and what you’re never going to actually use. If that ebelskiver pan doesn’t make it into the rotation when your home is filled with highly caloric cheer, perhaps it’s time to admit to yourself that Danish pancake puffs are never going to be part of your life.

As you go through each box, drawer, and cabinet looking for your special party tray or table settings for 20, take the time to sort through everything else and create a give-away pile. By the time you’re making your New Year’s Day black-eyed peas, you’ll be amazed by how much kitchen crap you’ve Marie Kondo‘d out of your life (yes, the decluttering guru is a verb now).

2. Expired spices

Cookware isn’t the only thing you can declutter. “The holidays are also the perfect time to organize your baking supplies and spices,” says Cameron. “Check the expiration dates, and throw away everything old and/or unused.”

3. Holiday decorations you don’t put up

This may seem obvious, but once your house is decorated with lights, ornaments, and other such sundry decor, whatever holiday items you own that didn’t make the cut—and are still lying sadly in the bottoms of your boxes—should be cut from your life completely.

Broken light strand? Toss it. Ornaments that you keep meaning to repair but know deep down you never will? Get rid of them now! Giant blow-up snowman your spouse bought at a deep postholiday discount that you despise? Donate that thing. Or have a ceremonial burning. After the decorations come down, make sure to sort them neatly into labeled boxes and bins to prevent clutter from collecting again.

4. Linens and towels you don’t even give your guests

If you’re hosting guests, chances are you’ll be using your extra sheets, towels, blankets, and washcloths. Anything you don’t need when your house is at maximum hosting capacity is probably not necessary to keep. So get rid of stained or torn bedsheets and towels, ratty blankets, pillows that are past their prime, and any other linen closet clutter you’ve been ignoring. Old pillows are usually full of gross mites and should go in the trash, but most animal shelters can use donations of old towels and bedsheets, even ones that aren’t in great condition.

5. Toys your kids ignore

If your family celebrates the holidays by showering the children with gifts, you’re probably looking at a strong upsurge in the number of toys in your home this month. Why not take advantage of the impending bounty to get the kids to sort through their stuff and donate anything they don’t play with any more? If they balk, try the rule that for every new toy they receive, they must let go of one to make room.

Toys in good condition can be handed down to siblings, cousins, and friends, or donated to Goodwill. You could even host a holiday toy swap. Want to boost the little tykes’ excitement levels? Cameron suggests letting them use their creativity to make decorative labels or packaging for the giveaway boxes, so they look more like gifts.

6. Clothes you haven’t worn in a year

Odds are you’ve recently changed over your closet from warm-weather clothes to items to ward off the cold. Now’s the perfect opportunity to do the time-honored closet cull: Get rid of anything from summer you didn’t wear in the past year. And really, let’s be honest, there’s probably some winter stuff you know you can get rid of, too.

“It is pointless to get clogged with old clothes you never wear or don’t fit you anymore,” says Cameron. It’s time to let go of those way-too-small jeans you’re sure you’ll fit into again someday. Say goodbye to the sweaters with tears at the elbows that you will repair just as soon as you learn to darn. This time of year there are always coat drives and other places you can donate clothes in good condition that will help people who need help, and most cities have textile recycling for the really beat-up stuff. You’ll be giving yourself the gift of starting the new year with an uncluttered closet filled with clothes that you actually like and can wear. Now that’s one less thing to stress about in 2018!

This article originally appeared on Realtor.com 

Homeowners with low mortgage rates may be better off putting extra money in a Roth IRA or 401(k), both of which might offer a higher return than paying off the mortgage.

Then there’s the college aid factor. If you’re applying for need-based aid for your kids, that home equity could count against you with some colleges because some institutions view equity as money in the bank.

If, after those caveats, you want to pay off your mortgage early, here are four ways to make it happen.

1. Refinance with a shorter-term mortgage.

You can pay off the mortgage in another 15 years by refinancing into a 15-year mortgage.

Let’s say you got a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage for $200,000 at 4.5 percent. Then, five years later, you can refinance into a 15-year loan at 4 percent. Doing so pays off the mortgage 10 years earlier and saves more than $60,000 (if you exclude closing costs on the refi).

Those shorter-term mortgages often carry interest rates a quarter of a percentage point to three-quarters of a percentage point lower than their 30-year counterparts.

Refinancing isn’t quick or free. It requires filling out the application, providing documentation and having an appraiser visit. There are closing costs.

And even with a lower interest rate, that quicker payoff means higher monthly payments. And this method is a lot less flexible. If you decide that you don’t have the extra money one month to put toward the mortgage, you’re locked in anyway.

Unless the new interest rate is lower than the old rate, there’s no point in refinancing. Without a lower rate, you’ll get all the same benefits (and none of the extra costs) by just increasing your payment a sufficient amount.

2. Pay a little more each month.

Divide your monthly principal and interest by 12 and add that amount to your monthly payment for a year. Result: You make the equivalent of 13 payments in 12 months.

Let’s say you got a $200,000 mortgage at 4.5 percent. After five years of making the minimum payments, you add an extra 1/12 of a month’s principal and interest to each monthly payment. Doing so pays off the mortgage three years and three months earlier and saves more than $18,000 interest.

Before you make anything beyond the regular payment, call your mortgage servicer and find out exactly what you need to do so that your extra payments will be correctly applied to your loan.

Let them know you want to pay “more aggressively” and ask the best ways to do that.

Some servicers may require a note with the extra money or directions on the notation line of the check.

In any event, if you’re putting extra money toward your loan, always check the next statement to make sure it’s been properly applied.

3. Make an extra mortgage payment every year.

Instead of paying a little more each month, make one extra monthly payment each year. One way to do this is to save 1/12 of a payment every month, and then make an extra payment after every 12 months. This gives you the flexibility to use the extra savings for something else if a more pressing expense arises.

Let’s say you do this starting the first month after getting a 30-year mortgage for $200,000 at 4.5 percent. That would save more than $27,000 interest, and you would pay off the mortgage four years and three months earlier.

4. Throw ‘found’ money at the mortgage.

Get a bonus? A tax refund? An unexpected windfall? However it ends up in your hands, you can funnel some or all of your newfound money toward your mortgage.

Let’s say you got a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage for $200,000 at 4.5 percent. Then, five years later, you can make an extra $10,000 lump-sum payment. Doing so pays off the mortgage two years and four months earlier, and saves more than $19,000 in interest.

The upside: You’re paying extra only when you’re flush. And those additional payments toward the principal will cut the total interest on your loan.

The downside: It’s irregular, so it’s hard to predict the mortgage payoff date. If you throw too much at the mortgage, you won’t have money for other needs.

This article originally appeared on Bankrate.com

As you or your loved one ages, your home may need to be adapted to accommodate lifestyle changes, accessibility and independence. Over 41% of individuals plan to stay in their own homes until the age of 81 or older. It is important to make gradual adaptations to your home as you age to allow for maneuverability. When remodeling to age at home, start early and plan ahead. It is cheaper to do small renovations one at a time than an entire home overhaul overnight.

Grab Bars

Installing grab bars can significantly decrease falls and injuries. They should be installed where the floor may get wet or transition to a different level. Grab bars should be installed by a professional contractor because they require special reinforcement. If a grab bar is improperly installed it can be pulled from the wall causing injury.

Places grab bars should be installed:

• showers
• near toilets
• stairs
• room transitions

Home Entry

Access to the main level without the use of stairs is a change you can make to your home without changing the overall curb appeal. This requires planning ahead. A ramp can be designed with wood or concrete that provides a gradual incline to the front door. By planning ahead, you can have a contractor design a ramp that fits the aesthetic of your home without reducing its value. This provides accessibility for wheelchairs, walkers and those who cannot use stairs.

Making Doorways Wider

Increasing the width of doorways is a simple way to make living at home easier with walkers or wheelchairs. Widening a doorway is a project that should only take a contractor about a day. Making a door 36 inches wide as opposed to the normal 24″ or 32″ allows for easier access, especially in tight spaces.

Floorplan Alterations

Creating room for maneuvering is important. There may be times that you need space to use a wheelchair. A wheelchair requires a square five feet to move freely. Creating an open floor plan is a good way to open space to move around. This can be done by removing full and pony walls, creating cased openings, and relocating furniture and appliances to make sure paths are wide and clear.

When aging in your home you may need to restrict living to a single floor to accommodate for the difficulty of climbing and descending stairs. It is important to ensure that there is a kitchen, bathroom and a space for a bedroom on the main level of your home. If there is not a full bathroom on the ground floor, a contractor can create a full bathroom by adding a shower to an existing half bath or creating a new bathroom entirely. According to HomeAdvisor, a laundry room on the main level may even increase the value of your home.

Removing Thresholds

Removing floor thresholds between rooms can prevent tripping, which is the number one cause of injury for aging individuals. Many homes have a threshold between rooms where flooring changes. This can be alleviated by removing the threshold or installing a ramp that lets them move easily.

Shower Conversion

The bathroom can be a dangerous place due to slippery floors and tripping hazards. Even with the help of grab bars and grippy bath mats, it is important to remove tripping hazards. A popular option is to convert a bathtub into a shower without a threshold. This renovation can allow for ease of access especially for those in a wheelchair.

This article originally appeared on RealtyTimes