Porcupine Hill

If the City of Long Beach was an ocean, Signal Hill would be a tiny island.  Even though the size isn't substantial, there is no doubting Signal Hill's historical importance.  Three years before the city was even incorporated it became a destination around 1921 when oil was discovered there.  When Shell Oil Company's first derrick erupted over 110 feet in the air they new they were sitting on a black gold mine.  Shortly after, the company built over 100 oil derricks giving the hill a prickly appearance.  Locals dubbed the thorny mound Porcupine Hill.