4600 Virginia Road Long Beach, CA 90807 Phone: (562) 570-1755 http://www.rancholoscerritos.org On the outskirts of Bixby Knolls, in the exclusive Virginia Country Club, lies Rancho Los Cerritos. A sprawling 27,000 acre historic rancho left over from the 18th century. Originating as a Spanish land grant held by Manuel Nieto, the last 200 years have seen the land parceled, sold, and developed into the many small communities that make up Southern California. History of Ranch Los Cerritos Historic Site Originally part of the 167,000-acre Rancho Los Nietos land grant issued to Manuel Nieto, the property was eventually divided into six parcels and sold off. In 1843, Jonathan Temple purchased the rancho parcel and built the adobe house in 1844 as headquarters for his cattle operations. Read more »