Long Beach, CA (it's one of Los Angeles county's 'beach cities'). Originally from NY. The state, not the city. Though the city is nice, I despise it when people assume NYC.
HELL YES TO LONGBEACH! I live south of their but my rents grew up there! My grandparents own an apartment building/condo a block from the beach! I want to go to college up there so I can stay in it!
About 45 miles north of LA, home to Ray Bradbury, Tom Selleck (who really loves Sushi), and Mel Gibson, my almost-next-door-neighbor with a pretty chapel in his backyard =)