The Aquarium of the Pacific, The Queen Mary, Rosie’s Dog Beach, the Naples Canal—and a small, but growing community of freelancers: these are the main highlights of Long Beach, Calif. Over the past 15 years, the wave-less charter city has registered a slow, but steady increase in its numbers of remote workers active. According to Paychex, their ranks rose to over 5,000 between 2000 and 2016. The question is, where do these freelancers work from? Which are the Long Beach coworking spaces that await their arrival?
One of the most diverse cities in the U.S. in socio-economic, cultural, economic, household, and religious terms, the Aquatic Capital of America is not just a weekend escape. Beach-loving digital nomads, solopreneurs, creatives, and even startup owners can discover here a welcoming community of like-minded professionals who work relentlessly on their goals—and sunbathe in their spare time.
So far, we’ve analyzed some of the best coworking spaces in Seattle, Indianapolis, Charlotte, and Columbus. Now it’s time to head over to Long Beach and discover the coworking hubs where you can camp out all day long—or even better, all month long.
Ironfire
Recently opened, Ironfire is a sleek, minimalistic shared office space located at 4195 North Viking Way. Wishing to provide the optimal environment for personal and professional growth, this entrepreneurial hub welcomes results-driven freelancers, startup owners, and forward-thinking entrepreneurs with a friendly, yet professional ambiance. The collaborative workspace is outfitted to accommodate every need, by offering comfortable and fully equipped work, meeting, and event spaces.
Membership packages are flexible, ranging from the usual day passes, dedicated desks, and private offices to part-time, full-time, and two-day plans. Depending on your goals, you can rent small, six-person meeting rooms, or larger, 40-person or 84-person rooms fit for hosting seminars, conferences or training sessions. Ironfire’s perks include convenient tabletop outlets and charging ports, ergonomic furniture, private call booths, printing services, fast Wi-Fi, 24/7 biometric access, and exclusive local discounts.
Work Evolution Laboratories
Launched in 2012, Work Evolution Laboratories is a staple Long Beach coworking space, as it’s the first entrepreneurial hub to open downtown. Located on the eighth floor of the historic Pacific Tower at 235 East Broadway, this eclectic, warehouse-style shared workspace values collaboration, innovation, and education above all else. The coworking hub positioned itself from the very beginning as a community of like-minded innovators, strategists, influencers, entrepreneurs, startups, visionaries, and digital nomads.
Networking, and knowledge- and resource-sharing are highly encouraged, but if you wish to be left alone you can get the privacy you desire—especially if you’ve got headphones on. In terms of membership, the place offers all the standard options: day passes, communal tables, dedicated desks, and private offices. Members benefit from free coffee, printing services, filtered water, and conference room access, but the main highlights are the workshops and the networking events organized. When you’re not busy working, you can admire the artworks on display, play ping-pong or try your luck at the poker table.
UpLAB
Located at 6082 Atlantic Ave., UpLab is a creative coworking space and community design studio that aims to revitalize the north Long Beach area. The hub is designed to serve as a think tank where local freelancers, creatives, artists, remote workers, and visionaries can get together and find the best ways to create a flourishing neighborhood.
A cross between an art center, a shared workspace, and a community center, UpLAB Long Beach is a good fit if you enjoy working in a creative and nurturing environment where you can get to know and share your ideas with other members. You can either grab an unreserved seat or rent a dedicated desk—both options include access to all the amenities available. Be aware, though, that the coworking studio might ask you to get involved in various projects, such as helping with the façade design or with the Christmas decorations.
WTC Workspaces
Conveniently located within the iconic One World Trade Center, WTC Workspaces occupies the entire eighth floor of the 27-story skyscraper. Dedicated to providing concierge-level services to its members, this entrepreneurial hub boasts a friendly, yet professional atmosphere ideal for intense work sessions.
From executive office suites, hot desks, and temporary offices to conference rooms and virtual office plans, the coworking space can accommodate any demand. So, whether you just want a business address or an unconventional workspace, there’s an option tailored to your needs. When it comes to perks, WTC Workspaces offers phone booths, conference rooms, fruit water, micro-roasted coffee, premium tea, and collaboration spaces. The surrounding areas also have many attractive dining options—just in case all those tasks have helped you work up an appetite.
Regus
Yet another coworking chain, Regus operates only one coworking space in Long Beach, within Landmark Square. A sleek and minimalistic place outfitted with modern, ergonomic furniture, the hub offers scalable remote offices for hard-working digital nomads and small business owners.
You can choose to sit at a hot desk in the communal working area, to grab an interior or window office, or, if you need more space, to rent an office suite. In addition to the usual perks provided by most coworking spaces, you’ll benefit from exclusive access to the Regus Marketplace program, which offers various discounts from partner brands.
Office Space Anytime
Located in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood, within the Long Beach Towers, Office Space Anytime is a hip and cool coworking hub that aims to attract startup owners, solopreneurs, and small businesses. Boasting a minimalistic aesthetic, the place is outfitted to accommodate both solo workers and team players focused on professional growth.
The main strong point of this collaborative workspace is its ability to house companies with more than 50 employees, by providing customizable private offices for them. Smaller teams can rent one of the 42 private offices available, while freelancers working alone can find their spot at one of the open seating tables. Once a member, you get to enjoy all the amenities available, including 24/7 access, mail and package handling services, janitorial services, in-house events, and front desk services.
Premier Business Centers
One of the leading national shared office space providers, Premier Business Centers has a strong presence in the city. The coworking chain has no less than four coworking spaces in Long Beach, conveniently located within Park Tower, Kilroy Airport Center, Oceangate Tower, and the 444 West Ocean building. While other collaborative workspaces might try to charm hip, young professionals, this company seems to appeal to a more mature audience that appreciates a more corporate-like environment.
Regardless of where you choose to go, all coworking spaces offer hourly, daily, and full-time offices, as well as virtual office plans, executive suites, meeting rooms, and conference rooms. The amenity package is the same in all locations and includes high-speed broadband Internet connection, telephone answering and voice mailing services, mail handling and distribution, as well as reception and secretarial services.
P3 Office Lofts
Opened in August 2017, P3 Office Lofts is a creative office space located in a 1924-built restored office building in the heart of Downtown. Boasting an industrial-chic vibe, this coworking hub tries to attract digital nomads searching for a place to develop strategies and plan their career paths.
The place has a communal area where you can bring your team and hold a brainstorming session, but it also provides semi-private dedicated desks and private offices. Members benefit from free water and coffee, copy and scanning services, two hours of free parking, and conference room use.
WeWork
It probably doesn’t surprise anybody that WeWork is present in Long Beach. However, it’s a fairly recent addition to the scene. The coworking giant has one hub in this Californian charter city, at 100 West Broadway, which opened just last year. With a rustic aesthetic and a homey feel emphasized by the wooden furniture and the woven string-art installation, this collaborative working space is ideal for those who wish to lose themselves in their tasks.
Freelancers looking for a cool remote office to work at can grab a hot desk or a dedicated desk, while startup owners searching for an easily scalable office for their growing teams can rent a private office—some can seat up to 50 people at a time. Once you decide to become a member, you get full access to all the amenities available, from cleaning services and fruit water to micro-roasted coffee and professional events. The greatest perk of all, however, is the opportunity to get to know the other members.
