The Long Beach Oil Field underlies the Signal Hill Area, south of the Long Beach Airport. This is one of the largest and most infamous fields in Southern California. The community of Signal Hill is still fully integrated with the oil industry, and wells are scattered all over town. There are close to three hundred active wells still at it in Signal Hill, mostly in retail, industrial, and residential areas. The Long Beach oil field has produced nearly a billion barrels of oil since its discovery in 1921.