South Redondo Beach: MLS Areas 155, 156 and 157

South Redondo Beach is the part of the city south of the harbor and the pier, down to the Torrance border at the Hollywood Riviera. The MLS splits it into three areas with two lines: Torrance Boulevard running east from the pier, and Pacific Coast Highway running north and south. Area 157 is everything west of PCH, which includes the Esplanade on the bluff. Area 155 is east of PCH and north of Torrance Boulevard. Area 156 is east of PCH and south of it. Three codes, and the homes, the prices and the buyers change at each line.

Area 157: west of PCH and the Esplanade

This is the coast. The Esplanade runs along the top of the bluff from the pier south to Torrance Beach, lined with condos and townhomes that look straight at the water, and the streets behind it hold the rest of the mix, from original beach cottages to three unit townhome projects. The Census counts about 9,100 people and 6,400 homes and units here, and only about a quarter are owner occupied, which tells you how much of 157 is rental and condo stock. Riviera Village, the walkable shopping district at the south end, is the heart of it.

Area 155: north of Torrance Boulevard

East of PCH and north of Torrance Boulevard is the densest part of South Redondo, close to the pier and the harbor, with about 10,400 people and 4,500 homes and units, a little over half of them owner occupied. It is a mix of 1920s to 1950s houses on small lots and the townhomes that replaced many of them, and it is where first time buyers in Redondo most often land.

Area 156: south of Torrance Boulevard

South of Torrance Boulevard the streets get quieter and the owner share climbs to about 65 percent across roughly 3,600 homes and units and 8,300 people. This is the single family side of South Redondo, with tree lined streets running down toward the Riviera, and it borders the Hollywood Riviera, area 128, at the Torrance line. Homes here trade on the house, the lot and the walk to the Village rather than on a view.

How I read a South Redondo listing

The code tells me the buyer before I see the photos. A 157 listing is about the walk and the water. A 155 listing is about getting into Redondo at a price. A 156 listing is a house a family plans to stay in. Each area is on the map with its boundary, and the three area pages carry the full numbers: 155, 156 and 157.