Cerritos Self Storage/Bellflower Self Storage

Cerritos, California is located in Los Angeles County and encompasses 8.856 square miles of which 0.131 square miles are water. Cerritos is located 1.9 miles from the City of Bellflower.  Bellflower is also located in Los Angeles County and encompasses 6.170 square miles of which 0.053 square miles are water.  These cities being in such close proximity have borders that blend into each other. Bellflower is bordered by Downey on the north and northwest, Lakewood on the south, Long Beach on the southwest, Paramount on the west, and Norwalk and Cerritos on the east.

The climate of Cerritos and Bellflower like most cities coastal cities in Southern California experience wart to hot summers and cool winters with temperatures that rarely drop below freezing. Precipitation most commonly occurs during the winter months.

These cities are served by several major freeways – SR 91 (the Artesia Freeway), I-605 (San Gabriel River Freeway), I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway), and I-105 (Century Freeway). The airports that serve Cerritos are Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Bob Home Airport in Burbank, Ontario International Airport, and Long Beach Airport.

The 2009 population of Cerritos was 51,113. The estimated median household income in 2009 was $84,927. The median age of Cerritos residents in 2009 was 39.3 years. The estimated median house or condo value in 2009 was $538,831. The medial gross rent in 200 9 was $1,852.  The population density as of 2009 was 5,930 people per square mile which is considered average.  

The City of Cerritos is ranked #1 on the “Top 101 cities with the most Vietnamese residents",  #1 on the list of "Top 100 most racially diverse cities (pop. 50,000+)" ,  #1 on the list of "Top 101 cities with the most Asian Indian residents",  #1 on the list of "Top 101 cities with the most Japanese residents" and  #3 on the list of "Top 101 cities with the most Chinese residents". The racial demographic of Cerritos (2009) breakdown was – 59.6% Asian, 17.3% White, 11.3% Hispanic, and 7.8% African American.

The top employers in Cerritos (2009) include United Parcel Service (UPS), ABC Unified School District, AT&T Mobility, Southern Wine & Spirits of Southern California, City of Cerritos, College Hospital, S&J Chevrolet, Nordstrom, Delta Dental of California, and Norm Reeves Honda Superstore.

Approximately 13.0% of the residents of Cerritos work in Cerritos. The most common industries in Cerritos (2005-2009) include:   

Since manufacturing and retail trade industries in this area are top among the common industries in Cerritos, this type of company is often seeking storage solutions for their excess stock and would benefit from nearby storage units.

The majority of the employers in Cerritos are located in the Los Cerritos Center, Cerritos Towne Center, and the Cerritos Industrial Park.  The Cerritos Industrial Parks is home to employers that among other things manufacture and assemble electronic and automotive parts.  These light industrial companies are often in search of Cerritos self storage solutions and could benefit greatly from nearby business storage to store their excess parts.

The City of Cerritos is home to Platt College, Teller Training Academy, Verliz Travel Schools, Public Safety Training Association Inc., and American Auto Institute.  Cerritos is also located within 10 miles of several colleges and universities which have student bodies of over 2000. These nearby colleges and universities include Cerritos College (Norwalk), Biola University (La Mirada), Cypress College (Cypress), Long Beach City College (Long Beach), California State University (Long Beach), Bethesda Christian University (Anaheim), and Compton Community College (Compton).

The City of Cerritos has a community-based economic development effort that promotes economic growth in their city.  This program is known as the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Program. The BRE team works directly with businesses and economic development organizations to provide assistance in the retention and creation of jobs.  This team also assists with site selection, permit access, and other programs to assist existing large and small businesses as well as new businesses coming into the area. 

The Cerritos Redevelopment Agency was created in 1970 with the primary purpose of promoting community development and addresses the problems affected blighted area.  This agency currently is working on the Los Cerritos Project area which addresses problems on the western half of the city, and the Los Coyotes Project Area which addresses problems on the eastern half of the city.

The 2009 population of Bellflower was 72,862. The estimated median household income in 2009 was $53,211. The median age of Bellflower residents in 2009 was 29.7 years. The estimated median house or condo value in 2009 was $345,500.  The median gross rent in 2009 was $1,142.

The population density in Bellflower (2009) was high with 11,997 people per square mile. The racial demographic of Bellflower (2009) breakdown was 53.6% Hispanic, 20.2% White, 12.0% Asian, and 10.8% African American.

The top employers in Bellflower (2009) include Kaiser Permanente, Bellflower Medical Center, Hollywood Sports, City of Bellflower, Woodruff Convalescent Center, Bellflower Dental Group, Stater Brothers, Bel Tooren Villa Convalescent Hospital, Norms Restaurant, and Kmart. Bellflower’s main thoroughfare has numerous restaurants, middle/high end boutiques, arts and craft shops, and features both small stores and large department stores.

Approximately 10.6% of the residents of Bellflower work in Bellflower. The average commute to work is 27.3 minutes. 

The most common industries in Bellflower included:

Construction, transportation equipment, and metal products are businesses that are likely to benefit from nearly storage buildings in order solve their storage solution problems.   

Bellflower is home to the American Beauty College, Mulhearn Licensing School, College of Instrument Technology, and Turor Schools of Trucking.  Bellflower is also located within 8 miles of several colleges and universities with student bodies of over 2000.  These colleges and universities include Cerritos College (Norwalk), Compton Community College (Compton), Long Beach City College (Long Beach), Biola University (La Mirada), Devry Institute of Technology (Long Beach), Cypress College (Cypress), California State University (Long Beach).

Cerritos and Bellflower are near to the Port of Los Angeles (approximately 20 miles) and the Port of Long Beach (approximately 10 miles) both of which are major ports for the importing and exporting of goods.  Individuals or companies that have items to store prior to exporting or have imported items may be searching for storage solutions and fail to find them closer to the ports and head inland searching for storage units.  Since Cerritos and Bellflower less than 20 miles from these ports it is not unreasonable to assume that individuals or companies would be looking for storage units in these cities. 

Cerritos and Bellflower are both homes to several colleges and universities as well as within 10 miles of several large colleges and universities. Students moving in and out of these areas would benefit from secure storage to keep their personal items when they are on summer break rather than hauling their items home just to haul them back when resuming classes.

The population density for these two neighboring cities are considered average and high and indications are that this population density will remain the same if not increase due to the beautiful year round weather in this area.  Residents of the area are likely to be searching for personal storage space to keep their excess personal items, sporting equipment, and/or seasonal items.

Note:  Statistical information obtained from City-Data.com, retrieved June 17, 2011.