I'd vote for Long Beach.  3000 runners is not that big -  that will thin out pretty quickly and you won't feel crowded.

I don't know that I'd ever want to go through the logistical nightmare that is a mega race like NYC or Chicago, but even running something as big as Twin Cities (limited this year to 12,200 people) I'm not sure I ever felt like the crowds were impeding me other than maybe it being a little crazy at the first water stop.  There were always runners around me, but I always had plenty of personal space and never felt like I had to dodge anyone.

I think that at the times I was hurting the most, having no one around would have made it really depressingly hard.  And I'm someone who is usually a solitary runner.

It is also SO NICE, particularly for your first marathon when you're more nervous, to be able to cook your own dinner, sleep in your own bed, etc. the night before the race.

I'm doing Chicago.  Are we going to FE?

Never ran a marathon but I have run all over chicago and chicago is FLAT. Real flat. Chicago marathon is big, tons of people on the street, it's in the fall and the weather/temp is usually perfect for it. Plus if you want to carbo-load, there ain't NO better place for it than chi-town.

I would recommend the closer race, but I can't really do that since I've never run my home course. I have run the half though, and it was so nice to roll out of bed and make the 5-minute trek to the starting line. Good luck with whatever you decide. It's your first, so I would go with whatever is logistically easier, so you'll have less to stress about race weekend.

I'm doing Chicago.  Are we going to FE?

 

That would be so fun!

I like races of 500-1,500 or so.  Big enough that you are never completely alone on the course but small enough that you're not dodging people, getting spit on, getting splattered on, etc.  Given a choice between a small race and a big race, I'd almost always choose the small one.  I think one of the things I love about smaller races is the time you spend with other runners after the race in what becomes something of a temporary community.  In large races, you get lost in the sea of humanity and unless you are there with family or friends, are just left to wander around on your own.

And, as Shirfan noted, I like parking within throwing distance of the start.

Has anyone seen this site?

http://findmymarathon.com/

I only stumbled on it recently, so I'm not sure if its new.  But it has been a nice one-stop shopping for marathons and good for comparisons.  Of course they don't have details for every race just yet.

 

Paso Robles and Long Beach:

http://findmymarathon.com/compare.php?compareName1=Paso%20Robles%20Harvest%20Marathon&compareName2=Long%20Beach%20International%20Marathon

Not much info on Paso Robles.  But 94 finishers?  That's crazy small.

 

For my first I would probably go with Long Beach.  There are certainly negatives in dealing with the big crowds, but that is part of he experience.  There is something about the energy of the masses and yes even the crowds at the start and finish that is worth being a part of.

I like that site for marathon shopping (and it's where I went to find out the size of the races being considered).  I don't trust their calculators though.

It's definitely clear in this thread that "small" is subjective when it comes to marathons and 3000 finishers could be considered small or huge depending on your perspective.

I thought about traveling for my first, but decided to stay local, keep the logistics simple.  Plus, between the Rock n Roll half and the Shamrock half, I have now run the entire course that I'll be running for my full, so that's nice.  I vote for flat and better crowd support (both of which I'll have at my first too).