Los Angeles Relocation Guide - Antevia

Redefining the Relocation Process 

Attention to detail, a curteous and knowledgable staff, and 

a vast knowledge of local rental markets make Antevia 

the best choice for your relocation needs 

Los Angeles Relocation Guide 

Areas Included: 

703 Radford Lane 

Foster City, CA 94404 

Tel: (650) 373-7700 

Fax: (650) 240-4050 

www.antevia.com 

Agoura Hills • Alhambra • Arcadia • Artesia • Avalon • Azusa • Baldwin Park • Bell • 

Bell Gardens • Bellflower • Beverly Hills • Bradbury Burbank• Calabasas • Carson • 

Cerritos • Claremont • Commerce • Compton • Covina • Cudahy • Culver City • 

Diamond Bar • Downey • Duarte •El Monte El Segundo • Gardena • Glendale • 

Glendora • Hawaiian Gardens • Hawthorne • Hermosa Beach • Hidden Hills • 

Huntington Park • Industry • Inglewood • Irwindale • La Cañada • Flintridge • 

La Habra Heights • La Mirada • La Puente • La Verne • Lakewood • Lancaster • 

Lawndale • Lomita • Long Beach • Lynwood • Malibu • Manhattan Beach • Maywood • 

Monrovia • Montebello • Monterey Park • Norwalk • Palos Verdes Estates • Palmdale • 

Paramount • Pasadena • Pico Rivera • Pomona • Rancho • Palos Verdes • 

Redondo Beach • Rolling Hills • Rolling Hills Estates • Rosemead • San Dimas • 

San Fernando • San Gabriel • San Marino • Santa Clarita • Santa Fe Springs 

Santa Monica• Sierra Madre • Signal Hill • South El Monte • South Gate • 

South Pasadena • Temple City • Torrance Vernon • Walnut • West Covina • 

West Hollywood • Westlake Village • Whittier

Agoura Hills, California 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 

Agoura Hills is a city (incorporated in 1982) in Los Angeles County, California, and has 

the ZIP code 91301. The population was 20,537 at the 2000 census. This bedroom 

community on the Ventura Freeway (U.S. Route 101) sits on the border between Los 

Angeles and Ventura County. It is approximately 32 miles from the downtown Los 

Angeles civic center. 

History 

The area was first settled by the Chumash Indians, and later by Spanish Franciscan 

missionaries. The community of Agoura was first known as Picture City. In order for the 

town to get its own post office, the residents were required to choose a one-word name, 

so in 1927 they chose a misspelling of the last name of Pierre Agoure, a local Basque 

rancher from the 1890s. Housing tracts quickly covered the land in the late 1960's. On 8 

December 1982, most of the city split off from the unincorporated town of Agoura and 

became the city of Agoura Hills. 

The historic Reyes Adobe Museum (c. 1820), from the Rancho Las Virgenes, owned by 

the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department, is in Agoura Hills. [1] [2] 

Geography 

Agoura Hills is located at 34°9′12″N, 118°45′42″W (34.153365, -118.761805) GR1 . 

The city calls itself the "Gateway to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation 

Area". U.S. Route 101 passes from east to west through the city. Many residents of the 

[citation needed] 

city, however, refer to it as "A-Town" or "The Bubble".

The city is divided into three major zones: Old Agoura, a ranch community that formed 

the earliest part of the city; Agoura Hills, a predominately suburban area of single-family 

homes that forms the majority of the city; and Agoura South, an older commercial and 

residential district of the city, roughly defined as the region south of the 101 Freeway. 

There are a number of smaller districts in the city, including the Furniture District, the 

Lindero Corridor, and the Reyes Adobe Business District. 

Two of the main streets in Agoura Hills are Kanan Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, 

which run perpendicular to one another. Agoura Hills is home to a thriving café scene, 

centered around the corner of Thousand Oaks Blvd. and Kanan Road. 

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.2 km² (8.2 

mi²). 21.2 km² (8.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.37%) is water. 

Agoura Hills is in the fertile crescent of alt/rap-metal music giving rise to bands 

Hoobastank and Linkin Park (as well as Incubus in nearby Calabasas). 

Demographics 

As of the census GR2 of 2000, there were 20,537 people, 6,874 households, and 5,588 

families residing in the city. The population density was 969.4/km² (2,511.8/mi²). There 

were 6,993 housing units at an average density of 330.1/km² (855.3/mi²). The racial 

makeup of the city was 86.96% White, 1.32% Black or African American, 0.25% Native 

American, 6.50% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 2.09% from other races, and 2.78% 

from two or more races. 6.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,874 households out of which 47.3% had children under the age of 18 living 

with them, 67.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder 

with no husband present, and 18.7% were non-families. 13.8% of all households were 

made up of individuals and 3.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or 

older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.30. 

In the city the population was spread out with 30.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 

to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or 

older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For 

every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males. 

The median income for a household in the city was $87,008, and the median income for a 

family was $95,765. Males had a median income of $72,081 versus $42,656 for females. 

The per capita income for the city was $39,700. About 2.8% of families and 3.5% of the 

population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 2.9% 

of those age 65 or over. 

Employment 

There are 14,899 people at least 16 years old, of which 10,645 are in the civilian labor 

force and 0 are in the Armed Forces. 360 are unemployed. 

Of 7,660 females that are at least 16 years old, 4,865 are in the civilian labor force and 0 

are in the Armed Forces. 4,715 are employed, and 150 are unemployed. 

Of 10,166 out of the 10,285 workers 16 years or older, 8,454 drive to work alone in a 

motor vehicle, 793 carpool, 90 use public transportation (including taxicabs), 76 walk, 

and 82 use other means of transportation to commute to work. 671 workers work at 

home. 

The mean time to commute to work (one-way) is 30.5 minutes. 

Of the 10,285 workers, 7,900 are privately employed, 1,124 are government workers, 

1,211 are self-employed, and 50 are unpaid family workers. 

Businesses 

• Line 6 - a manufacturer of digital modeling electric guitars, amplifiers and effects 

processors 

Education 

Las Virgenes Unified School District 

• Sumac Elementary School

• Willow Elementary School 

• Yerba Buena Elementary School 

• A.E. Wright Middle School 

• Lindero Canyon Middle School 

• Agoura High School 

Famous residents 

• Justin Berfield - actor (Malcolm in the Middle) 

• Rob Bourdon - Linkin Park 

• Brad Delson - Linkin Park 

• Heather Graham - actress 

• Jonathan Lipnicki - actor 

• Douglas Robb - Hoobastank 

• Mike Shinoda - Linkin Park 

• Erin Brockovich - inspiration for the film titled Erin Brockovich 

External links 

• Agoura Hills official website 

• Agoura Hills community History LA County library 

• Reyes Adobe Museum 

• Maps and aerial photos · Coordinates: 34.153365° -118.761805° 

o Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps 

o Topographic map from TopoZone 

o Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA 

o Satellite image from Google Maps or Windows Live Local 

Alhambra, California 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Alhambra is a city (incorporated on 11 July 1903) located in the western San Gabriel 

Valley region of Los Angeles County, California which is approx. 8 miles from the 

downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total 

population of 85,804. The city's Zip Codes are 91801 and 91803.

Geography 

Alhambra is located about 8 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles at 34°4′55″N, 

118°8′6″W (34.081859, -118.135052) GR1 . It is bordered by South Pasadena on the 

northwest, San Marino on the north, San Gabriel on the east, Rosemead on the southeast, 

Monterey Park on the south, and the Los Angeles districts of Monterey Hills and El 

Sereno on the west. Major thoroughfares include Atlantic and Valley Boulevards, 

Mission Road, and Garfield Avenue. The San Bernardino Freeway (I-10) runs through 

the city's southern portions, and the Long Beach Freeway (I-710) has its northern 

terminus at Valley Boulevard in the far southwestern portions of the city. 


mi²), all of which is land. 

History 

Alhambra is named after Washington Irving's book Tales From The Alhambra, not after 

the Alhambra palace itself. [1] Alhambra was founded as a suburb of Los Angeles in 

1903. Its primarily Asian (Chinese and Korean) and white, Midwestern nature throughout 

the first 60 years of its history is reflected in the fact that even today, most Southern 

Californians pronounce the middle syllable of the city's name as a homophone with ham, 

the meat. 

From World War II onward, Alhambra and other cities in the western San Gabriel Valley 

saw a considerable influx of persons of Mexican ancestry, primarily in the form of 

upwardly mobile families moving up from less affluent Latino areas such as Boyle 

Heights and East Los Angeles. In the 1950s, numerous Italian-American families also 

settled in largely middle-class Alhambra, having left the working-class Lincoln Heights 

district in inner-city Los Angeles. Since the 1970s, white flight has led to a considerable 

decrease in the city's white population, and the remaining white residents are 

predominantly empty-nesters and retirees. 

Since the 1970s and 1980s, the city's proximity to Asian American-dominated Monterey 

Park has attracted many East Asian immigrants (initially from Taiwan and Vietnam, but 

now largely from Hong Kong and Mainland China). An active Chinese business district

has since developed on Valley Boulevard. The growing ethnic Chinese influence is also 

felt in the redevelopment of the city's Main Street area due north, although Main Street 

continues to cater to predominantly white American tastes. The Asian immigrants settling 

in Alhambra are usually considerably less affluent than those moving to places such as 

San Marino, Arcadia and Diamond Bar, with the result that Alhambra has developed 

some notoriety as a center of Asian-American gang activity, even though many gang 

members come from the neighboring towns of Rosemead and San Gabriel. 

Since the 1960s, Alhambra has suffered from traffic congestion as a result of South 

Pasadena's success in blocking the completion of the Long Beach Freeway; instead of 

continuing to the Foothill Freeway in Pasadena, as originally planned, the Long Beach 

Freeway instead terminates at Valley Boulevard in southwestern Alhambra, overloading 

many of the city's north-south thoroughfares. As South Pasadena is considerably 

wealthier and whiter than Alhambra, the impasse has led to significant friction between 

the two municipalities, including a notable incident in which South Pasadena high school 

students used caustic chemicals to etch their town's name into the front lawn of Alhambra 

High School. 

Education 

Alhambra is home to the University of Southern California's Health Sciences Alhambra 

campus, site of the university's Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention 

Research (IPR) and USC's master's degree program in public health. 

Alhambra is served by Alhambra Unified School District, which includes Alhambra High 

School. 

Famous Natives/Residents 

Demographics 

• Jack Chick 

• Clive Cussler 

• James Jannard 

• Dorothy Emma 

Howell Rodham 

• Phil Spector 

• Cheryl Tiegs 

• Verne Winchell 

• Talmage V. Burke 


families residing in the city. The population density was 4,347.7/km² (11,257.3/mi²).

There were 30,069 housing units at an average density of 1,523.6/km² (3,945.0/mi²). The 

racial makeup of the city was 30.02% White, 1.67% Black or African American, 0.72% 

Native American, 47.22% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 16.25% from other races, and 

4.01% from two or more races. 35.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any 

race. 

There were 29,111 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 

living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female 

householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 22.5% of all 

households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 

years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size 

was 3.41. 







The per capita income for the city was $17,350. About 11.5% of families and 14.3% of 

the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 

10.6% of those age 65 or over. 


Alhambra's official website 

Maps and aerial photos · Coordinates: 34.081859° -118.135052° 

Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps 

Topographic map from TopoZone 

Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA 

Satellite image from Google Maps or Windows Live Local 

Schools in Alhambra 

Restaurants in Alhambra 

Alhambra Library 

Alhambra Chamber of Commerce

Arcadia, California 


Arcadia is a U.S. city in Los Angeles County, California that is located about 20 miles 

Northeast of downtown Los Angeles It is the site of the Santa Anita Park racetrack and 

home to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. As of the 2000 census, 

the city had a total population of 53,054. 

History 

Arcadia was originally inhabited by the Tongva ("Gabrielino") Indian tribe, who were 

forced into slavery by Spanish colonizers at the San Gabriel Mission (in present-day San 

Gabriel, California). The Gabrielinos were quickly wiped out through a combination of 

overwork and exposure to "Old World" diseases. During Mexican rule of California 

(1821-1848), a large area of land that included the present-day borders of Arcadia was 

sold to a Scottish immigrant, Hugo Reid. The land holding changed owners several times 

before being acquired by "Lucky" Baldwin, a real estate speculator and notorious 

womanizer who made millions off a silver mine in Virginia City, Nevada. 

"Lucky" Baldwin made Arcadia into what it is today, building a racetrack and arboretum. 

He lobbied fiercely to ensure that there would be a railroad stop at his ranch in Arcadia, 

which later proved crucial for local development. He also took steps to control flooding 

from the San Gabriel River and installed modern plumbing. When Baldwin was going 

through a personal financial crisis, he was forced to sell much of his Southern California 

land, retaining only Arcadia and establishing more or less the city's present-day 

boundaries.

Japanese Americans arrive at the Internment Camp at the Santa Anita Park racetrack. 

During World War II, Arcadia's Santa Anita Park racetrack was at one point the largest 

Japanese American assembly center in the United States. Internees often experienced 

appalling conditions at the racetrack, some for more than a year, before being moved to 

permanent "relocation" camps in Owens Valley, Utah, and Wyoming. Imprisoned solely 

because of their ethnicity, internees lived three families to a barrack (or horse-stable in 

some cases), took group showers, lacked private bathrooms, and lived under 24-hour 

armed surveillance. At the time, Arcadia's civic leaders were very vocal in their support 

of the internment policies of the Federal Government. (See: Japanese internment in the 

United States) 

Until a Supreme Court ruling in 1965, every property sale contract within the borders of 

Arcadia had to include a provision that the new owner could only sell the property to a 

white Protestant, though many non-Protestant families did, in fact, own homes and live in 

Arcadia long before that ruling. 

In October 1975, the Santa Anita Fashion Park was opened to the public on the corner of 

Baldwin Avenue and Huntington Drive. The center court featured a gigantic blue head by 

Roy Lichtenstein, later removed.

James Dobson, a previous Arcadia resident, founded the nonprofit Christian ministry 

Focus on the Family in the city in 1977. Its original office still stands on the south side of 

Foothill Blvd. Focus grew to larger quarters in the city, and in intervening years 

expanded to Monrovia for warehouse space before moving out of Arcadia completely in 

1990. 

In the late 1990s, Native American activists threatened to sue Arcadia High School over 

its use of the "Apache" mascot. The high school's use of Native American symbols, 

including an "Apache Joe" mascot, the Pow Wow school newspaper, the "Apache News" 

television program, the "Smoke Signals" news bulletin boards, the school's auxilary 

team's marching "Apache Princesses" and opposing football team fans' "Scalp the 

Apaches" signs were viewed by these Native American activists and many Arcadia 

community members as being offensive. The school consulted with Native American 

groups and made some concessions but refused to change the mascot. Some residents of 

Arcadia, who are former students at the school and have Native American ancestory, do 

not take offense to the school's use of these symbols. 

In August 2000, the 1912 mansion and 19 acre (77,000 m²) estate of Anoakia, the oldest 

remaining private property in the city, was bulldozed to clear space for 31 luxury homes, 

which would come to be derided by many as McMansions. The estate, which once 

belonged to the daughter of city founder Elias "Lucky" Baldwin, featured numerous oneof-a-kind 

architectural features and a structure whose facade was a replica of Thomas 

Jefferson's Monticello. 

Further reading: Pat McAdam and Sandy Snider: Arcadia: Where Ranch and City Meet. 

Published by "Friends of the Arcadia Public Library", 1981, ISBN 0-9606390-0-4. 

Online edition 

"Visions of Arcadia: A Centennial Anthology", 2003, ISBN 0-931995-01-9, edited and 

published by Gary Kovacic is a collection of 130 essays and over 90 historic photographs 

about life in Arcadia that was unveiled on August 5, 2003, the city’s 100th birthday. 

Arcadia in popular culture 

The famous Route 66, immortalized in song and literature, passes through Arcadia, where 

it is known as Huntington Drive. Running parallel to and about a mile south of the 210 

freeway, it cuts across the middle section of Arcadia. 

The city is mentioned by Jack Kerouac in his novel On The Road: Sal, the protagonist, is 

run out of town by a group of hostile teens when he stops for food at a local drive-in 

restaurant with a young Mexican woman. The vignette demonstrates the intolerance and 

racism prevalent in many places during 1950s America. The drive-in restaurant may be 

based on Carpenter's, located on Route 66 next to Santa Anita Racetrack. 

In a motel located in Arcadia across the street from Santa Anita Racetrack, author Hunter 

S. Thompson wrote much of his infamous novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in the

1970s. The 2003 true story film Seabiscuit was filmed and takes place at the Santa Anita 

race track. 

Notable residents 

Jet Li, actor and martial artist. However, he has since moved. 

DMX, actor and rapper 

Demographics 

Arcadia has experienced a tremendous demographic shift in recent years. A city that was 

almost uniformly white Protestant 30 years ago is now 45% Asian and is expected to 

have an Asian majority before the 2010 census. The transformation is linked to a rapid 

increase in wealth in Asian countries such as Taiwan, China, Korea and Hong Kong. This 

has led to the immigration of many Asians to countries like the United States. Arcadia 

offers excellent public schools, which are seen by many young upper-middle class Asian 

immigrant families as a ticket to a good college, and eventually desirable careers for their 

children in America. The large, established Asian immigrant community and the 

relatively high quality of life are also attractive. Since the early 1990s, a growing number 

of Taiwanese-oriented businesses have been appearing along and around Baldwin 

Avenue, due south of Huntington Drive, with a 99 Ranch Market, Arcadia Supermarket, 

and the especially popular Taiwan-based Din Tai Fung dumpling restaurant. Asian- 

American population growth has also been attributed to the exodus of established wealthy 

Taiwanese immigrants away from poorer Monterey Park, California to affluent Arcadia 

and neighboring San Marino and Temple City. 


families residing in the city. The population density was 1,865.6/km² (4,830.0/mi²). There 

were 19,970 housing units at an average density of 702.2/km² (1,818.1/mi²). The racial 



from two or more races. 10.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 






was 3.23. 




every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

Economy 






The Arcadia's economy is driven by wholesale trade, retail trade, manufacturing, health 

care and social assistance, arts, entertainment, and recreation. Revenue from the Santa 

Anita Racetrack supports Arcadia's independent library, school system and police force. 

The racetrack is also a major source of tax revenue for Los Angeles County. 

As of 2004, the City of Arcadia has an unemployment rate of 3.0%. 

The Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita (formerly the Santa Anita Fashion Park) is a 

major shopping center in the city. 

Government 

The city has a council-manager government with a five member city council (Gary 

Kovacic, John Wuo, Roger Chandler, Gail Marshall, and Mickey Segal), including the 

mayor (John Wuo). 

Public education 

The city operates its own school district, Arcadia Unified School District, outside of the 

LAUSD. 

The city has one major and prestigious high school Arcadia High School, three middle 

schools (First Avenue Middle, Richard Henry Dana Middle, and Foothills Middle), and 

six elementary schools (Baldwin Stocker, Camino Grove, Highland Oaks, Holly Avenue, 

Hugo Reid and Longley Way). Arcadia's history of racial discrimination is not included 

in the official curriculum of the Arcadia Unified School District. 

The city also operates its own Public Library separate from the County of Los Angeles 

Public Library system. 

Hospital 

In the Arcadia Civic Center, Methodist Hospital, previously "Methodist Hospital of 

Southern California", sits on 22 acres of land. It has 284 beds in the facility. Methodist 

was the state's first community hospital to have a psychiatric unit. Plus, its nursery school 

was one of the first corporate daycares in the U.S. Several upgrades have been made to

the original facility. For instance, in 1998, the Berger Tower was completed and it holds 

169 additional beds. The hospital opened as Arcadia Methodist Hospital on May 27, 

1957, having moved from downtown Los Angeles. 

It was an Official Hospital of the 1984 Olympic Games. 

Geography 

Arcadia is located at 34°7′58″N, 118°2′11″W (34.132688, -118.036491) GR1 . 




Arcadia official website 

Official site of the arboretum 

Page about movies and television shows filmed at the Los Angeles State and County 

Arboretum 

Westfield Santa Anita 






Burbank, Los Angeles County, California 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Burbank, California 

Seal of Burbank 

Founded May 1, 1887 

Incorporated July 8, 1911 

County 

Latitude 

Longitude 

Area 

- Total 

- Water 

Population 

- Total (2004 est.) 

- Density 

Climate 

- Avg. Temp 

- Avg. Rainfall 

- Avg. Humidity 

- Prevailing Wind 

General Information 

Los Angeles County, 

California 

34°10'49" N 

118°19'42" W 

45 km² (17.4 mi²) 

0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) 0.12% 

105,400 

5,800/mi² 

63 °F(17 °C) 

12.1 inches (307 mm) 

61% 

SW 2 to 4 mph (3 to 6 

km/h) 

Time zone Pacific: UTC-8 

Dialing Code +1 (Country code)

The city of Burbank is in the 

eastern corner of the San 

Fernando Valley, part of the 

Greater Los Angeles Area, in Los 

Angeles County, California just 

north of the city of Los Angeles, 

USA. 

Billed as the "Media Capital of 

the World", many media and 

entertainment companies are 

headquartered or have significant 

production facilities in Burbank, 

including NBC, The Walt Disney 

Company and Warner Bros. 

City of Burbank Official Website 

The town has come a long way 

from the days when it was 

ironically referred to as "Beautiful Downtown Burbank" on Laugh-In and The Tonight 

Show Starring Johnny Carson. 

Commonly believed to be named for famous horticulturalist Luther Burbank, the city of 

Burbank is actually named for New Hampshire born dentist and entrepreneur David 

Burbank. 

The City of Burbank 

818 (Area Code) 

Postal code 91501-91526 

City Tree 

City Flower 

Mayor 

Vice Mayor 

City Council 

City Treasurer 

City Clerk 

City Manager 

City Attorney 

Crape Myrtle 

California Lilac 

(Ceanothus) 

City Officials 

Jef Vander Borght 

Todd Campbell 

David Golonski 

David Gordon 

Marsha Ramos 

Donna Anderson 

Margarita Campos 

Mary Alvord 

Dennis Barlow 

The town grew steadily, weathering the drought and depression that hit Los Angeles in 

the 1890s and in 20 years, the community now consisted of its own bank, newspaper, 

high school and a thriving business district with a hardware store, livery stable, dry goods 

store, general store, and a bicycle repair shop. 

The population would petition the State Legislature to incorporate and formally become a 

city on July 8, 1911, naming Thomas Story, a local businessman, as their first mayor. 

By 1916, 1,500 residents claimed Burbank as home. By 1930, as First National Studios, 

Andrew Jergens Company, The Lockheed Company, McNeill and Libby Canning 

Company, the Moreland Company, and Northrop Aircraft Corporation opened factories 

and studios there, the numbers had swelled to 16,662. 

The Federal government officially recognized Burbank's status in 1923 when the United 

States Postal Service reclassified the city from the rural village mail delivery 

classification to city postal delivery service.

In the meantime, the United States Department of Commerce recommended Burbank as 

the most favorable airport location in the Los Angeles area. Dedicated on Memorial Day 

Weekend (May 30 - June 1), 1930, the United Airport was the largest commercial airport 

in the Los Angeles area until it was eclipsed in 1946 by the Los Angeles Municipal 

Airport in Inglewood when that facility (the former Mines Field) commenced commercial 

operations. 

Burbank's airport has undergone a number of name changes since its opening day in 

1930. It remained United Airport until 1934, when it was renamed Union Air Terminal 

(1934-1940). Lockheed bought the airport in 1940 and renamed it the Lockheed Air 

Terminal, which it was known as until 1967, when its name changed again, to 

Hollywood-Burbank Airport. It remained Hollywood-Burbank Airport for over a decade, 

until 1978, when it was renamed Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport (1978-2003). 

Most recently, in December of 2003, the facility was renamed Bob Hope Airport in honor 

of the famous comedian (see "Burbank Today" below). 

The growth of companies such as Lockheed and the burgeoning entertainment industry 

drew more and more people to the area as Burbank's population doubled again between 

1930 and 1940 to 34,337. But Burbank saw its greatest growth during World War II due 

to Lockheed's strong presence in the city, employing some 80,800 men and women to 

contribute to the war effort producing aircraft such as the Hudson, P-38 Lightning, PV-1 

Ventura and America's first jet fighter, the P-80 Shooting Star, arriving too late to 

participate in the war, but would see service in the Korean War, logging the world's first 

jet-to-jet aerial kill in history. Lockheed would go on to produce the super secret spy 

planes U2, SR-71 Blackbird and the F-117 Nighthawk at its Burbank-based "Skunk 

Works." 

Burbank companies were involved throughout the war, joining together on this P-38 

Disney and Warner (formerly First National Studio) contributed to the war effort by 

producing training films and morale films for the armed services and cartoons promoting 

the sale of war bonds. Disney artists designed more than 1000 unit mascot designs for 

units from every branch of the armed forces. Walt Disney had authorized that the creation 

of these insignias were to be designed for free and by the end of the war was estimated to 

have cost Disney over thirty thousand dollars. 

Burbank would also witness its first real civil strife as the culmination of a six month 

labor dispute between the Set Decorator's union and the studios resulted in the Battle of 

Burbank on October 5, 1945.

Burbank's growth did not slow as war production ceased and over 7,000 new residents 

created a postwar real estate boom and real estate values soared as housing tracts sprang 

up on formerly vacant land in the Magnolia Park area of Burbank between 1945 and 

1950. 

As America entered the atomic age, the city's industries thrived and as the world changed 

around it, Burbank continued to evolve to meet its demands ushering in the 21st century 

vastly different from the town's sheep-farm roots. 

Burbank today 

A predominantly upper-middle class community, Burbank is home to many employees of 

the motion picture and television studios located in and around the city. 

Entertainment has generally replaced the defense industry as the primary employer of its 

citizens, who are attracted by the relative safety and security offered by its own police 

and fire departments, highly rated schools and hospital. Other reasons cited are its smalltown 

feel while located only 10 minutes away by car to the hip clubs and restaurants of 

Hollywood. 

The Intersection of Olive and San Fernando in Burbank, CA 

The convenience of a local airport and proximity to major freeways is crucial in today's 

world, and Burbank is no exception. 

The former Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Airport (which opened in 1930 as the United 

Airport) was renamed in December 2003 in honor of comedian Bob Hope, who lived in 

nearby Toluca Lake for many years. The airport services 4.9 million travelers per year on 

seven major carriers, with more than 70 flights daily. 

Burbank is easily accessible by and can easily access the Southern California freeways 

via the Golden State Freeway, which bisects the city from northwest to southeast, and the 

Ventura Freeway which connects Burbank to the U.S. Route 101 on the south and the 

nearby Foothill Freeway to the east. 

Those without cars can take advantage of the Metro which operates public transport 

throughout Los Angeles County, connecting her citizens to 18,500 stops on 189 bus lines 

including those in Burbank while commuters can easily access the Metrolink and Amtrak

for service south into Downtown and Union Station, west to Ventura and north to 

Palmdale and all points beyond. 

While at home, residents enjoy the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, the Starlight Bowl, 

fine restaurants, the city's Downtown Burbank Mall, a burgeoning "Burbank Village" 

shopping district, and many theatres, parks, and libraries. Visitors to Burbank are 

attracted to the Warner Bros. Studio VIP tour and close proximity to all other 

entertainments and attractions that Los Angeles offers. 

Recently, the murder of Burbank police officer Matthew Pavelka by a local gang known 

as the Vineland Boys sparked an intensive investigation in conjuction with several other 

cities and resulted in the arrest of a number of gangmembers and other citizens in and 

around Burbank. Among those arrested was Burbank city councilwoman Stacey Murphy, 

implicated in trading guns in exchange for drugs. 

Sister cities 

Burbank is also affiliated with the following sister cities : 

Geography 

• Gaborone, 

Botswana 

• Incheon, South 

Korea 

• Ota, Japan 

• Solna, Sweden 

Burbank is located at 34°10′49″N, 118°19′42″W (34.180170, -118.328341) GR1 . 



Looking west over Burbank with Olive Ave. crossing over the I-5 in the foreground

It is bordered by Glendale to the east, Toluca Lake on the west, and Griffith Park to the 

South. Hollywood is easily accessible from Burbank by driving down Barham Blvd. (past 

Warner Bros. Studios & Universal Studios) to Cahuenga Blvd., formerly known as the 

Cahuenga Pass. 

Demographics 






from two or more races. 24.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 






was 3.14. 










The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in its 2004 Uniform Crime Reports 

was 262 of which there were 4 murders and homicides. The violent crime rate was 

approximately 2.5 per 1,000 people, well below the national average as reported by the 

U.S. Department of Justice in the Bureau of Justice Statistics. 

Economy

Looking east over Burbank from Universal Studios 

Much of Burbank's economy is based on the entertainment industry. Hollywood is 

considered a symbol of the glamorous entertainment industry, but much of the actual 

production takes place in Burbank. Many ancillary companies are also located there. 

Many companies have their headquarters in Burbank, including ABC, Arri, Cartoon 

Network, DIC Entertainment, Dick Clark Productions, NBC, Nickelodeon, The Walt 

Disney Company, Warner Bros., and Warner Music Group. 

Burbank is also conveniently located close to CBS Studio Center, DreamWorks, and 

Universal Studios in neighboring Studio City, Glendale, and Universal City, respectively. 

Capitol Records and Paramount are just south of Burbank in Hollywood proper. 

Local IATSE union offices for the Stagehands Local 33, Grips Local 80, Make-up and 

Hairstylist Local 706 and Set Painters Local 729 also make their home in Burbank with 

Teamsters Local 399, IBEW Local 40 and many other IATSE locals nearby. 

Education 

Burbank is home to several California Distinguished Schools including the confusingly 

named Luther Burbank Middle School (see history above). Both its public and private K- 

12 schools routinely score above state and national average test scores. A number of 

colleges are also located in Burbank including the Woodbury University with its 

renowned design program and several make up and beauty trade schools servicing the 

entertainment industry. 

Famous residents 

A number of famous people have lived in Burbank at one time or another, here's a partial 

list of some of people who have called Burbank home. 

• Wally Albright (1925- 

1999) actor. The 

Little Rascals

• Tim Burton (1958-) 

writer and director. 

Edward 

Scissorhands, The 

Nightmare Before 

Christmas 

• Rod Beck (1968-) 

Major League 

Baseball player. San 

Francisco Giants, 

Boston Red Sox 

• Dick Clark (1929-) 

TV personality. 

"America's oldest 

teenager". American 

Bandstand, New 

Year's Rockin' Eve 

• Debbe Dunning 

(1966-) actress. 

Home Improvement 

• Soleil Moon Frye 

(1976-) actress. 

Punky Brewster, 

Sabrina the Teenage 

Witch 

• Mark Harmon (1951-) 

actor. St. Elsewhere, 

Stealing Home 

• Ron Howard (1954-) 

actor and film 

director. A Beautiful 

Mind, The Da Vinci 

Code 

• Clint Howard (1958-) 

actor. Gentle Ben, 

Star Trek: Deep 

Space Nine 

• James J. Jeffries 

(1875-1953) "The 

Boilermaker" World 

Heavyweight Boxing 

Champion 

• Kelly Johnson (1910- 

1990) chief 

aeronautical engineer

at Lockheed's Skunk 

works 

• Patton Oswalt (1969-) 

comedian, actor and 

writer. Magnolia, 

MADtv 

• Sean Penn (1960-) 

actor, director, 

activist. Fast Times 

at Ridgemont High, 

Mystic River 

• Eve Plumb (1958-) 

actress. The Brady 

Bunch 

• Bonnie Raitt (1949-), 

singer/songwriter. 

Luck of the Draw, 

Longing in Their 

Hearts 

• Debbie Reynolds 

(1932-) actress, Miss 

Burbank 1948. 

Singin' in the Rain, 

The Unsinkable 

Molly Brown 

• Randy Rhoads (1956- 

1982) Lead guitarist 

and founding 

member of Quiet 

Riot (1976-1979) 

and lead guitarist for 

Ozzy Osbourne 

(1979-1982). 

• John Ritter (1948- 

2003) actor and 

comedian of TV's 

Three's Company 

and 8 Simple Rules 

• Doug Savant (1964-) 

actor. Melrose Place, 

Desperate 

Housewives 

• Adam Schiff (1960-) 

Democratic U.S. 

Congressman from

References 

California since 

2000. 

• Martin Scorsese 

(1942-) director. 

Taxi Driver, Raging 

Bull, Goodfellas 

• Wil Wheaton (1972-) 

actor and writer. 

Stand By Me, Star 

Trek: The Next 

Generation 

Brief History of Burbank, California (Burbank Chamber of Commerce, 1961) 

Of Men and Stars, A History of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (Lockheed Aircraft 

Corporation, 1957-1958) 

Ranchos de Los Santos, The Story of Burbank (The Burbank Branch of the Security Trust 

and Savings Bank, 1927) 

The Story of Burbank from Her Eventful Pioneer Days (The Magnolia Park Chamber of 

Commerce, 1954) 

Your Burbank Home (Burbank Merchant’s Association, 1928) 

Maps 






Glendale, California


Glendale, California 

Seal 

Nickname: "The Jewel City" 

Location 

Location of Glendale within Los Angeles County and the State of 

California. 

Country 

State 

County 

Government 

United States 

California 

Los Angeles 

City Council Ara Najarian 

Rafi Manoukian 

Dave Weaver (mayor) 

Frank Quintero 

Bob Yousefian

Geographical characteristics 

Area 

City 30.7 sq. miles / 79.4 km² 

Land 30.66 sq. miles / 79.3 km² 

Water 0.04 sq. miles / 0.1 km² 

Population 

City (2005) 207,007 

Density 2,456.1/km² 

Time zone 

Summer (DST) 

estimated 

PST (UTC-8) 

PDT (UTC-7) 

Website: http://www.ci.glendale.ca.us 

Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies at the eastern 

end of the San Fernando Valley, is bisected by the Verdugo Mountains, and is an 

important suburb in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The city is bordered to the southwest 

by the Atwater Village district of Los Angeles; to the west by Burbank; to the northwest 

by the Tujunga district of Los Angeles; to the northeast by the city of La Cañada 

Flintridge and the unincorporated La Crescenta area; and to the east by Pasadena. The 

Golden State, Ventura, Glendale, and Foothill freeways run through the city. 

As of the 2000 census, the city population was 194,973. Since then, there have been 

estimates of 201,326 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2004 and 207,007 by the California 

State government in 2005, making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 

seventeenth largest city in the state of California. 

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, located in Glendale, contains the remains of many 

celebrities and local residents. It is famous as the pioneer of a new style of cemetery. 

The U.S. headquarters of the Swiss foods multinational Nestlé are located here. Glendale 

is also home to the "southern campus" of DreamWorks SKG, the diversified 

entertainment company founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and 

David Geffen. 

History 

The area was long inhabited by the Tongva people.

José María Verdugo, a corporal in the Spanish army from Baja California, received a 

grant of the Rancho San Rafael in 1798, an area he had been farming since 1784. In 1860 

His grandson Teodoro Verdugo built the Verdugo Adobe, which is the oldest building in 

Glendale. The property is the location of the Oak of Peace where early Californio leaders 

including Jesus Pico met in 1847 and decided to surrender to American General John C. 

Frémont. 

Verdugo's descendants sold the ranch in various parcels, some of which are included in 

present-day Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, and Highland Park neighborhoods of Los 

Angeles. 

In 1884 residents gathered to form a town and chose the name "Glendale". Residents to 

the southwest formed "Tropico" in 1887. The Pacific Electric Railroad brought streetcar 

service in 1904. 

The City of Glendale was incorporated in 1906 and Tropico was annexed 12 years later. 

The most important civic booster of the era was Leslie C. Brand, who built in 1909 a 

grand estate El Miradero in a stunning blend of architectural styles. Brand built a private 

airstrip in 1919 and hosted "fly-in" parties. The grounds of El Miradero are now cityowned 

Brand Park and the mansion is the Brand Library. One of the city's main 

thoroughfares is Brand Boulevard. 

The city grew quickly. Its population rose from 13,756 in 1920 to 62,736 in 1930 before 

slowing down. The Forest Lawn Memorial Park opened in 1917. Pioneering 

endocrinologist and entrepreneur Dr. Henry R. Harrower opened his clinic in Glendale in 

1920, which for many years was the largest business in the city. The American Green 

Cross, an early conservation and tree preservation society, was formed in 1926 (it 

disbanded three years later and the current organization of that name is unrelated).

Grand Central Air Terminal, October 2005 

The "Grand Central Airport" was an important facility to the city and to the history of 

aviation. It provided the first paved runway west of the Rocky Mountains in 1923. In 

1928 it opened its terminal, making it the first official airport in Greater Los Angeles. For 

the next two decades it was the main airport in the county and references to "Los Angeles 

Airport" from that era generally refer to the Grand Central Airport, not to Los Angeles 

International Airport (LAX), which was known as Mines Field at the time (commercial 

airline operations at LAX did not begin until 1946). 

Jack Northrop built his first aircraft factory here in 1927, though it was soon moved to 

Burbank's "United Airport" (now Bob Hope Airport). The first regularly-scheduled 

airline service between Southern California and New York City was initiated on July 28, 

1929 by Transcontinental Air Transport, with owner Charles A. Lindbergh piloting the 

first flight. Among the passengers on the 48-hour trip were Mary Pickford and Douglas 

Fairbanks. Pioneering female aviator Laura Ingalls became the first woman to fly solo 

across in the country when she landed at Glendale in 1930. The first transcontinental 

flight by African American pilots, Albert Forsythe and Charles Anderson, was completed 

at Glendale in 1933. Howard Hughes built his innovative and record-setting "H-1 Racer" 

in a plant next to the airport in 1935. During World War II it became a P-38 base where 

the 319th Fighter Wing trained. 

After the war the airport eventually returned to private use but its runways were too short 

for jet planes and the airport was closed in 1959. The Grand Central Air Terminal 

building, with its control tower, was designed by Henry L. Gogerty. The building is 

currently owned by The Walt Disney Company, though the terminal and tower were 

made uninhabitable by the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The airport was the setting of 

several films, including Hughes' 1930 Hell's Angels, Shirley Temple's 1934 Bright Eyes,

and the musical Hollywood Hotel with Dick Powell. The city of Glendale is also part 

owner of the Bob Hope Airport (formerly "Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport"). 

The Bob's Big Boy chain of hamburger restaurants started in Glendale in 1936, and the 

Baskin-Robbins, "31 Flavors" chain of ice cream parlors started there in 1945. 

In 1964, Glendale was selected by George Lincoln Rockwell to be the West Coast 

headquarters of the American Nazi Party. Its offices, on Colorado Boulevard in the 

downtown section of the city, remained open until the early 1980s. 

The Glendale Public Library contains one of the largest collections of books on cats in 

the world, over 20,000 volumes. [1] It was donated to the library in the 1950s by the Jewel 

City Cat Fanciers Club, with the understanding that it would be made into a special 

collection and kept permanently for club members to use and enjoy. [2] 

The skyline of downtown Glendale. 

The city saw significant development in the 1970s. Completion of the Glendale Freeway 

(HWY 2) and the Ventura Freeway (HWY 134), redevelopment of Brand Boulevard, 

renovation of the 1925 Alex Theatre, and construction of the Glendale Galleria shopping 

mall, all contributed to the resurgence of the city. 

In 1994, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen formed DreamWorks 

SKG, a diversified entertainment company. The company's "southern campus" is located 

in the city's Grand Central Business Park on a tract of land formerly occupied by a 

Sparkletts Water bottling facility. 

On January 26, 2005, 11 people were killed in a Metrolink train crash just south of 

downtown Glendale. 

Geography 

Glendale is located at 34°10′15″N, 118°15′0″W (34.170939, -118.250081) GR1 at the 

juncture of two large valleys, the San Fernando and the San Gabriel. According to the 

United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 79.4 km² (30.7 mi²). 79.4 km² 

(30.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.07%) is water. It is bordered to the 

north by the foothill communities of La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta, and Tujunga; to

the south by the Atwater Village community incorporated by the city of Los Angeles; to 

the east by Pasadena and Eagle Rock (also incorporated within Los Angeles); and to the 

west by the city of Burbank. 

Demographics 

Foreign-born residents accounted for 54% of the population in 2000. Glendale has a 

distinctively ethnic flavor, with large Armenian, Iranian, Filipino and Arab populations, 

and many businesses catering to them. While it has descendants from many countries, it 

is most famous for its Armenian population. Census figures indicate that the ethnic 

heritage of city population is 40% Armenian, 20% Latino, 16% Asian, and roughly onethird 

Anglo. Glendale's Armenian population is abundant and the majority of Glendale's 

city council members (3 of 5) are of Armenian descent. 





American, 16.12% Asian American, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 8.57% from other races, and 

10.06% from two or more races. 19.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of 

any race. 






was 3.27. 










Education 

The Glendale Unified School District operates schools in Glendale. 

Glendale is also home to Glendale Community College.

Community organizations 

The City of Glendale includes a variety of nonprofit organizations that enhance the 

quality of life in Glendale. Strong links between local residents, business owners, and 

government have created a network of organizations that provide support in the areas of 

education, employment, homeless services, after-school activities, and social services. 

Local organizations include: 

The Salvation Army Glendale 

Glendale Community Free Health Clinic 

PATH Achieve Glendale (Homeless Access Center & Shelter) 

Notable natives 

• Captain Beefheart, 

musician 

• Elvin Bishop, 

musician 

• Clara Bryant, actress 

• Jamie Denton, actor 

• Nicole Eggert, actress 

• Erika Eleniak, actress 

• Robert Englund, actor 

• Edward Furlong, 

actor 

• Daryl Gates, former 

LAPD police chief 

• Scott Gorham, 

musician 

• Joe Hahn, musician 

• Maren Jensen, actress 

• Daron Malakian, 

musician 

• Eva Mendes, actress 

• Dennis Muren, 

special effects artist 

• Paul Petersen, actor 

• Ron Underwood, 

director 

• Paul Walker, actor 

• John Wayne, actor

See also 

Glendale Community College 

Glendale High School 

List of cities in California 


Glendale official website 






Hermosa Beach, California 

• John Cho, actor 

• Joel Madden, 

musician 


Hermosa Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The 

population was 18,566 at the 2000 census.

The municipal pier in downtown Hermosa Beach. 

The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area and is one of 

the three Beach Cities. 

History 

Hermosa Beach was incorporated in 1907. 

Geography 

Hermosa Beach 

Hermosa Beach is located at 33°51′59″N, 118°23′59″W (33.866314, -118.399681) GR1 .



The wide flat beach makes Hermosa Beach one of the most popular places to play beach 

volleyball, from professional to amateur. 

Demographics 


families residing in the city. The population density was 5,012.8/km² (12,982.4/mi²). 


racial makeup of the city was 89.58% White, 0.81% Black or African American, 0.40% 

Native American, 4.40% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 1.68% from other races, and 

2.91% from two or more races. 6.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any 

race. 











family was $104,645. Males had a median income of $67,407 versus $50,295 for 

females. The per capita income for the city was $54,244. About 1.7% of families and 

4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 

18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over. 

Trivia 

Segments of the television show The O.C. are actually filmed in Hermosa Beach, not 

Newport Beach. This was necessary because of union rules that make it expensive to film 

outside of Los Angeles County. 

Hermosa Beach is an important center for American beach volleyball competitions. 

In the Spanish language, the word "hermosa" is the feminine form of beautiful. 

In the late 1970's the band Black Flag emerged from Hermosa Beach, and played their 

first show in Redondo Beach.

The modern day punk band Pennywise grew up in Hermosa Beach and went to Mira 

Costa High School in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Union High School in Redondo 

Beach. 

Hermosa Beach has been the sister city of Loreto, Baja California Sur, since 1967. 

On May 9, 2006, a popular restaurant and nightclub in Hermosa Beach for 80 years, 

known as Baja Sharkeez, was destroyed by a fire. The building's facade was removed to 

get to the fire. It took firefighters from Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo 

Beach, Torrance, El Segundo and Los Angeles County to fight the fire. Owner Ron 

Newman has vowed to rebuild Baja Sharkeez as soon as possible and to make it bigger 

and better. 


Hermosa Beach official website 






Lancaster, California 

Lancaster, California 

Seal 

Location

Location of Lancaster in California and Los Angeles County 

Coordinates 34°41′13″N, 118°09′15″W 

Country 

State 

County 

Government 

United States 

California 


Incorporated November 22, 1977 

Mayor Henry W. Hearns 

Area 


City 243.9 km² (94.2 sq mi) 

Land 243.5 km² (94.0 sq mi) 

Water 0.5 km² (0.2 sq mi) 0.19% 

Population 

City (2000) 118,718 

Density 487.6/km² (1,263.0/sq mi) 

Time zone 

Summer (DST) 

U.S. Census, 2000 

PST (UTC-8) 

PDT (UTC-7) 

Website: www.cityoflancasterca.org 

Lancaster is a city located in the Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County, California, 

USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 118,718. As of 2005, the 

California Finance Dept. estimates the population at 133,703.

Lancaster is the ninth-largest city in Los Angeles County and the third-fastest growing. 

Lancaster is located in the Palmdale / Lancaster Urbanized Area, bordering the northern 

edge of Palmdale. Lancaster is the second largest desert city in California after Palmdale. 

Lancaster, California is the largest city named Lancaster in the world, and it possibly 

named after Lancaster, Pennsylvania via Lancaster, England [1]. For a list of others, see 

Lancaster. 

Founded in 1876 along the route of the Southern Pacific Railroad (now merged into the 

Union Pacific Railroad), Lancaster was originally a commercial and social center 

primarily for Antelope Valley farmers. During World War II, the city was home to the 

Polaris Flight Academy at War Eagle Field, the only civilian school offering basic flight 

training for army cadets. After the war, Lancaster's population saw a noticeable increase 

due to its proximity to Edwards Air Force Base (formerly known as Muroc Army Air 

Field) and U.S. Air Force Plant 42. In the 1990s and 2000s, Lancaster has seen another 

housing boom as developers seek to build new housing in formerly undeveloped land 

across the southwest U.S. 

The Single-A Baseball Lancaster JetHawks of the California League call the city home. 

Like Palmdale, Lancaster is a contract city, in which the Los Angeles County Sheriff's 

Department provides law enforcement services. It is served by Lancaster station. 

Geography 

Lancaster is located at 34°41′13″N, 118°9′15″W (34.686980, -118.154062) GR1 . 

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 243.9 km² 

(94.2 mi²). 243.5 km² (94.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.19%) is water. 

Demographics 




makeup of the city was 62.82% White, 16.01% African American, 1.02% Native 


from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.13% of the population. 






was 3.41.






family was $48,276 (Based on Merrit Research. Males had a median income of $40,710 

versus $27,619 for females ( +/- $3,000 per year). The per capita income for the city was 

$16,935. About 13.8% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty 

line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over. 


Lancaster official website 

Current Weather 

Lancaster Chamber of Commerce 






Long Beach, California 

Long Beach

Seal 

Location 

Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California 


Country 

State 

County 

Government 

United States 

California 

Los Angeles County 

Mayor Beverly O'Neill (D) 


Area 

City 170.6 km² (65.9 sq mi) 

Land 130.6 km² (40.0 sq mi)

Water 40.0 km² (15.4 sq mi) 

Elevation 0 m – ??? m (0 ft – ??? ft) 

Population 

City (2004) 476,564 

Density 3,533/km² 

Time zone 

Summer (DST) 

PST (UTC-8) 

PDT (UTC-7) 

Website: http://www.ci.long-beach.ca.us/ 

Long Beach is a city located in southern Los Angeles County, California, on the Pacific 

coast. It borders Orange County on its southeast edge. It is about 20 miles (30 km) south 

of downtown Los Angeles. 

As of the 2000 census, the city population was 461,522. By 2006 its population is 

estimated to have increased to 490,166 [1]. It is the 34th-largest city in the nation, 5th in 

California and 2nd in Los Angeles County (after Los Angeles). Long Beach is also the 

largest U.S. city that is not a county seat. 

According to the 2000 US Census, Long Beach is the most ethnically diverse large city in 

the United States [2]. For example, Long Beach has the second-largest population of 

Cambodians outside of Asia (after Paris), and the area along Anaheim St. is sometimes 

called "Little Phnom Penh". There are also sizable populations of African-Americans, 

Mexicans, Salvadorians and other Central Americans, Filipino Americans, Vietnamese 

Americans and other Asians. There is a small population of Pacific Islander Americans in 

Long Beach and the surrounding communities, especially Samoan Americans. There is 

also a significant population of gays and lesbians, with many gay-owned businesses 

along Broadway, 2nd Street and 4th Street between Downtown Long Beach and Belmont 

Shore. 

Having an excellent harbor, it is one of the world's largest shipping ports and a yearround 

resort noted for its long, wide beaches and beautiful active marina. It has the 

largest municipally owned marina in the country with 3,400 slips. The city also has a 

large oil industry; oil (discovered in 1921) is found both underground and offshore. 

Manufactures include aircraft, automobile parts, electronic and audiovisual equipment, 

and home furnishings. It is also home to numerous regional, national, and world 

headquarters for major corporations such as Epson America, Molina Healthcare, Scan 

Health Care, and Polar Air Cargo. Long Beach grew with the development of hightechnology 

and aerospace industries in the area. 

The city draws 5.5 million visitors annually. The R.M.S. Queen Mary has been located in 

Long Beach since her retirement in 1967 and now serves as a hotel, convention center, 

and tourist attraction. The Aquarium of the Pacific, a world-class research facility, is a 

popular tourist destination.

Tourists are also drawn to Long Beach by the numerous annual events held in the city, 

which include music festivals, sports competitions, and cultural celebrations. 

The Long Beach Grand Prix, an annual Champ Car race, takes place on city streets near 

the Convention Center and is one of the largest Grand Prix events in the world. It is the 

largest street race in the United States with an estimated 300,000 people watching the 

event in person every year over three days. 

Long Beach is the location of the largest California State University, CSULB, and the 

headquarters of the California State University system. The city also has a Veterans 

Affairs hospital and is a major healthcare hub for the region. 

Signal Hill is an incorporated city surrounded entirely by Long Beach. 

History 

The area was originally occupied by the Tongva people who lived in a rancheria named 

Tibahangna. Along with other Tongva villages, it disappeared in the mid-1800s. 

The Rancho los Cerritos and Rancho Los Alamitos were divided from the larger Rancho 

Los Nietos, which had been granted by the King of Spain to a mulatto soldier, Manuel 

Nieto. The boundary between the two ranchos ran through the center of Signal Hill at a 

southwest to northeast diagonal. 

Rancho Los Cerritos was bought in 1843 by John Temple, a Yankee who had come to 

California in 1827. Soon after he built what is now known as the "Los Cerritos Ranch 

House," an adobe which still stands and is a National Historic Landmark. Temple created 

a thriving cattle ranch and prospered, becoming the wealthiest man in Los Angeles 

County. Both Temple and his ranch house played important local roles in the Mexican 

American War. 

Meanwhile, on an island in the San Pedro Bay, Mormon pioneers made an abortive 

attempt to establish a colony (as part of Brigham Young's plan to establish a continuous 

chain of settlements from the Pacific to Salt Lake). 

In 1866 Temple sold Rancho Los Cerritos to the firm of Flint, Bixby & Co, which 

consisted of brothers Thomas and Benjamin Flint and their cousin Lewellyn Bixby, for 

$20,000. Later that year the company selected Lewellyn's brother Jotham Bixby, the 

"Father of Long Beach", to manage their southern ranch, and three years later Jotham 

bought into the property and would later form the Bixby Land Company. It was during 

this period that the Rancho Los Cerritos was converted to sheep ranching. In the 1870s as 

many as 30,000 sheep were kept at the ranch and sheared twice yearly to provide wool 

for trade. In 1880, Bixby sold 4,000 acres (16 km²) of the Rancho Los Cerritos to 

William E. Willmore, who subdivided it in hopes of creating a farm community, 

Willmore City. He failed and was bought out by the "Long Beach Land and Water 

Company." They changed the name of the community to "Long Beach", which was

incorporated as a city in 1888. When Bixby died in 1916 the remaining 3,500 acres 

(14 km²) of Rancho Los Cerritos was subdivided into the neighborhoods of Bixby Knolls, 

California Heights, North Long Beach and part of the city of Signal Hill. 

The town grew as a seaside resort (The Pike was one of the most famous beachside 

amusement parks on the West coast from 1910 until the 1960's) and then as an oil, Navy, 

and port town. The town was once referred to as "Iowa by the sea," due to a large influx 

of people from that state and other states in the Midwest. Huge picnics for each state 

were a popular annual event in Long Beach until the 1960s. 

The Long Beach earthquake of 1933 was a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that caused 

significant damage to the city and surrounding areas. Most of the damage occurred in 

unreinforced masonry buildings, especially schools. One hundred twenty people died in 

this earthquake. 

Long Beach used to have a sizable Japanese-American population mostly working in the 

fish canneries on Terminal Island and small truck farms in the area, but with 

intermarriage and other factors, it is now less than 1% of the population of Long Beach. 

There is still a Japanese Community Center and a Japanese Buddhist Church in Long 

Beach. 

The early silent film industry in Long Beach 

One of the places where the film industry started in Southern California was in Long 

Beach. 

Balboa Amusement Producing Company, also known as Balboa Studios, was located at 

Sixth Street and Alamitos Avenue, and they used 11 acres (45,000 m²) on Signal Hill for 

outdoor locations. Silent movie stars who lived in Long Beach included Fatty Arbuckle 

and Theda Bara. The 1917 film Cleopatra, starring Theda Bara, was filmed at the 

Dominguez Slough just west of Long Beach, and Moses parted the Red Sea for Cecil B. 

DeMille's 1923 black-and-white version of "The Ten Commandments" on the flat 

seashore of Seal Beach, southeast of Long Beach. 

The current film industry in Long Beach 

Because of its closeness to LA-area studios and the variety of locations, Long Beach is 

regularly used for movies, television shows, and advertisements. The city has filled in for 

locations across the nation and the globe. [3] 

Long Beach Polytechnic High School is just one of the popular filming locations in Long 

Beach. Another popular area for movies filmed in the city is the Virginia Country Club 

area. The upscale neighborhood is home to several National Historic Landmarks and is 

known for its diverse architectural styles ranging from a famous Greene & Greene 

designed American Bungalow home to modern homes designed by World-Renowned 

Architect Edward Killingsworth.

Shipping and transportation 

Aerial view of Long Beach, including Port of Long Beach 

Long Beach at night 

The Port of Long Beach is the second busiest seaport in the United States . The port 

serves shipping between the United States and the Pacific Rim. The combined operations 

of the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles are the busiest in the USA. 

Rail shipping is provided by Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway, which carry 

about half of the trans-shipments from the port. Long Beach has contributed to the 

Alameda Corridor project to increase the capacity of the rail lines, roads, and highways 

connecting the port to the Los Angeles rail hub. The project, completed in 2002, created a 

20 mile (32 km) long, 33 ft (10 m) deep trench in order to eliminate 200 grade crossings 

and cost about US$2.4 billion. 

Long Beach is the southern terminus for the Los Angeles Metro Blue Line light rail 

corridor. Blue Line trains run from Long Beach City Hall to Downtown Los Angeles. 

The Metro Rail Blue Line Maintenance Shops, are also located in Long Beach just south 

of the Del Amo Blue Line station. 

There is an Amtrak Thruway bus shuttle starting in San Pedro, with stops at the Queen 

Mary and downtown Long Beach, that then goes to Union Station in downtown Los 

Angeles, and ends in Bakersfield. The Blue Line MetroRail connects downtown Long 

Beach to the Staples Center and downtown Los Angeles where it connects with 

Hollywood and Pasadena. There is also a Greyhound Lines terminal downtown. 

Public transportation in Long Beach is provided by Long Beach Transit. Besides the 

normal bus service, which charges a fare, Long Beach has free routes, the "Pine Avenue

Link" and Passport routes, which use mini-buses to shuttle passengers within the 

downtown area. The Passport "C" route between the downtown and the Queen Mary, and 

Passport "A" and "D" buses go East-West along Ocean Boulevard, linking the Catalina 

Landing in the west with Belmont Shore in the east. (The Passport "B" has been renamed 

the Pine Avenue Link.) A 90-cent fare is required when traveling east of Atlantic 

Avenue. Another free route, "Village Tour D'art" in the East Village, visits museums and 

other points of interest. 

Long Beach Transit also operates the 49-passenger AquaBus water taxi, which stops at 

the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Queen Mary, and four other stops; and the 75-passenger 

AquaLink water taxi, which travels between the Aquarium, the Queen Mary, and 

Alamitos Bay Landing next to the Long Beach Marina. 

There is also limited bus service to Orange County through Orange County 

Transportation Authority buses. Route 1, from Long Beach to San Clemente is the 

longest bus route in the OCTA system. Traveling along Pacific Coast Highway for most 

of the route, it takes 2-2.5 hrs to complete. 

Torrance Transit buses go from downtown Long Beach to the South Bay. The Los 

Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) has bus service from downtown to San 

Pedro, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) 

has two regional bus lines that serve downtown Long Beach. 

Long Beach Municipal Airport serves the Long Beach, South Bay and northern Orange 

County areas, but is relatively small, considering the area's population. It is the West 

Coast hub for JetBlue Airways. It is also the site of a major Boeing (formerly Douglas, 

then McDonnell Douglas) aircraft production facility, which is the city's largest 

employer. 

Several freeways run through Long Beach, connecting it with the greater Los Angeles 

and Orange County areas. The San Diego (405) freeway roughly bisects the city and 

takes commuters northwest or southeast to the Golden State (5) freeway. The Long Beach 

(710) freeway runs north-south, starting at the southern end between the Port of Long 

Beach and downtown Long Beach, and terminating just past the intersection with San 

Bernardino (10) freeway on the border between El Sereno neighbor or Los Angeles and 

Alhambra. The eastern border of the city is traversed by the San Gabriel River (605) 

freeway, which joins the 405 at the Long Beach/Los Alamitos border. The Artesia 

Freeway California State Route 91 runs east-west near the northern border of Long 

Beach. 

California State Route 1 (more commonly known as Pacific Coast Highway or PCH) runs 

through Long Beach. Where it intersects with Lakewood Boulevard (California State 

Route 19) and Los Coyotes Diagonal is the "infamous" Long Beach Traffic Circle.

Long Beach has some bike paths along city streets, plus the Long Beach bicycle path 

along the ocean from Shoreline Village to Belmont Shore, plus there are bike paths along 

both the San Gabriel and Los Angeles rivers. 

Culture 

Bikinis and business suits mix along a beach that a world trade center overlooks. 

Standing next to elegant buildings where commerce takes place, is the Pacific Ocean. 

Period architecture, beach expanses, unique communities such as Naples with canals and 

gondolas, historic adobes, ethnic restaurants and a Bohemian feel provide an allure that 

makes Long Beach a world-class destination. The downtown region of the city has trendy 

shops, restaurants, an art district, and a picturesque skyline that can be viewed atop many 

of the towers that dot the downtown landscape. Long Beach offers many sandy beaches 

and coastline near downtown, Naples, Belmont Shore and Long Beach Peninsula that are 

enjoyed for their scenic beauty. 

Art 

The Long Beach Museum of Art is owned by the City of Long Beach, and operated by 

the Long Beach Museum of Art Foundation. Long Beach also features the Museum of 

Latin American Art, founded in 1996 by Dr. Robert Gumbiner. It is the only museum in 

the western United States that exclusively features Latin American art. 

The University Art Museum on the Long Beach State campus (founded in 1973) has a 

national reputation for its high-quality and innovative programs. [4] Long Beach State is 

also home to the largest publicly funded art school west of the Mississippi. 

In 1965, Long Beach State hosted the first International Sculpture Symposium to be held 

in the United States and the first at a college or university. Six sculptors from around the 

world and two from the United States created many of the monumental sculptures seen 

on the campus. There are now over 20 scuptures on the campus. 

The Southern California is known for its street art and the Long Beach area has many fine 

examples. Some of the murals were created in conjuction with the city's Mural and 

Cultural Arts Program, but many others were not. [5] [6] 

On the exterior of the Long Beach Sports Arena is one of environmental artist Wyland's 

Whaling Walls. At 116,000 square feet (11,000 m²), it is the world's largest mural 

(according to the Guinness Book of Records). 

Shops and galleries feature their monthly art openings and artists exhibit in street 

galleries on the Last Saturday [7] in the East Village Arts District, in downtown Long 

Beach. 

Music

The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra plays numerous classical and pop music concerts 

throughout the year. The symphony plays at the Terrace Theater in the Long Beach 

Convention and Entertainment Center. [8] 

KJAZZ 88.1 FM (KKJZ) broadcasts from California State University, Long Beach. The 

station features jazz and blues music exclusively and can also be listened to over the 

Internet. [9] 

Long Beach is the host to a number of long-running music festivals. They include the 

Bob Marley Reggae Festival (February), the Cajun & Zydeco Festival (May), the Aloha 

Concert Jam (Hawaiian music, June), the Long Beach Jazz Festival (August), the Long 

Beach Blues Festival (September, since 1980), and the Brazilian Street Carnaval 

(Brazilian music, September). 

The bands Sublime, the Long Beach Dub Allstars (formed by the members of Sublime 

after their lead singer Brad Nowell died of a heroin overdose) and Long Beach Shortbus 

(formed after the break-up of the Allstars) are from Long Beach. 

New-wave punk band Le Shok hailed from Long Beach. 

Rappers Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Zack de la Rocha were born and raised in Long 

Beach. The city is also home to the VIP Records store which has been featured in music 

videos by Snoop Dogg and other rap music artists. (The corner of "21 and Lewis" that 

Warren G mentions in "Regulate" is very close to VIP Records.) 

Melissa Etheridge got her start performing at Que Sera, a former lesbian bar in Long 

Beach. 

The Carpenters, a pop group from the 1960s and 1970s, consisted of musicians who were 

all students and Calfornia State University, Long Beach. The Richard and Karen 

Carpenter Performing Arts Center at CSULB is named in honor of these famous alums of 

the Music Department. 

The Long Beach Municipal Band, founded in 1909 is the longest running, municipally 

supported band in the country. In 2005, the band played 24 concerts in various parks 

around Long Beach. [10] 

The Long Beach Community Band, including the Shoreline Concert Band and the Blue 

Pacific Swing Band, is an all volunteer group of musicians that's been performing 

concerts in the Long Beach area since 1947. [11] 

The Vault 350, a music performance nightclub, is one of several bars and nightclubs 

located on Pine Avenue in Downtown Long Beach. The popular Blues Cafe is located 

nearby. 

Sports

Long Beach Grand Prix 

The Long Beach Grand Prix in April is the single largest event in Long Beach. It started 

in 1975 as a Formula 5000 race on the streets of downtown, and became a Formula One 

the following year. Since 1984 it has been a Champ Car event. During the same week as 

the Grand Prix, there are also Trans-Am, and Toyota Atlantic races, plus an Historic 

Grand Prix features pre-1990 cars, and the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race. The Toyota Celica 

was often used as race cars in the Pro/Celebrity Race from late 1970s to 2005, and 

replaced by Scion tC in 2006. The Celica All-trac Turbo was a Pace Car in the Grand 

Prix of Long Beach from 1988 to 1992. 

Baseball 

Long Beach Little League teams that included Sean Burroughs were back-to-back World 

Series Champions in 1992 & 1993. Other noted Long Beach ballplayers include Tony 

Gwynn and Bob Lemon. 

The Long Beach Armada of the independent Golden Baseball League plays at Blair 

Field. Ex-Major Leaguer Darrell Evans manages the team that features former major 

league players as well as rookies looking to reach the Majors for the first time. 

Blair Field (built in 1958) has hosting numerous American Legion baseball, Connie 

Mack baseball, high school, junior college, college, minor league baseball and major 

league spring training exhibition baseball games. It has also been host of six MTV Rock 

& Jock softball games, and has been the filming location for numerous film, TV and 

commercial productions. [12] 

Ice Hockey 

Long Beach is home to the Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL) hockey team. The Ice Dogs 

play their home games at the Long Beach Sports Arena. 

Basketball

The minor league basketball team nicknamed the Long Beach Jam play in the American 

Basketball Association (ABA). The team plays in the Pyramid (a pyramid-shaped gym) 

on the Long Beach State campus). 

The Southern California Summer Pro League is a showcase for current and prospective 

NBA basketball players, including recent draft picks, current NBA players working on 

their skills and conditioning, and international professionals hoping to become NBA 

players. The league plays in the Pyramid on the Long Beach State campus during July. 

[13] 

The Long Beach Pyramid 

Sailing 

Since its inception in August 1964, the Congressional Cup has grown into one of the 

major international sailing events. Now held in April, it is the only grade 1 match race 

regatta held in the United States. The one-on-one race format is the same as the America's 

Cup, and many of the winners of the Congressional Cup have gone on to win the 

America's Cup as well. 

The Leeway Sailing and Aquatics Center on Alamitos Bay in Belmont Shore is a youth 

sailing program founded in 1929. It is recognized as one of the premier municipal 

instructional sailing programs in the country. [14] 

Water skiing 

In July, there is the annual Catalina Ski Race, which starts from Long Beach Harbor and 

goes to Catalina Island and back to complete a 100 km (62 mile) circuit. This race has 

been held annually since 1948 and features skiers from around the world. [15] 

Golf 

Long Beach has five municipal golf courses, as well as the private Virginia Country Club 

in the Bixby Knolls area. Recreation Park, built in 1917, is one of the busiest golf courses 

in the United States. [16] [17] 

Olympics

During the two Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, Long Beach has hosted a number of 

the competitions, including rowing events in the Marine Stadium, sailing events off the 

coast of Long Beach, volleyball in the Long Beach Sports Arena, and archery at El 

Dorado Regional Park. For the 1984 Summer Olympics, Long Beach hosted yachting, 

volleyball, fencing and archery competitions. For the 1932 Summer Olympics, Long 

Beach hosted the rowing competition. The Belmont Plaza Pool has hosted U.S. Olympic 

swimming trials in 1968, 1976, and 2004. 

The USA Water Polo National Aquatic Center, where the men's and women's US 

Olympic water polo teams train, is located in nearby Los Alamitos. 

Famous Long Beach athletes 

Long Beach is the childhood home of tennis legend Billie Jean King and eight-time 

National League batting champion and longtime San Diego Padres outfielder Tony 

Gwynn. 

2004 Summer Olympics gold medal winning beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor 

graduated from California State University, Long Beach (where she won a national 

championship and several other awards), and currently resides in Long Beach. 

Parks and recreation 

The Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine received a Gold Medal 

award from the National Parks and Recreation Society in 2002, 2003, and 2004, 

recognizing the Department's "outstanding management practices and programs." The 

Department manages 92 parks covering over 3,100 acres (13 km²) throughout the city, 

including the 815 acre (3.3 km²) El Dorado Regional Park, which features fishing lakes, 

an archery range, youth campground, bike trails, and picnic areas. The Department also 

operates four public swimming pools, and four launch ramps for boaters to access the 

Pacific Ocean. 

The 102.5 acre El Dorado Nature Center is part of the larger El Dorado Regional Park. 

The center features lakes, a stream, and trails, with meadows and forested areas. [18] 

Rancho Los Alamitos is a 7.5 acre historical site owned by the City of Long Beach that is 

near Long Beach State. The site includes five agricultural buildings, including a working 

blacksmith’s shop, four acres of gardens, and a adobe ranch house dating from around 

1800. The Rancho is within a gated community, so you must pass through security gates 

to get to it. [19] 

Rancho Los Cerritos is a 4.7 acre historical site owned by Long Beach in the Bixby 

Knolls area near the Virginia Country Club. The adobe buildings date from the 1880s. 

The site also includes a California history research library. [20]

The Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is located on the campus of California State 

University, Long Beach. 

Multicultural events 

• Scottish Festival and 

Games (Queen 

Mary, Feb.) [21] 

• Annual Indian Pow 

Wow (CSULB, 

March) 

• Cambodian New Year 

Celebration (El 

Dorado Park, March 

or April) 

• the Kaleidoscope 

Festival (CSULB, 

April) [22] 

• Cinco de Mayo (at the 

Museum of Latin 

American Art, plus 

several celebrations 

in city parks, May 5) 

• Long Beach Pride 

Festival (May) [23] 

• Juneteenth Festival 

(Martin Luther King 

Park, mid-June) 

• Tafesilafa'i (Pacific 

Islander festival, 

Shoreline Village, 

July) 

• E Hula Mau (Hula 

and Chant 

competition, Terrace 

Theater, Labor Day 

weekend) [24] 

• Annual Grecian 

Festival (Greek 

Orthodox Church of 

Long Beach, Labor 

Day weekend) 

• Brazilian Street 

Carnaval (Sept.) 

[25].

Parades 

Christmas boat "parades" are a Southern California tradition, with at least one held every 

weekend night from December 1st till Christmas. The "Naples Island Christmas Parade" 

has been held since 1946, and passes through the canals of Naples and around Alamitos 

Bay past Belmont Shore. The "Parade of A Thousand Lights" is in the Shoreline Village 

area (near Downtown Long Beach and the HMS Queen Mary). [26] There is also a 

Christmas boat parade in the nearby Port of Los Angeles/San Pedro area, and another in 

the Huntington Harbor community of nearby Huntington Beach. 

The Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Parade & Festival has been held in May or June 

since 1984. It is the second largest event in Long Beach, attracting over 125,000 

participants over the two day celebration. It is the third largest Gay Pride Parade in the 

United States. [27] 

Other parades in Long Beach include: 

Other cultural events 

• the Martin Luther 

King Parade (Jan.) 

• Cambodian New 

Years Parade (March 

or April) 

• Brazilian Street 

Carnaval (Sept.) [28] 

• Haute Dog 

Howl'oween Parade 

(Oct.) [29] 

• Long Beach Veterans 

Day Parade (Nov.) 

[30] 

• Belmont Shore 

Christmas Parade 

(Dec.) [31] 

• Daisy Avenue 

Christmas Tree Lane 

& Parade (Dec.) 

In October, Long Beach State hosts the CSULB Wide Screen Film Festival, at the 

Carpenter Performing Arts Center. The festival started in 1995 as a showcase for movies 

filmed in the widescreen format, but has since been transformed into an artist-inresidence 

event. A major film artist (such as former CSULB student Steven Spielberg)

screens and discusses their own work as well as the ten films that most influenced their 

cinematic vision. [32] 

Business 

The top commercial businesses in Long Beach, based upon the number of employees, 

are: Boeing, Verizon, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, and The Bragg Companies 

(crane and heavy transport sales). Several local hospitals are major employers, including: 

Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, St. Mary 

Medical Center, and Pacific Hospital of Long Beach. Major government and educational 

employers include: Long Beach Unified School District, City of Long Beach, California 

State University, Long Beach, Long Beach City College, United State Postal Service, and 

Long Beach Transit. 

• Douglas Aircraft 

Company (later 

McDonnell Aircraft 

Corporation and now 

part of Boeing) had 

plants at the Long 

Beach Airport where 

they built aircraft for 

World War II, and 

later built DC-8s, 

DC-9s, DC-10s, and 

MD-11s. 

• Boeing built the 

Boeing 717 until 

2006 and continues 

to build the C-17 

Globemaster III 

strategic airlifter in 

Long Beach. Even 

after greatly 

reducing the number 

of local employees in 

recent years, Boeing 

is still the largest 

employer in the city. 

• Polar Air Cargo, an 

international cargo 

airline, is based in 

Long Beach. 

• TABC, INC., a part of 

Toyota, makes a 

variety of car parts,

including truck beds, 

steering columns, 

and catalytic 

converters, in Long 

Beach. 

• Epson America, the 

U.S. affiliate of 

Japan-based Seiko 

Epson Corporation, 

is headquartered in 

Long Beach. 

• SCAN Health Plan, a 

non-profit "Medicare 

Advantage" HMO 

for seniors, is 

headquartered in 

Long Beach. 

• Parker Law Firm, the 

legal firm of the 

personal injury 

attorney Larry H. 

Parker (most noted 

for his series of 

television 

commercials), is 

headquartered in 

Long Beach. 

(Because of the 

backlash to his 

commercials, a law 

was passed in 

California making it 

illegal for law firms 

to quote lawsuit 

award amounts in 

their commercials.) 

• Molina Health Care, 

Inc., a Medicaid 

management 

healthcare program, 

is headquartered in 

Long Beach. 

• Jesse James' West 

Coast Choppers 

custom motorcycle 

shop is located in

Media 

Long Beach, and 

much of the Monster 

Garage cable TV 

show is filmed in 

Long Beach. 

The local daily newspaper is the Long Beach Press-Telegram, which is distributed 

throughout most of the Gateway Cities and South Bay areas of southwest Los Angeles 

County. The Press-Telegram is part of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, which has 

several newspapers in the Southern California area that share some resources and 

reporters. 

Long Beach also has two weekly community newspapers, the "Grunion Gazette" and 

"Downtown Gazette." Both highlight the city's cultural, educational and political goingson. 

The downtown edition features articles pertaining to the happenings in the East 

Village Arts District, Long Beach Convention Center, the Pike, Aquarium of the Pacific, 

etc. 

There is also an "on-line news agency", the LBReport (http://www.LBReport.com) that 

covers local stories in depth as they happen. 

Long Beach also gets distribution of the daily Los Angeles Times, Orange County 

Register, and La Opinión newspapers, plus the weekly Los Angeles Sentinel and free OC 

Weekly. Business news is covered by the biweekly Long Beach Business Journal. 

Long Beach is part of the Los Angeles DMA radio and television markets. Although a 

few radio stations have had studios in Long Beach over the years, including the 80's 

alternative music and later hard rock station KNAC, the only remaining radio station 

studio in Long Beach is the jazz and blues station KKJZ on the Cal State Long Beach 

campus. 

Education 

Public schools 

The primary school district that serves Long Beach is Long Beach Unified School 

District. It is the third largest school district in California. The district is noted for starting 

a trend to the return to school uniforms for public schools in the 1990s. It has also won 

several awards in recent years, including the 2003 Broad Prize for Urban Education, as 

the best urban school district in the US. 

Other school districts, including ABC Unified School District, serve small portions of 

Long Beach.

Private high schools 

Private non-high schools 

• Cambodian Christian 

School - K-12 - 

Baptist 

• First Baptist Church 

School (Long Beach, 

California) - PK-12 - 

Baptist [33] 

• Gethsemane Baptist 

Church School - PK- 

12 - Baptist 

• Pacific Christian 


Baptist 

• Parkridge Private 

School K-12 - 

Private 

• Regency High School 

- 7-12 - Private 

• St. Anthony High 

School - 9-12 - 

Roman Catholic [34] 

• S W Longview 

Private School - K- 

12 - Private 

• Zinsmeyer Academy - 

6-12 - Private 

(ChildNet Youth and 

Family Services) 

[35] 

• Bethany Lutheran 


Lutheran Church - 

Missouri Synod 

• Grace Christian 

Schools Long Beach 

- PK-6 - Brethren 

• Holy Innocents 

Elementary School - 

K-8 - Roman 

Catholic

• Light and Life 

Christian School - K- 

6 Methodist 

• Long Beach Adventist 


Seventh-Day 

Adventist 

• Los Altos Grace 

Brethren School - K- 

6 - Brethren 

• Nazarene Christian 

School Of Long 

Beach - PK-8 - 

Christian 

• Oakwood Academy - 

K-6 - Christian nondenominational 

• Our Lady Of Refuge 


K-8 - Roman 

Catholic 

• St. Anthony 

Elementary School 

PK-8 - Roman 

Catholic 

• St. Athanasius 


K-8 - Roman 

Catholic 

• St Barnabas 


K-8 - Roman 

Catholic 

• St Cornelius 


K-8 - Roman 

Catholic 

• St Cyprian 


K-8 - Roman 

Catholic 

• St Joseph Elementary 


Roman Catholic 

• St Lucy's School - K- 

8 - Roman Catholic

Colleges and universities 

Geography 

• St Maria Goretti 


K-8 - Roman 

Catholic 

• Westerly School of 

Long Beach - K-8 - 

Private [36] 

List of private 

schools in Long 

Beach 

• California State 

University, Long 

Beach (CSULB) 

• Long Beach City 

College (LBCC) 

Pacific Coast and 

Liberal Arts 

campuses 

• Brooks College, a 

private for-profit 

vocational school 

best known for its 

fashion design and 

fashion marketing 

programs. 

Long Beach is located at 33°47' North, 118°10' West, about 20 miles (30 km) south of 

downtown Los Angeles. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a 

total area of 170.6 km² (65.9 mi²). 130.6 km² (50.4 mi²) of it is land and 40.0 km² (15.4 

mi²) of it (23.42%) is water. 

Demographics 



were 171,632 housing units at an average density of 1,313.8/km² (3,402.6/mi²). The racial 

makeup of the city was 45.16% White, 14.87% African American, 0.84% Native



According to the 2000 US Census, Long Beach is the most ethnically diverse large city in 

the United States [37]. Among its Asian population, Long Beach is home to a large 

Cambodian community, the second-largest Cambodian community outside of Asia (after 

Paris). 






was 3.55. 










Neighborhoods of Long Beach 

Long Beach is a mosaic of neighborhoods, with some of them well-defined, while others 

blend into nearby neighborhoods. The most desirable properties in Long Beach are in the 

Belmont Shore and Naples areas in southeast Long Beach near Alamitos Bay and the 

Pacific Ocean, the homes near the Virginia Country Club in Bixby Knolls and California 

Heights in west-central Long Beach, the area near El Dorado Park and Long Beach State 

on the east side of Long Beach and Lakewood Village (near Long Beach City College & 

Lakewood Country Club). The downtown area has experienced significant gentrification 

in recent years. 

Pine Avenue and the Linden Avenue area of the East Village in downtown Long Beach, 

as well as Broadway in Belmont Shore are known for their restaurants and nightlife. The 

4th Street Corridor is known for its funky shops, antique stores and vintage clothing 

stores. The Broadway Corridor between downtown and Belmont Shore has the greatest 

number of gay-owned and oriented establishments in Long Beach. 

• Alamitos Heights 

• Belmont Heights 

• Belmont Shore 

• Bixby Knolls

Two Eastsides? 

• Bixby Village 

• Bluff Park 

• Broadway Corridor 

• California Heights 

• Central Long Beach 

• College Park 

• Downtown Long 

Beach 

• East Village 

• Eastside 

• El Dorado Park 

• 4th Street Corridor 

• Lakewood Village 

• Little Phnom Penh 

(aka Anaheim 

Corridor) 

• Long Beach Marina 

• Los Altos 

• Los Cerritos 

• Naples 

• North Long Beach 

• Northside 

• Park Estates 

• Rose Park 

• Shoreline Village 

• Silverado Park 

• Stearns Park 

• Terminal Island 

• Traffic Circle 

• University Park 

Estates 

• Westside 

• Wrigley 

Neighborhood 

There are two very different "Eastsides" in Long Beach. The traditional Eastside is on the 

east side of the city. The boundaries are (roughly) Carson Blvd. (N), Interstate 605 (San 

Gabriel Freeway) (E), The Pacific Ocean (S), and Redondo ave (W). This is the location 

of the very large El Dorado Park and the Liberal Arts Campus of Long Beach City 

College. 

The second Eastside is an area on the east side of the Los Angeles River. Referred to as 

Central Long Beach by city officials, it is called the East-side by many of its residents 

and local gang members. This neighborhood was over 80% percent Black up until the

1980s, but with increased Hispanic and Cambodian immigration that number has dropped 

to somewhere between 25% and 30%. The area is associated with a number of Long 

Beach rap artists, such as Snoop Dogg's Eastsidaz. The boundaries for this second 

Eastside are (very roughly) Willow Ave. and then the Signal Hill city limits (N), 

Redondo ave (E), 7th street (S), and the Los Angeles River (W). 

Partial list of famous people born in Long Beach 

• James Blaylock: 

fantasy/science 

fiction author 

• Jeff Burroughs: 

baseball player, 1974 

American League 

MVP and Little 

League World Series 

Championship coach 

• Bobby Burgess: one 

the original 

Mouseketeers 

• Nicolas Cage: actor 

• Eva LaRue Callahan: 

soap opera actress 

• Percy Daggs III: 

UPN's Veronica 

Mars 

• William E. 

Dannemeyer: Orange 

County politician 

• Zack de la Rocha 

rapper/rocker 

• Bo Derek: actress 

• Daz Dillinger: rapper 

• Nate Dogg: rapper 

• Snoop Dogg: rapper 

• John Dykstra: 1978 

Visual Effects Oscar 

Winner (for Star 

Wars) 

• Floyd "Bud" Gaugh: 

drummer for bands 

Sublime, Long 

Beach Dub Allstars, 

and Eyes Adrift 

• Warren G.: rapper

• Dave Hansen: Major 

League Baseball 

player 

• Spike Jones: 

bandleader and 

comedian 

• Sally Kellerman: 

actress 

• Billie Jean King: 

tennis player 

• Jason Leffler: 

NASCAR driver 

• William Joseph 

Levada, current Pro- 

Prefect, 

Congregation for the 

Doctrine of the 

Faith, Roman 

Catholic Church 

• Dan Lungren: 

Republican politician 

• Willie McGinest: 

NFL Linebacker 

• Bradley "Brad" 

Nowell:founder and 

vocalist of the band 

Sublime 

• Michelle Phillips: 

singer and actress 

• Sheldon Rampton: 

editor of PR Watch 

• Tim Salmon: Major 

League Baseball 

player, 1993 Rookie 

of the Year 

• Tiffani-Amber 

Thiessen: actress 

• Eric Wilson: bassist 

of the bands 

Sublime, Long 

Beach Dub Allstars, 

Dubcat ,and Long 

Beach Shortbus 

• Anthony Zerbe: actor

Partial list of famous residents of Long Beach 

• Greta Andersen: 

Olympic swimming 

gold medalist, and 

long distance 

swimmer, originally 

from Denmark 

• Bad Azz: rapper 

• Fatty Arbuckle: actor 

• Richard Bach: author 

of Jonathan 

Livingston Seagull 

• Theda Bara: actress 

• Frank Black (aka 

Black Francis): 

leader of the Pixies 

rock group 

• Milton Bradley: 

baseball player 

(Long Beach 

Polytechnic High 

School) 

• Jan Burke: Mystery 

author, 2000 Edgar 

Award for Best 

Novel (for "Bones") 

• George Chakiris: 

Academy Awardwinning 

actor 

• Dorothy Buffum 

Chandler: Los 

Angeles 

philanthropist (wife 

of Norman Chandler, 

publisher of the Los 

Angeles Times) and 

namesake for the 

Dorothy Chandler 

Pavilion. 

• Nat King Cole: singer 

and jazz piano player 

• Jonathan Davis: lead 

singer for KoЯn 

• Tray Deee: rapper

• George Deukmejian: 

Governor of 

California 

• Cameron Diaz: 

actress (Long Beach 

Poly High School) 

• Melissa Etheridge: 

rock singer 

• Bobby Grich: baseball 

player (Wilson High 

School) 

• Chris Gwynn: 

baseball player, 

(Long Beach 

Polytechnic High 

School) 

• Tony Gwynn: 


(Long Beach Poly 

High School) 

• John Lee Hooker: 

Blues singer 

• Marilyn Horne: opera 

singer (Long Beach 


• Thelma Houston: 

R&B singer 

• Jesse G. James: West 

Coast Choppers & 

Monster Garage, 

custom motorcycle 

and car builder 

• Long Gone John: 

entrepreneur, owner 

and CEO of 

Sympathy for the 

Record Industry 

• Paula Jones 

• DeForest Kelley: Star 

Trek actor 

• Vicki Lawrence: 

comedian 

• Bob Lemon: baseball 

player and baseball 

manager, Baseball

Hall of Fame 

inductee 

• Camryn Manheim: 

actress 

• Misty May: 

professional beach 

volleyball player 

• Mike McCready: 

Pearl Jam's guitarist 

• Robert Mitchum: 

actor 

• Bradley Nowell: 

singer songwriter of 

Sublime 

• Rodney Allen 

Rippy:actor 

• Elizabeth Short (aka 

"The Black Dahlia"): 

famous murder 

victim 

• Upton Sinclair: author 

• Dylan and Cole 

Sprouse: teen actors 

Suite Life Of Zack 

and Cody 

• Alan Stock: 

conservative KXNT 

Las Vegas radio talk 

show host 

• Chase Utley: baseball 

player (Long Beach 


• Carl Weathers: 

football player & 

actor (Long Beach 


• Wheely Willy: 

celebrity dog, 

featured in children's 

books, etc. 

• Warren G: rapper 

• Willie McGinest: 3 

Time Super Bowl 

Champion

Trivia 

Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan used to regularly fly out of Daugherty Field (which later 

became the Long Beach Airport). Before his infamous flight from Brooklyn, New York 

to Ireland in 1938, he had already flown a transcontinental flight from Long Beach to 

New York. He was supposed to be returning to Daugherty Field after authorities had 

refused his request to fly on to Ireland, but because of a claimed navigational error, he 

ended up in Ireland instead. He never publicly acknowledged having flown to Ireland 

intentionally. 

The first Miss Universe contest was held in Long Beach on 29 June 1952, as well as the 

1953-1959 Miss Universe contests. After the Miss Universe contest moved to Miami in 

1960, the first Miss International contest was held in Long Beach in 1960, and continued 

until 1968 when the contest moved to Japan. The Miss International contest was again 

held in Long Beach in 1971 before returning permanently to Japan. 

Long Beach's sister cities are (as of December 2005) [38]: 

See also 

• Bacolod, 

Philippines 

• Guadalajara, 

Mexico 

• Izmir, Turkey 

• Kolkata, India 

• Manta, Ecuador 

• Phnom Penh, 

Cambodia 

• Qingdao, China 

• Sochi, Russia 

• Valparaiso, Chile 

• Yokkaichi, Japan 

• Mayor of Long Beach 

• Lakewood Boulevard 

(California State 

Route 19) 

• Long Beach Iced Tea 

- a variation on the 

Long Island Iced Tea


General Long Beach 

Museums and culture 

Long Beach sports 

• Long Beach - for 

other places named 

Long Beach 

• Barrio Longo 13, 

street gang 

• City of Long Beach 

• Historical Society of 

Long Beach 

• Port of Long Beach 

• Aquarium of the 

Pacific 

• Long Beach Museum 

of Art 

• Museum of Latin 

American Art 

• Long Beach 

Symphony Orchestra 

• KJAZZ 88.1 FM 

• CSULB Widescreen 

Film Festival 

• California Repertory 

Company 

• Long Beach Lesbian 

& Gay Pride Parade 

& Festival 

• Grand Prix of Long 

Beach 

• Long Beach Aramada 

Baseball 

• Long Beach Ice Dogs 


Congressional Cup 

• Catalina Ski Race

Transportation 

News 

Maps 






Manhattan Beach, California 

• Long Beach Public 

Transit 

• Los Angeles 

Metropolitan Transit 

Authority 

• Long Beach Press- 

Telegram 

• Long Beach Business 

Journal 


Report.com 


Manhattan Beach is a city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, 

USA. The population was 33,852 at the 2000 census. Of a rotating City Council of five 

members, Joyce Fahey is the current mayor.

The municipal pier in downtown Manhattan Beach. 

The city is on the Pacific Ocean coast, to the south of El Segundo, and to the north of 

Hermosa Beach. To the east are the cities of Lawndale and Redondo Beach. It is one of 

the three Beach Cities in the South Bay. 

History 

Early inhabitants and European discovery 

The first known inhabitants of present day Manhattan Beach were the Engnovangas 

rancheria indians. The indians survived off of corbina fish they hunted in the shallows, 

along with other species of surf fish. The Engnovangas often made the 3 mile trek south 

to the salt flats in present day Redondo Beach, CA to harvest the mineral. The old Salt 

Flat is now occupied by Southern California Edison, roughly located on Herondo Street 

and North Harbor Drive. The salty estuary was said to be only 150 yards from the ocean 

and the rough size of 120,000 square yards. 

In 1781, when El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles was established, a 

small, one-lane dirt road was cleared to connect the Salt Flat and Los Angeles. Aviation 

Boulevard now runs almost directly on top of the old Salt Flat road. Three years later, in 

1784, the Spanish government established "ranchos", or land parcels, all along the South 

Bay. The land grants did not convey titles to the land; rather they simply gave permission 

to migrant farmers to use the land as they wished. In 1822, the newly-established 

Mexican government sold the land to the highest bidder. Some of the Ranchos purchased 

by farmers were: Aguaje de la Centinela, La Ballona, La Tijera, and Sausal Redondo, 

which translates into "round clump of willows." (Note that many streets in the South Bay 

region are named after these ranchos.) In 1822, Rancho Sausal Redondo (present day

Manhattan Beach) was purchased by Antonio Ygnacio Avila, who mainly used the 

22,500 acres for sheep grazing. 

Early development 

In 1863 a Scottish immigrant, Sir Robert Burnett, purchased Rancho Sausal Redondo and 

Rancho Aguaje De Centinela from Avila's heirs for $33,000. Ten years later in 1873, 

Burnett decided to leave the California sunshine and head back for Scotland. He found 

Canadian Daniel Freeman to watch over the ranch and they agreed to a lease for the 

ranch. Freeman moved his wife and three children onto the ranch and started producing 

various crops. On May 4th, 1885 Freeman bought the ranch from Burnett for $140,000. 

Geography 

The large, sandy beach in Manhattan Beach, as seen facing south, with the pier and the 

Palos Verdes Peninsula in the background. 

Manhattan Beach is located at 33°53′20″N, 118°24′19″W (33.888980, -118.405357) GR1 . 



Manhattan Beach features 2.1 miles (3.4 km) of ocean frontage, 40 acres (162,000 m²) of 

recreational beach, and a total of 59 acres (239,000 m²) of parkland in 10 parks, 1 

municipal golf course, and 1 parkway, the Valley/Ardmore "Greenbelt" [1].

Residents divide the city into several distinct neighborhoods, including the Sand Section, 

Hill Section, Tree Section, El Porto, East Manhattan Beach, and Liberty Village, 

Manhattan Heights. 

Demographics 












was 2.98. 





The median income for a household in the city was $100,750, and the median income for 

a family was $122,686. Males had a median income of $84,256 versus $54,142 for 

females. The per capita income for the city was $61,136. About 2.0% of families and 

3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 

18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over. 

In February 2006 Manhattan Beach had a median home price of $1,925,000 [2]. In its 

Best Places to Live 2005 feature, Money Magazine ranked Manhattan Beach the 4th most 

expensive town in America [3]. Additionally, in 2005 it ranked 2nd in California for the 

number of million-dollar homes sold [4]. Forbes has also ranked the local ZIP code 

90266 as the 29th highest ZIP code. 

The house in the movie Jerry Maguire is in Manhattan Beach. 

Education 

Public education in Manhattan Beach is provided by the Manhattan Beach Unified 

School District, which oversees 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high 

school.

The district as a whole received a score of 896 on the 2005 California Academic 

Performance Index, making it one of California's best performing districts. Each 

individual school also ranks at the top of its respective category [5]: 

Under policy of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, residents who live in 

northern Redondo Beach may not attend schools within the MBUSD. 

See also: McMartin preschool trial 

Media 

In addition to the Los Angeles Times, Manhattan Beach is served by local daily the Daily 

Breeze and local weeklies the Beach Reporter and the Easy Reader. 

Trivia 

School 2005 API Score 

Grand View Elementary 934 

Meadows Avenue Elementary 940 

Pacific Elementary 969 

Pennekamp Elementary 952 

Robinson Elementary 960 

Manhattan Beach Middle 910 

Mira Costa High School 846 

• The name of present 

day Manhattan 

Beach was decided 

by a coin-flip in 

1902 between 

George Peck (who 

branded his property 

Manhattan after his 

hometown in New 

York) and John 

Merrell (who named 

his property Shore 

Acres)


• Much of the sand on 

Waikiki Beach was 

purchased by 

developers from 

Hawaii in the late 

1920's, who 

negotiated a deal 

with the Kuhn 

Brothers 

Construction 

Company to ship the 

city's sand across the 

Pacific for over 10 

years. The only 

remaining sand that 

resembles Manhattan 

Beach's original 

landscape can be 

found at Sand Dune 

Park. 

• Home to the filming 

of the Fox Network 

series The O.C. 

• Film and real life 

location George Jung 

of Blow 

• Was home to the 

Metlox Pottery 

company, and now 

has a mall built on 

the old factory site 

dedicated to the 

pottery. 

• Cobi Jones: Star 

player of the LA 

Galaxy 

• Luke Walton of the 

Los Angeles Lakers. 

• Mike Cammalleri: 

Professional Hockey 

Player Los Angeles 

Kings

• Brian Cook: Power 

forward for the Los 

Angeles Lakers 

• Pavol Demitra: 

Forward for the Los 

Angeles Kings 

• Landon Donovan: 

Professional soccer 

player for the Los 

Angeles Galaxy, 

U.S. National Team 

forward 

• Jane Elliot: Actress, 

General Hospital and 

Days of Our Lives 

• Bill Engvall: 

Comedian with the 

Blue Collar Comedy 

group 

• Nomar Garciaparra: 

Shortstop for the Los 

Angeles Dodgers 

• Tim Gleason: 

Professional Hockey 

Player Los Angeles 

Kings 

• Devean George: 

Small forward for 

the Los Angeles 

Lakers 

• Tony Gonzalez: Tight 

end for the Kansas 

City Chiefs 

• Mia Hamm: Soccer 

player 

• Jason Kendall: 

Catcher for the 

Oakland Athletics 

• Christopher Knight: 

Actor, The Brady 

Bunch, The Surreal 

Life, and My Fair 

Brady 

• Wally Kurth: Actor, 

General Hospital and 

Days of Our Lives


Manhattan Beach official website 

Downtown Manhattan Beach 


• Michelle Kwan: 

Champion figure 

skater 

• Jim Lovell: 

Commander, Apollo 

13 (former resident) 

• Slava Medvedenko: 

Professional 

basketball player 

• Mike Mignola: 

Creator of Hellboy 

• Michael Olowokandi: 

Athlete, Professional 

Basketball Player 

• Liz Phair: 

Singer/songwriter 

and guitarist 

• Zeljko Rebraca: 

Backup center for 

the Los Angeles 

Clippers 

• Pat Sajak: TV 

personality 

• Maria Sharapova: 

Professional tennis 

player 

• Brian Shaw: 

Professional 


• Owen Wilson: Actor, 

Wedding 

Crashers,Behind 

Enemy Lines 

• Tiger Woods: Athlete, 

Professional Golfer, 

and part-time 

resident





Palmdale, California 

From 

Wikipe 

dia, 

the 

free 

encycl 

opedia 

Palmdale, the first community within 

the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a 

city (on August 24, 1962), is located in 

the northeast reaches of Los Angeles 

County, California, United States, 

separated from Los Angeles by the San 

Gabriel Mountain range. As of the 

2000 US census, the city had a total 

population of 116,670. As of spring 

2005, the city proper has a total 

population estimate of 143,227, 

according to Palmdale municipal 

government sources. As of the 2005 

population estimate, the Palmdale / 

Lancaster, CA Urbanized Area (a US 

Census Bureau defined term) has a 

population of 480,238. 

Palmdale today 

Population 

Palmdale, California 

Palmdale City Logo, © 2004 Palmdale, CA 

- 

480,238 

Metropolitan City nickname:"Aerospace 143,227 (city Capital proper) of America" 

- Total (2005) 429.2/km² 

- Density 

Time zone Pacific: UTC-8 

Latitude 

Longitude 

County 

Area 

- Total 

- Water 

34°34'52' N 

118°6'2' W 

Mayor: James C. Ledford 

City flower: Lilac 

City tree: Joshua Tree 

City of Palmdale Official Website 

Los Angeles County, 

California 

272.2 km² (105.1 mi²) 

0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) 0.13%

Over the last 20 years this city has consistently been ranked in the top 10 fastest growing 

cities in the United States (based on percentage change). As of spring 2005 the 

population is estimated at 143,227, making Palmdale the sixth largest city in Los Angeles 

County. For most of its existence it has had a small population; however it now is 

arguably the largest "desert city" (from an Angeleno viewpoint) in California. The city – 

with 105 square miles (272 km²) of land in its incorporated boundaries – is in the top 100 

largest cities in the United States in geographic area and as of 2005 ranks 150th in the 

U.S. in population. The city has worked hard to maintain its image and upgrade its 

infrastructure during its rapid growth. A first class medical campus is under construction 

(expected to open in 2007), which will include the region's largest emergency 

department, a helipad, medical office towers, and a senior housing complex. A new 

multi-modal Transportation center, serving local and commuter bus and train service 

opened in 2005. A voter initiated and approved bond funded major park and recreation 

expansions, including a 7,000 attendee capacity, earthen outdoor amphitheater, 2 new 

pools, recreation buildings and a water park. Downtown revitalization includes hundreds 

of new senior housing units, a new senior center, and expanded open space. A new 

Sheriff station is opening, and will accommodate aditional deputies, and 2 new Fire 

stations are being developed (one on the east side and one on the west side). In the movie 

Bubble Boy, Palmdale was depicted as a small strip of houses and a bus stop – a 1970s 

view of what entertainment industry Hollywood film moguls remember Palmdale as 

being. Famous people from Palmdale include rapper Afroman, famous for his song 

"Because I Got High." and the music group All 4 One, known for the hit songs I Swear, I 

Can Love You Like That, and She's Got Skillz. 

While Palmdale is still a part of Los Angeles County, the urbanized centers of Palmdale 

and Los Angeles are separated by the San Gabriel mountain range which spans about 40 

miles (60 km) wide. This mountain range forms the southern edge of the Antelope Valley 

portion of the Mojave Desert. Palmdale is one of the two principal cities of the Antelope 

Valley, and is the third largest populated city in the Mojave Desert, outstripped only by 

Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. 

This satellite image, looking toward the west, shows the Palmdale / Antelope Valley area 

in relation to Los Angeles with the San Gabriel Mountains separating them. 

History

Palmenthal, the first European settlement within the limits of Palmdale, was established 

as a village in 1886 by westward travelers from the American Midwest, mostly of 

German and Swiss descent. These travelers mistook the local Joshua Trees for Palm 

Trees and so called their settlement after them. The village was officially established 

upon the arrival of a post office on June 17, 1888. 

In the 1890s many families continued to migrate to Palmenthal and nearby Harold to 

grow grain and fruit. However, most of these settlers were unfamiliar with farming in a 

desert climate, so when the drought years occurred, most abandoned their settlement. By 

1899, only one family was left in the original village. The rest of the settlers, including 

the post office, moved closer to the Southern Pacific railroad tracks. This new 

community was renamed Palmdale and was located where the present day civic center is. 

A railroad station was built along the tracks there. This railroad was operated by Southern 

Pacific and traveled between Los Angeles and San Francisco. There was also the Wells 

Fargo stagecoach line that ran between San Francisco and New Orleans that stopped 

there as well. The only remaining pieces of evidence of the original settlements of 

Palmenthal and Harold are the old cemetery located on the northeast corner of Avenue S 

and 20th Street East, and the old schoolhouse now relocated to McAdam Park. 

As the population of Palmdale began to increase after relocation, water became scarce, 

until in 1914 when the California – Los Angeles Aqueduct system was completed. 

During the 1910s, crops of apples, pears, and alfalfa became plentiful. 

In 1915, Palmdale’s first newspaper, the Palmdale Post, was published. Today it is called 

The Antelope Valley Press. 

In 1921, the first major link between Palmdale and Los Angeles was completed, U.S. 

Highway 6, or Mint Canyon Road. Completion of this road caused the local agricultural 

industry to flourish and was the first major step towards defining the metropolis that 

exists today. Presently this road is known as Sierra Highway. 

In 1924, the Littlerock Dam and the Harold Reservoir, present day Lake Palmdale, were 

constructed to assist the agricultural industry and have enough water to serve the growing 

communities. 

Agriculture continued to be the foremost industry for Palmdale and its northern neighbor 

Lancaster until the outbreak of World War II. In 1933, the United States government 

established Muroc Air Base north of Lancaster in Kern County, now known as Edwards 

Air Force Base. They also bought Palmdale Airport in 1952 and established an aerospace 

development and testing facility called United States Air Force Plant 42. One year later, 

in 1953, Lockheed established a facility at the airport. After this point in time, the 

aerospace industry took over as the primary local source of employment, where it has 

remained ever since. Today the city is even referred to as the “Aerospace Capital of 

America” because of its rich heritage in being the home of many of the aircraft used in 

the United States military.

In 1956, Palmdale’s first high school was established, making it easier for youths to not 

have to travel to Antelope Valley High School in nearby Lancaster. 

In August 1962, the township of Palmdale officially became the city of Palmdale with the 

incorporation of 2 square miles (5 km²) of land around the present day civic center. 

In 1963, the Antelope Valley Freeway, or State Highway 14, was completed as a link 

between Palmdale and Los Angeles. The freeway at this time ran all the way to present 

day Technology Drive. It was at this time that talk about the future Palmdale 

Intercontinental Airport was seen as the way of the future. By 1965 the new city had 

annexed an additional 20 square miles (52 km²) of land and industry was thriving. Talk of 

the future commercial airport had many investors buying up large quantities of land. 

In 1970, the City of Los Angeles went forward with buying 17,500 acres (71 km²) of land 

east of the city for its proposed commercial airport. However, the United States Air Force 

desired to put a hold on the construction of this new facility until the existing airport 

reached its commercial capacity. So under a joint use agreement with the military, the 

Los Angeles Department of Airports, now called Los Angeles World Airports, built a 

9,000 square foot (800 m²) terminal on leased land that opened in 1971, creating present 

day Palmdale Regional Airport. 

By 1974, the Antelope Valley Freeway was completed all the way to Mojave. In 1977, 

Palmdale built its first municipal building, the Palmdale City Library. This was the same 

year that its northern neighbor Lancaster incorporated itself into a city. Since the 1920s, 

Lancaster had been the much larger and principal community of the Antelope Valley, as 

well as the rest of California's Mojave Desert, and Palmdale had always played second 

fiddle to it. The 1980s and 1990s were the decades that really started to define the two 

Antelope Valley cities. Affordable housing in the area caused a dramatic spike in the 

population. The city became a bedroom community for those employed in Los Angeles. 

Palmdale's population continued to approach Lancaster's. Throughout the eighties and 

even the nineties, Palmdale was the fastest growing city in California and second fastest 

growing city in the nation. In 1980, Palmdale's population was 12,177. By 1990, it had 

soared to 68,842. It was in 1990 that the Antelope Valley Mall opened at Rancho Vista 

Blvd. and 10th Street West, presently the busiest intersection in the entire Mojave Desert. 

In 1991, the Palmdale Auto Center complex opened. Throughout the 1990s and early 

2000s, central Palmdale has become the commercial center of the California High Desert. 

In 2000, the city's population was 116,670. In 2002, Palmdale's population finally 

eclipsed its northern neighbor Lancaster, with over 137,000 residents today. The city 

continues to look forward to quality managed growth in the future. 

Education 

K-12 Schools 

The City of Palmdale has 3 separate elementary school districts and 1 high school 

district:

• The Palmdale School 

District is one of the 

largest elementary 

school districts in the 

nation consisting of 

27 schools and over 

23,000 students. This 

school district covers 

the majority of the 

city’s Kindergarten 

through 8th grade 

students. 

• The Westside Union 

School District 

covers the schools on 

the far west-side of 

Palmdale and its 

western suburbs. 

This school district 

has over 7,500 

students and 11 

schools for K-8 

education. 

• The Keppel Union 


covers the schools on 

the far east-side of 

Palmdale and its 

eastern suburbs. This 

school district has 6 

schools and nearly 

3,000 students for K- 

8 education. 

• The Antelope Valley 

Union High School 

District covers all of 

the 9-12th grade 

education for the 

entire metropolitan 

area. It has 12 

schools with over 

21,000 students.


• The public school 

system is below 

average and 

regularly fails to 

meet state and 

federal standards. 

• The Antelope Valley 

Community College 

District currently has 

a satellite campus in 

Palmdale with a 

student population of 

about 500. This 

temporary campus 

was set up until a 

permanent 

community college 

campus could be 

established within 

the city, which is 

being planned for the 

south within the 

foothills bordering 

the San Gabriel 

mountain range. 

Local residents have 

raised concerns 

about the project due 

to its proximity to 

the San Andreas 

fault. The district has 

one full service 

campus in nearby 

Lancaster with about 

20,000 students. 

• The California State 

University system 

also has a satellite 

campus from its 

Bakersfield facility 

in nearby Lancaster 

at the Antelope

Sites of interest 

Valley College main 

campus. 

• Chapman University 

has a satellite 

campus in Palmdale. 

• University of La 

Verne has a satellite 

campus in Palmdale. 

• University of Phoenix 

has a satellite 

campus in nearby 

Lancaster. 

• The AERO Institute is 

a unique facility in 

Palmdale at the Civic 

Center. It is operated 

by the National 

Aeronautics and 

Space 

Administration 

(NASA), and the 

California Space 

Grant Foundation. 

This specialized 

school offers 

graduate and 

undergraduate 

education in 

aerospace science, 

engineering, and 

technical skills. 

• Big Rock Creek 

Camp 

• Devil's Punchbowl a 

county protected 

natural hiking 

preserve along Big 

Rock Creek similar 

to a miniature Grand 

Canyon. 

• Mulligan Funcenter

• Hammack Activity 

Center and Roller 

Hockey Rink 

• Joshua Ranch Trail a 

natural preservation 

area. 

• Littlerock Dam and 

Recreation Area 

• Los Angeles County 

Raceway 

• Mountain High ski 

resort in nearby 

Wrightwood. 

• Palmdale 

Amphitheater is a 

7,000 seat theater 

hosting the “Starlight 

Concert Series” with 

world famous 

performers on 

evenings in the 

summer. 

• Palmdale Civic 

Center – (Poncitlan 

Square) 

• Palmdale Fall Festival 

is an annual festival 

said to be one of the 

best in California 

held every October 

at McAdam Park. 

• Palmdale Heritage 

Airpark and nextdoor 

Blackbird 

Airpark show off 

displays of various 

aircraft built or 

tested at Palmdale 

Air Force Plant 42. 

• Palmdale Playhouse 

and Art Gallery 

• Palmdale 

Schoolhouse at 

McAdam Park. The 

only remaining 

building of the

Law and government 

original village in the 

1800’s. 

• Rancho Vista Golf 

Course Palmdale’s 

only PGA class golf 

course. 

• Tippi Hedren’s 

Shambala Preserve 

Palmdale is a general law City governed under the council / manager form of local 

government. The mayor is elected every two years for a two-year term. Also every two 

years, two of the four council members are elected to serve four-year terms. Palmdale has 

no term limits for mayor. The current mayor James C. Ledford is serving his seventh 

term in office. 

The city also has an appointed Planning Commission divided into four separate districts. 

The Planning Commission was organized to help with the planning, zoning, and 

development of various city areas in different districts and to give the residents of those 

particular districts a greater voice in what is built on that land. 

The city provides a number of municipal services, including a Parks and Recreation 

Department, a Film Convention and Visitors Bureau, Aviation and Aerospace 

Commission, Public Library System, Senior Citizens Center, Cultural Center, and a 

Public Works Department. 

The city is policed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department under a formal 

contract with the County of Los Angeles and has its municipal judicial system 

intertwined with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. 

The city also contracts with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for its fire and 

paramedic services through the Fire District. 

Utility services within the city are provided by several public and private agencies. Water 

service is primarily provided by Palmdale Water District (separate public agency) and LA 

County Waterworks (part of the County Public Works); sewer service is provided by the 

County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (separate public agency); electrical 

service is provided by Southern California Edison; natural gas service is provided by 

Southern California Gas; cable television service is provided by Adelphia; telephone 

service is provided by SBC and Verizon; refuse pickup and disposal service is provided 

by Waste Management of the Antelope Valley under a franchise agreement with the city. 

Geography

Palmdale is located at 34°34′52″N, 118°06′02″W (34.581005, -118.100603). GR1 It has an 

elevation of 2,655 feet above sea level. 

According to the United States Census Bureau the city has a total area of 272.2 km² 

(105.1 mi²). 271.8 km² (105.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water (the 

size of man-made Lake Palmdale, the most visible and scenic part of the municipal water 

supply system) . The total area is 0.13% water. 

Panoramic photo of Palmdale from the west, taken March 2000 

ZIP codes 

The city currently has a total of eight ZIP codes: 

• 93536 – Most of 

Quartz Hill (district 

and adjacent town). 

Shared with cities 

and towns of 

Lancaster (westside), 

Neenach, Del Sur, 

and Antelope Acres. 

• 93543 – Parts of Sun 

Village. Shared with 

town of Littlerock. 

• 93550 – Downtown 

Civic Center, 

Harold, Vincent- 

Grade, and Barrel 

Springs. 

• 93551 – Central City, 

Anaverde, Rancho 

Vista, City Ranch, 

Desert-View 

Highlands, Portal 

Ridge, Leona Valley 

(district and adjacent 

town), and parts of

Nearby Mojave Desert communities 

Other cities and towns in the Palmdale vicinity include: 

Quartz Hill (district). 

Some P.O. boxes. 

• 93552 – Pearland, 

parts of Palmdale 

East, and parts of 

Sun Village. 

• 93553 – Parts of Sun 

Village. Shared with 

town of 

Pearblossom. Some 

P.O. boxes. 

• 93590 – Palmdale 

Regional Airport, 

USAF Plant 42, and 

most of Palmdale's 

P.O. boxes. 

• 93591 – Lake Los 

Angeles (district and 

adjacent town), parts 

of Palmdale East, 

and some P.O. 

boxes. 

• Acton 

• Adelanto 

• Agua Dulce 

• Antelope Acres 

• Apple Valley 

• Barstow 

• Boron 

• California City 

• Daggett 

• Del Sur 

• Elizabeth Lake 

• Helendale 

• Hesperia 

• Hinkley 

• Kramer Junction 

• Lake Hughes 

• Lake Los Angeles 

• Lancaster 

• Lenwood

Neighborhoods and districts 

• Leona Valley 

• Littlerock 

• Llano 

• Mojave 

• Neenach 

• North Edwards 

• Oro Grande 

• Pearblossom 

• Phelan 

• Pinon Hills 

• Quartz Hill 

• Randsburg 

• Red Mountain 

• Ridgecrest 

• Rosamond 

• Tehachapi 

• Valyermo 

• Victorville 

• Yermo 

The city is unofficially divided up into 11 separate areas: Downtown or Old Town 

Palmdale (civic center), Trade & Commerce Center (the main shopping district), 

Desert-View Highlands (old county area), Anaverde (west end-formerly City Ranch), 

Rancho Vista, Ritter Ranch (far west end),Sun Village (far east end-part County), 

Harold (old settlement near Lake Palmdale-part County),Quartz Hill (northwest endpart 

County), Lake Los Angeles (farthest east end-part County), and Leona Valley 

(farthest west end-part County). 

Unlike nearby Santa Clarita or Los Angeles, the residents of Palmdale do not use the 

name of their particular areas to have their mail addressed to for the most part. This is 

mostly due to the very easily navigated local street system, which is almost completely 

alphabetized and numeric. 

Climate 

Palmdale is located in the high (altitude) desert. This means that summers are very hot 

and dry while winters are cold and windy. Palmdale has over 300 days of sunshine per 

year. The wind during winter and spring is a result of the temperature differential 

between Palmdale and Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix maintains a relatively warmer 

temperature than Palmdale's. This causes the air over Palmdale to have a higher 

barometric pressure (thicker air) than the air over Phoenix (thinner air). As a result, the 

air over Palmdale rushes towards Phoenix, trying to balance out the air pressure. Since 

Phoenix rarely gets cold, the wind is steady during the winter and spring. The wind is so

eliable that wind turbines are used to generate electricity. During the summer and fall 

there is little wind since Palmdale and Phoenix are usually the same temperature. 

Winter – Relatively cold, wet, and windy. Temperatures have gone into the single-digits 

at times. The wind chill factor can be below zero. This is Palmdale's rainy season. On 

occasion, it will snow. Average day time highs are in the upper 50s to low 60s while 

being in the low to mid 30s overnight. 

Spring – Moderate temperatures. Still occasionally wet. Very windy. Transitional period 

from winter to summer temperatures is very short. Average daytime highs are in the 

upper 70s to low 80s while being in the upper 40s to low 50s overnight. 

Summer – Very hot with little or no precipitation. Temperatures frequently soar into 

triple-digits. However, the high desert where Palmdale is located allows for the 

temperatures to cool down at night, unlike the low desert cities of Palm Springs and 

Blythe. Average day time highs are in the upper 90s while droping into the mid to upper 

60s overnight. 

Fall – Moderate temperatures with little or no precipitation. Transitional period from 

summer to winter temperatures is very short. As a result, the deciduous trees in Palmdale 

will lose their leaves very rapidly, seemingly overnight, without a color change. Average 

day time highs are in the upper 70s and low 80s while being in the mid 40s to mid 50s 

overnight. 

Climate of Palmdale 

month : J F M A M J J A S O N D 

Temperature (in °F) 34 37 40 75 83 92 98 97 91 80 67 33 

Precipitation (in inches) 1.56 1.69 1.39 0.33 0.16 0.06 0.06 0.13 0.22 0.24 0.43 1.09 

• Annual Average High 

Temperatures: 98°F 

(summer) 59°F 

(winter) 

• Annual Average Low 

Temperatures 65°F 

(summer) 33°F 

(winter) 

• Highest Recorded 

Temperature: 113°F 

(1972) 

• Lowest Recorded 

Temperature: 6°F 

(1963) 

• Warmest Month: July

Economy 

• Coolest Month: 

December 

• Highest Precipitation: 

February 

• Annual Precipitation: 

7.36 inches 

The most important industry for Palmdale is the aerospace industry. However in recent 

times, other manufacturing companies have relocated to Palmdale seeking more 

affordable land, close proximity to Palmdale Airport, and special tax breaks. 

The special tax breaks granted for companies that relocate to Palmdale is due to the city 

having the Antelope Valley Enterprise Zone and the Palmdale Federal Foreign Trade 

Zone. These are special zoning areas within the city that are given various state and 

federal tax breaks and municipal grant incentives to relocate their business there. These 

zones were put in effect to help Palmdale and nearby Lancaster draw more jobs to the 

area so that they would be less dependent on the Los Angeles Basin area for employment, 

thus relieving pollution and traffic congestion, and stabilizing the local economy on 

several industries instead of just aerospace which is known for it’s “feast or famine” 

seasons. 

Palmdale refers to itself with the nickname the "aerospace capital of the United States", 

and has been the site of research, development, final assembly, flight testing and/or 

servicing/modifications of the Space Shuttle, X-15, B-2 Spirit & F-117 Nighthawk, F-35 

Joint Strike Fighter, SR-71 Blackbird, Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, and many other aircraft 

that have been used in the United States Air Force, NASA and air forces and airlines 

around the world. USAF Plant 42, where the aforementioned aerospace projects occurred 

/ occur is home to major operations of the following aerospace companies: Boeing, 

Lockheed Martin and its famed Skunk Works, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems. 

The Boeing building (formerly North American Rockwell) at Plant 42 / Palmdale 

Regional Airport is one of the largest buildings in the world. It was used in the Tom 

Hanks movie The Terminal to house the duplicate JFK terminal set since it was the only 

building in the Southland area large enough to house it. 

Major companies with a presence in Palmdale 

• Anderson Burrows 

• BAE Systems 

• Beazer Homes 

• Boeing 

• Delta Scientific 

• Empire Land 

• Forrest City 

Development

Media 

Newspapers 

Antelope Valley Press 

Daily News – Antelope Valley 

Radio stations 

• Grubb & Ellis 

• ICS Perely & Sons 

• Kaiser Permanente 

• Kauffman & Broad 

• Lockheed Martin 

• Murphy Switch 

Company 

• Northrop Grumman 

• Senior Systems 

Technology 

• SR Technics 

• Teledyne Ryan 

• Tie-Tech 

• Universal Health 

Services 

• United States Air 

Force 

• U.S. Pole 

• Wal-Mart 

• KAVL 610 AM 

Sports 

• KAVR 890 AM 

• KTPI 1340 AM 

Classic Country 

• KWJL 1380 AM 

News/Talk 

• KUTY 1470 AM 

News/Talk 

• KTLW 88.9 FM 

Religious/Christian 

• KZIQ 92.7 FM True 

Country 

• KLKX 93.5 FM 

Classic Rock

Television stations 


Area highways 

• KFXM 96.7 FM 

Oldies 

• KVVS 97.7 FM TOP 

40 (simulcast of Los 

Angeles KIIS 102.7) 

• KKZQ 100.1 FM 

Alternative/Modern 

Rock 

• KTPI 103.1 FM 

Country 

• KOSS 105.5 FM 

Adult Contemporary 

• KGMX 106.3 FM 

Adult Contemporary 

• KAV 3 

Independent/News 

• KPDL 27 City's cable 

channel 

• KPAL 38 Home 

Shopping 

The Antelope Valley Freeway (SR-14) is the major North-South highway connecting 

Palmdale to Los Angeles and Reno, Nevada. 

State Highway 138 (SR-138) is the major east-west highway connecting Palmdale to the 

Inland Empire and Frazier Park. 

State Highway 18 (SR-18) heads eastward out of the Antelope Valley connecting it to 

Victorville and via I-15 the Barstow area. This road is commonly used as a route to Las 

Vegas, Nevada. Cash-strapped Caltrans, which to date has not yet upgraded CA 138 

between Palmdale and I-15 into an expressway, has had plans on the table for several 

years. Due to State funding constraints, this expressway will probably not be completed 

until 2020 at the earliest (planning, design and construction process takes 10-15 years).

Public transportation 

The Palmdale Transportation Center, recently completed in March 2005, is the central 

mass transit center for the Antelope Valley. It serves as the transit hub for the Antelope 

Valley Transit Authority, the city's public bus system, as well as an Amtrak, Greyhound 

Bus, and commuter rail Metrolink station. A monorail between Palmdale Airport and the 

center is planned when the new commercial air terminal is finished. The station is also 

designated a stop on the proposed California High Speed Rail System. 

Airport 

Palmdale's Airport, located upon Plant 42, is one of the largest in the world 

(geographically). Plant 42 has two runways, each over two miles in length. The Palmdale 

Regional Airport (PMD) has a commercial air terminal owned and operated by Los 

Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a Los Angeles municipal department, although no 

commercial air service is currently provided. Originally acquired by LAWA in 1966 to be 

developed into "Palmdale Intercontinental Airport", intended to surpass the air traffic of 

LAX, LAWA has since over the decades not developed its Palmdale airport lands to 

these claims. Convincing airlines of the marketability of the airport has thus far been 

difficult, perhaps because of the airline industry's "hub and spoke" system which tends to 

shun new airports in an effort to improve airline profitability. Additionally, many San 

Fernando Valley LA residents believe Palmdale's airport is too far away for their tastes. 

In reality, considering automobile travel time on congested freeways and streets, as well 

as LAX passenger unloading/parking difficulties, Palmdale may offer the airline 

passenger a quicker ground transportation travel time from Sherman Oaks than the 

standard LAX airport car trip down the San Diego 405 freeway. 

The movie "The Terminal" was filmed at the Palmdale Regional Airport. 

Demographics 












was 3.72.













• Ron Hornaday and 

Lance Hooper, 

NASCAR drivers 

• On "Because I Got 

High," Afroman 

states that he is from 

east Palmdale. In the 

song, "Palmdale", he 

chronicles his life 

and experiences 

there, giving the city 

of Palmdale credit 

for his misspent 

adolescence. That's 

where his heartache 

began, Afroman 

soulfully sings. 

• City's official website 

• Palmdale Chamber of 

Commerce 

• Palmdale Regional 

Airport 

• Local History 

• Local Newspaper 

• Live View of City 

• Local Information





Pasadena, California 

Fro 

m 

Wiki 

pedi 

a, 

the 

free 

ency 

clop 

edia 

Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles 

County, California, United States. 

As of the 2000 census, the city 

population was 133,936. Pasadena 

is the main population and cultural 

center of the San Gabriel Valley. It 

is the 8th largest city in Los Angeles 

County and famous for hosting the 

annual Rose Bowl football game 

and Tournament of Roses Parade. 

Geography 

Pasadena is located at 34°9′22″N, 

118°7′55″W (34.156098, - 

118.131808) GR1 . The elevation is 

864 feet (263 meters) above sea 

level. The greater Pasadena area is 

bounded by the Raymond Fault line, 

Population 

- Total (2000) 

- Metropolitan 

- Density 

Time zone 

- Summer (DST) 

Pasadena, California 

City seal 

133,936 

17,545,623 

904.8/km² 

PST (UTC–8) 

PDT (UTC–7) 

Location 34°09′22″N, 118°7′55″W 

Mayor Bill Bogaard 

City Attorney Michele Beal Bagneri 

Location in the Los Angeles County and the State of 

City Clerk California Jane Rodriguez 

City Manager 

County 

Area 

Los Cynthia Angeles J. Kurtz County, 

City 

California 

website 

- Total 

60.0 km² (23.2 mi²) 

- Land 

59.8 km² (23.1 mi²) 

- Water 

0.2 km² (0.1 mi²)

the San Rafael Hills, and the San Gabriel Mountains. 



Pasadena is located 10 miles (16 kilometers) northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The 

city is bordered by ten communities—Glendale, South Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, 

Sierra Madre, La Cañada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Garvanza and Altadena. The 

communities of Eagle Rock and Garvanza are incorporated within the city of Los 

Angeles and Altadena is an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County. Despite its 

location well within the Greater Los Angeles metropolis, Pasadena is a largely selfcontained 

city with a broad economic base, noted cultural, scientific, and educational 

institutions, and shopping and dining establishments that attract customers from the 

regional area. 

Demographics 












was 3.30. 










History

The original inhabitants of Pasadena and surrounding areas was the Native American 

Hahamog-na tribe, a branch of the Tongva (part of the Shoshone language group). 

Pasadena is a part of the original Spanish land grant named Rancho del Rincon de San 

Pascual, so named because it was deeded on Easter Sunday to Eulalia Perez de Guillén 

Mariné of the San Gabriel Mission. The Rancho comprised the lands of today's 

communities of Pasadena, Altadena and South Pasadena. 

Prior to the annexation of California in 1848, the last of the Spanish owners was Manuel 

Garfias who was allowed to retain title to the property after statehood in 1850. Garfias 

sold sections of the property to the first white settlers to come into the area, Dr. Benjamin 

Eaton, and Dr. S. Griffin. Much of the property was purchased by the honorable 

Benjamin Wilson who established his Lake Vineyard property near the vicinity. Wilson, 

known as Don Benito to the local Indians, was also owner of the Rancho Jurupa 

(Riverside, California) and went on to become the first Anglo mayor of Los Angeles. He 

is the grandfather of the famous WWII General George S. Patton and would have Mount 

Wilson, the metro-media transmission center of the greater Los Angeles area, named for 

him. 

In 1873 Wilson was visited by one Dr. Daniel M. Berry of Indiana who was looking for a 

place in the country that could offer better climate to his patient base, most of whom 

suffered from severe respiratory ailments. Berry was an asthmatic himself and claimed 

that he had his best three nights sleep at Rancho San Pascual. To keep the find a secret, 

Berry code-named the area "Muscat" after the grape that Wilson so popularly grew on the 

property. In order to raise funds to bring the company of people to San Pascual, Berry 

formed the Southern California Orange and Citrus Growers Association for which he sold 

stock. The newcomers were able to purchase a large portion of the property along the 

Arroyo Seco and on January 31, 1874 they incorporated the Indiana Colony. As a gesture 

of good will, Wilson threw in the 2,000 acres of thought-to-be-useless highland property 

part of which would become Altadena. 

Naming Pasadena 

The mail came to the Indiana Colony via Los Angeles so ear-marked. In an attempt to 

obtain their own Post Office, the Colony needed to change the name to something that the 

Postmaster General would consider more fitting. The town fathers put up three names to 

a vote. The first was Indianola. The second was Granada, to be in keeping with the areas 

Spanish heritage. 

The third was proposed by Dr. Thomas Elliott who had contacted an Indian missionary 

friend of his in Michigan who had worked with the Minnesota Chippewa Indians. He 

submitted four names for translation: "Crown of the Valley," "Key of the Valley," 

"Valley of the Valley," and "Hill of the Valley." The names came back starting with 

"Weo-quan pa-sa-de-na," "Hat of the Valley" All the names ended in the "pa-sa-de-na (of 

the valley)" translation. The name was put to the vote, and due to its euphonious nature, it 

was accepted, thus: Pasadena. Pasadena was incorporated — the second incorporated 

municipality of Southern California next to Los Angeles — in March 1886.

The popularity of the region drew numbers from across country and Pasadena eventually 

became a key stop along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which led to an 

explosion in its growth. From the real estate boom of the 1880's until the Great 

Depression, as great tourists hotels were developed in the city, Pasadena became a winter 

resort for wealthy easterners. The first of the great hotels to be established in Pasadena 

was the Raymond (1886) which sat atop Bacon Hill, renamed Raymond Hill after 

construction. The original Mansard Victorian 200-room facility burned down on Easter 

Sunday morning of 1895 and was not rebuilt until 1903. It was lost during the Great 

Depression and torn down to make way for residential development. The Maryland Hotel 

existed from the early 1900's and was also lost during the Depression in 1934. 

Two hotel structures have survived to the present day. The Green Hotel and the Vista Del 

Arroyo. 

Hotel Green 

The Hotel Green started construction on South Raymond Avenue at Kansas Street in 

1887 by Mr. E.C. Webster who was unable to finish it. Colonel George Gill Green, a 

wealthy patent medicine distributor from New Jersey, finished the six-story edifice in 

1888. In 1898 he finished construction on a second grand edifice on the other side of 

Raymond and connected the two buildings, the first now called an annex, with a bridge 

and a tunnel. The magnate patrons and their families would arrive by train at the station 

adjacent the annex. They would proceed to the second floor where they were trammed 

across the newer section and go directly to their suites. The luggage was ferried across 

through the tunnel. In 1902 the hotel was extended to the P.G. Wooster building at the 

corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Green Street. In 1924 the hotel became a private 

residence. The annex was razed to its first story and sold away as private property, today 

known as Stat's Floral Supply. In 1970 the two wings of the hotel were closed off to each 

other creating two separate buildings. The 1898 section remained the private residence 

now called the Castle Green. The 1902 portion was taken over by the government's HUD 

program for senior residents and mentally impaired, and is called the Green Hotel. In 

1929 Kansas Street was widened and renamed Green Street. 

Vista del Arroyo 

The Vista Del Arroyo Hotel on Grand Avenue, which the Navy commandeered for use as 

a hospital during World War II, now houses the United States Court of Appeals for the 

Ninth Circuit. 

Pasadena's role as a regional hub was cemented by numerous other events, among them 

the Tournament of Roses Parade which began in 1889, the construction and opening of 

the Colorado Street Bridge, also known as "Suicide Bridge" from the period of the Great 

Depression, the Arroyo Parkway, now Pasadena Freeway, opened as the first freeway in

Southern California in 1941, and the completion of the Los Angeles Metro Gold Line in 

2003. 

Culture 

Performing arts 

Pasadena City Hall in Pasadena, CA. 

The Pasadena Symphony, founded in 1928, offers several concerts a year at the Pasadena 

Civic Center and the Pasadena Pops plays at nearby Descanso Gardens. The Civic Center 

also holds a few traveling Broadway shows each year. The Pasadena Playhouse puts on 

seven shows a season, with each show running 6 to 8 weeks. The Furious Theatre 

Company is one of several small theatre companies in Pasadena. They currently use the 

upstairs theater adjacent to the Pasadena Playhouse. Boston Court Performing Arts 

Complex, which opened in 2003, is located near Lake and Colorado. Its resident theatre 

company, the award-winning Theatre at Boston Court presents four productions a year. 

[1] Zebulon Projects presents numerous music concerts each year, ranging from classical 

to jazz. The Friends of the Levitt organization puts on a free summer concert series in 

Memorial Park; the 2005 summer season marked its third year. The California 

Philharmonic [2] performs two series in Pasadena: Cal Phil at the Ambassador 

(Ambassador Auditorium) from November through to April and Cal Phil Music Martinis 

& the Maestro in the Romanesque Room at the Green Hotel, January to May. They also 

perform Cal Phil Festival on the Green at nearby Los Angeles County Arboretum & 

Botanic Garden in Arcadia from July to September and from July to August they have 

Cal Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Also, in conjunction with The Old 

Mill Foundation, they perform a summer chamber concert series Cal Phil at the Mill in 

San Marino.

Visual arts 

A number of artists of national repute, such as Alson S. Clark, Marion Wachtel and 

Ernest A. Batchelder, made Pasadena their home in the early twentieth century. The 

formation of the Pasadena Arts Institute and the Pasadena Society of Artists heralded the 

city's emergence as a regional center for the visual arts. 

The Norton Simon Museum contains over 2000 years of art from the Western world and 

Asia. The Pacific Asia Museum, with its tranquil garden in the center, features art from 

the many countries of Asia. The nearby Pasadena Museum of California Art hosts many 

temporary exhibits from Californian artists. The Gamble House, a National Historic 

Landmark, is a masterpiece of the Arts and Crafts Movement open for tours. The 

Huntington Library and its botanical garden are adjacent to Pasadena in the city of San 

Marino. 

Education 

The world-famous California Institute of Technology is located in the southern-central 

area of Pasadena, with Pasadena City College located just to the northeast. Fuller 

Theological Seminary , one of the largest multidenominational seminaries in the world, is 

located just east of downtown Pasadena. Pacific Oaks College is located right next to the 

Pasadena's National Historic Landmark - The Gamble House. The famous Art Center 

College of Design is on the hills overlooking the Rose Bowl, and the Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory (operated by Caltech) is located in nearby La Canada Flintridge. 

The Pasadena Unified School District is in charge of the city's 5 high-schools, 3 middle 

schools, and 24 elementary schools.[3] The school district has been plagued by declining 

enrollment in recent years, resulting in decreased funding. However, promise for the 

district has been shown because the AP, Honors, and GATE programs have been met 

with great success. More and more students have been enrolling at prestigious and 

acredited colleges over the years, including Caltech, Occidental, USC, The Claremont 

Colleges, the UC and Cal State systems of universities, as well as many out-of-state 

private and public institutions. 

Several private college preparatory schools are located in Pasadena, including: 

• Polytechnic School, 

first private nonprofit 

elementary 

school in California, 

founded 1907 

• Westridge School for 

Girls 

• Maranatha High 

School 

• La Salle High School

Shopping 

• The Waverly School 

• Mayfield Senior 

School 

Old Pasadena is a popular shopping and dining area for locals and tourists. Paseo 

Colorado is a more upscale mall designed to be a modern urban village, with apartments 

above the mall. An exclusive shopping district is located in the South Lake Avenue 

neighborhood. 

Sports 

The Rose Bowl stadium, a National Historic Landmark, is host of the oldest and most 

famous college football postseason bowl game every New Year's Day. It is the home 

field for the University of California, Los Angeles football team and has hosted five 

Super Bowls. Important soccer matches include the 1984 Summer Olympics, the men's 

final in the Football World Cup 1994, and the final in FIFA Women's World Cup 1999. 

For some time, Los Angeles has been seeking another National Football League team to 

replace the Raiders, which played in Los Angeles from 1982-1994. There is currently a 

petition underway to have this team play in the Rose Bowl and call Pasadena its home. 

However, there are also several other cities and stadiums vying for this enviable 

opportunity. 

Miscellaneous 

Tournament of Roses Parade 

Spectators gather before the 2004 Rose Parade. 

Pasadena is also home to the Tournament of Roses Parade, held each year on January 1 

(unless that day is a Sunday, in which case the event is held on January 2). The first 

parade was held in 1890 and was originally sponsored by the Valley Hunt Club, a

Pasadena social club. The impetus for holding the parade was, as stated by one of the 

members, Professor Charles F. Holder, "In New York, people are buried in snow. Here 

our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell 

the world about our paradise." 

By 1895, the festivities had become larger than the Valley Hunt Club could manage, and 

the Tournament of Roses Association was then formed to take charge of the festival. In 

1902, it was decided that a football game would be added to the day's events. The game, 

now known as the Rose Bowl, would become the first post-season college football game 

ever. The first game was between Stanford University and the University of Michigan. 

After suffering a tremendous financial loss, the Tournament of Roses Association 

decided to hold Roman chariot races in lieu of football games. However, in 1916, football 

returned. When it became clear that the stands in Tournament Park were too small to 

facilitate the crowd, the Tournament's President, William Leishman, proposed that a 

stadium be built to house the game. The Rose Bowl was completed in 1923. The Rose 

Bowl has since been selling out to crowds since 1947. In 1998, the Rose Bowl celebrated 

its 52nd anniversary and became the longest running tradition of its kind. 

The Rose Parade, as it is familiarly known, still features elaborate floats. According to 

the organizers, "Every inch of every float must be covered with flowers or other natural 

materials, such as leaves, seeds or bark. Volunteer workers swarm over the floats in the 

days after Christmas, their hands and clothes covered with glue and petals. The most 

delicate flowers are placed in individual vials of water, which are set into the float one by 

one." 

The Rose Parade is satirized by the popular Doo Dah Parade, an annual November event 

in Pasadena. 

South Orange Grove Boulevard 

One of two primary, exclusive residential districts in Pasadena, South Orange Grove 

Boulevard has been a home for the rich and famous since the early 20th century. Because 

of a number of landmark mansions, the street earned the name "Millionaire's Row." 

However, by the early 21st Century many of these homes had been replaced by spacious, 

pricey condominiums. 

Of the residence dating back to the turn of the Century are: 

• Professor Thaddeus S. 

C. Lowe, who built a 

24,000 square foot 

home on South 

Orange Grove. The 

house rose to a sixth 

story solarium which 

became an

observatory since 

Lowe was such a 

patron of the 

astronomical 

sciences. Lowe came 

to Pasadena as a 

Civil War hero, 

inventor, 

entrepreneur, and 

scientist while 

holding several 

patents on gas 

operated equipment 

and artificial icemaking 

machines. 

He went on to 

establish the Mount 

Lowe Railway in 

Altadena into which 

he sank all his 

fortunes. 

• Adolphus Busch, who 

established the first 

of a series of Busch 

Gardens adjacent to 

Lowe's property. 

Busch was 

cofounder of the 

Anheuser-Busch 

Brewing Co., of 

fame. Busch died at 

his Pasadena home 

and his wife offered 

the property to the 

City of Pasadena as a 

park, which offer the 

City refused. 

• Henry Markham who 

lived adjacent to 

Busch and became 

the 18th Governor of 

the State of 

California (1891 - 

1895). 

• Prominent among the 

later historic

Parrots 

residences is the 

Wrigley Mansion, 

former home of 

chewing gum 

magnate William 

Wrigley Jr., which 

now serves as 

headquarters for the 

world-renowned 

Tournament of 

Roses Parade. 

• On the north end of 

the street lies the 

Gamble House, built 

by renowned Arts & 

Crafts movement 

architects Greene & 

Greene, but once 

home to David and 

Mary Gamble of 

Procter & Gamble 

fame. The annual 

Rose Parade on New 

Year's Day uses 

South Orange Grove 

Boulevard as a 

staging area for 

flower-covered 

floats, and it is where 

the parade begins. 

• The Norton Simon 

Museum sits at the 

intersection of 

Orange Grove and 

Colorado Boulevard. 

The intersection of 

Fair Oaks Avenue 

and Colorado 

Boulevard is the 

center of Old Town 

Pasadena. 

Pasadena has a population of wild parrots. The city's website identifies them as 

yellowhead amazon parrots, but according to the Parrot Project of Los Angeles, the

parrots fall into as many as five different groups. There is a cycle of regular public outcry 

about the noise and the sheer oddity of the birds' presence, but most Pasadena's seem to 

have come to accept the birds as part of the city's life. They can be seen year-round, but 

are especially noticeable in the winter. The birds are definitely gregarious, and the 

amount of disturbance their chatter creates is definitely related to the time of day they 

may choose to chatter. 

Theories and myths abound on how these parrots came to claim Pasadena and 

surrounding towns as their home. A heavily accepted story by long-time residents of the 

area is that they were part of the stock at Simpson's Nursery on East Colorado Blvd. in 

the Lamanda Park area. The nursery was burned down in 1969 and the parrots were 

thereby released to forage in the lush Pasadena area. It is also possible that some parrots 

moved northward from their normal in range in central and North Mexico as human 

habitation in the Pasadena area created artificial habitat in which the parrots could 

survive. Among their favorite foods are the berry kernels of the cedar trees which grow in 

great abundance around Pasadena. 

Parking 

Pasadena is notorious for parking ticket citations and has a very strict parking code. It 

does not allow overnight parking between 2am-6am on city streets, unless you pay for an 

overnight permit, or you must check-in your vehicle each night with the local Police 

department for an exemption. The city only allows for 20 exemptions per vehicle, per 

year. 

City Hall construction 

The City Hall building is currently under renovation to be seismically retrofitted. It was 

closed in July 2004 due to safety concerns and construction began in March 2005. The 

retrofit is expected to be completed in Summer 2007.[4] 

Notable Pasadenans 

See also: Category:Pasadenans. 

• Steve Albini, audio 

engineer and 

musician 

• Stacey Augmon, 


• Sophia Bush, actress 

• Octavia Butler, 

science fiction writer 

• Julia Child, television 

chef and personality


• Jeff Cirillo, baseball 

player 

• Michael Cooper, 


• Arthur Duncan, 

dancer 

• Amelia Earhart, pilot 

• Ryan Hollins, 


• Jack Parsons, rocket 

scientist and 

occultist 

• Drew Pinsky, medical 

doctor and radio talk 

show host 

• Bill Richardson, 

governor of New 

Mexico 

• Jackie Robinson, 


• David Lee Roth, 

rocker 

• Sirhan Sirhan, 

Palestinian, lived in 

Pasadena when he 

assasinated Robert F. 

Kennedy. 

• Eddie Van Halen, 

guitarist from Van 

Halen. 

• Jacques Vaughn, 


• Jaleel White, actor, 

producer, and writer 

• Pasadena city website 

• Pasadena Public 

Library 

• Pasadena Unified 


• The Pasadena Star 

News 

• Pasadena 89.3 KPCC 

Public Radio






• The Gamble House 

• Old Town Pasadena 

• Pasadena Doo Dah 

Parade 

• Rose Bowl Stadium 

• Pasadena Society of 

Artists 

• Pasadena and the 

Arroyo Culture 

• Tournament of Roses 

Parade, official site 

• Polytechnic School 

• Maranatha High 

School 

• Pacific Oaks College 

• Fuller Theological 

Seminary 

• Pasadena City 

College 

• California Institute of 

Technology 

• La Salle High School 

• Art Center College Of 

Design 

• Pasadena Playhouse 

• Furious Theatre 

Company 

• Boston Court Theater 

• Levitt Pavilion 

• Pasadena Visitors and 

Convention Bureau 

• Pasadena Restaurants 

• Pasadena USGS

Redondo Beach, California 


Redondo Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The 

population was 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of 

the greater Los Angeles area and is one of the three Beach Cities. 

The city's unusually shaped pier 

The city's primary attraction is its Municipal Pier, which is claimed to be one of the 

longest piers in North America. Its nicknames are the "Endless Pier" and "Horseshoe 

Pier" and is moderately popular with both tourists and fishermen. However, the pier's 

length is possible only because of its unusual shape (it does not go straight out to sea, but 

goes out diagonally and then returns back to shore). The Redondo Beach Pier started as a 

reinforced concrete structure in 1914, then was replaced in 1928 with a timber pier. In 

1988, the pier was severely battered by storms and later that year burned to the waterline 

(the fire was so large that a SigAlert was announced for the San Diego Freeway several 

miles away). The pier's modern reinforced concrete version was completed in 1996.

According to the local newspaper, the Daily Breeze, the pier area used to be heavily 

crowded with tourists and locals during the 1970s. It began to decline after the nearby 

Seaport Village project failed and went into bankruptcy in 1982, and went into free fall 

when the pier burned down in 1988. Subsequent attempts to resuscitate the area's former 

popularity have been hindered by the need to comply with California Coastal 

Conservancy regulations, and the concurrent success of redevelopment projects in the 

two other Beach Cities, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, and also in the nearby city 

of Torrance. 

The city's territory has an unusual shape because it controls a long block of land dividing 

the two other beach cities (Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach) from the inland city of 

Torrance. This is why Redondo Beach is the western terminus of the Metro Rail Green 

Line even though at first glance it appears on a map to be far from Interstate 105 (the 

Green Line's main route). 

Redondo beach's primary High school is the Redondo Union High School 

Lifestyle 

Redondo Beach is the focus of many who want to be in the sun and near the ocean. 

Although a vibrant community in its own right, much of the Redondo Beach lifestyle is a 

blend of the neighborhoods, activities and people of the three Beach Cities of Southern 

California's South Bay. Like its sister cities of Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, 

Redondo's key lifestyle draw is the vast beach that links these three cities. 

Beach Lifestyle 

Evidence of the Southern California beach lifestyle abounds: athletic, tanned people 

enjoying the nearly 300 unbroken days a year of sunshine; bars, restaurants, shops and 

parks. 

A wide sand beach starts below the bluffs of Palos Verdes in the south and carries north 

to the Redondo Pier. A paved path, called The Strand runs from South Redondo north to 

Santa Monica. A typical day on this path will see thousands of people on foot, bicycle, 

skateboard, rollerblade, wheelchair and stroller enjoying the sun and surf. The continuous 

path is broken only by the massive and omnipresent Redondo Beach King Harbor Marina 

and Pier complex, where it veers away from water and onto dedicated lanes of surface 

streets for about a mile before again turning to the ocean in Hermosa Beach. Continuing 

north from Manhattan Beach, this path stretches well into Marina Del Rey and beyond 

with few breaks. 

Surfing is a key element of the South Bay lifestyle year-round; it is common to see locals 

catching waves on both Christmas and New Year's Day. Powerful winter storms in the 

Pacific ocean can turn typically placid and rolling South Bay waves into large and 

occasionally dangerous monsters...a natural draw for the local surfing population. Local 

wave heights in December 2005 were some of the largest on record and were reported to

top 15 to 20 feet in some instances; at least one surfer required resuscitation when he 

thrashed against the ocean bottom after trying a particularly large wave. 

Beach Volleyball is another important aspect of Redondo Beach's lifestyle. The wide and 

flat sand beaches provide the perfect venue for the sport and permanent poles and nets are 

placed and maintained by the city year-round. Professional tournaments managed by the 

AVP take place in neighboring Hermosa and Manhattan Beach. Redondo Beach is home 

to Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh and AVP Pro Casey Jennings. 

Neighborhoods 

Redondo Beach is often divided into two logical North/South areas with 190th Street as 

its boundary line. South Redondo plays host to the pier and marina/harbor complex and 

directly borders active Hermosa Beach; life on the ocean side of Pacific Coast Highway 

(PCH) can be frenetic with restaurants and boating activities keeping people active and 

engaged at all times. Inland of PCH is largely residential. 

Bordering North/South Redondo at the Marina is a massive power plant which has been 

the source of substantial political debate in the city over the last decade, largely centered 

over what to do with the land once the plant becomes inactive over the next 25 years. 

This power plant sports a 586ft. x 95ft. whale mural by world-famous artist Wyland titled 

"Gray Whale Migration". 

South Redondo is a bit more on the gentrified, quiet side; its wide streets, wide sand 

beaches and laid-back feel make it a prime destination for those seeking a "bike to the 

grocery store" community. Several close-knit neighborhoods exist; South Broadway 

hosts street parties in the summer where children play on jumping gyms and the local 

Fire Department judges the best dessert contest while kids climb their pumper truck. 

South Redondo is also known as the cleanest part of Redondo and is considered to be 

"higher-class" by many of its citizens. The homes in South Redondo cost considerably 

more than homes in North Redondo. 

North Redondo begins north of 190th Street. As a result of Redondo Beach's geography, 

North Redondo is primarily an inland experience as the beachfronts form most of 

Hermosa Beach and part of Manhattan Beach. While primarily residential, North 

Redondo contains some of the city's major industry and commercial space, including the 

inland aerospace and engineering firms that are part of Southern California's long space 

legacy. It is also home to the South Bay Galleria Shopping Center and a revitalized 

Artesia Boulevard. North Redondo is the home of the Redondo Beach Performing Arts 

Center, one of the South Bay's premier cultural facilities, and home to the Civic Light 

Opera of the South Bay Cities. North Redondo is home to nearly two-thirds of the 

children in Redondo Beach. 

Many original homes still stand in Redondo Beach neighborhoods, but these small Arts 

and Crafts style homes are quickly being bought, demolished and rebuilt to match the 

tastes of the modern, more affluent buyer that makes South Bay their home. Zoning

allows properties within two to three blocks of the beach to be developed as large two to 

three-unit luxury townhomes; inland areas are more likely to have single-family homes. 

There is a city-wide height limit of 32 ft. for new homes; unlike Manhattan Beach, 

Redondo allows rooftop living spaces and decks. 

Other Activities 

A revitalized downtown area affectionately termed "Riviera Village" (named so after the 

Hollywood Riviera, which is the area it is in) provides locals an opportunity to eat, shop 

and commune in a quiet atmosphere. Since 2004 several new or newly renovated 

restaurants have made a positive impact on local options for an on-the-town experience. 

Downtown also supports a number of independent boutiques and shops specializing in 

clothing and fashion, as well as at least three wine-tasting galleries. This downtown area 

is in South Redondo west of PCH between Avenue I and Palos Verde Blvd. 

The Marina, Harbor and Pier complexes are large, planned centers of activity that host 

restaurants, bars, smaller shops and an arcade. The pier is a common spot for anglers to 

cast for a local catch; many residents of inland Los Angeles drive to Redondo Beach to 

take advantage of the long and unique shape of this pier. The large, monolithic concrete 

structures that make up the pier and harbor area stand in stark contrast to the venerable 

cozy feel of the rest of the South Bay's neighborhood-style streetfront architecture; the 

city continues to consider options for the area as new entertainment and dining chooses to 

locate in other areas of the Beach Cities. 

Cost of Living 

The beach lifestyle comes at a price: according to public data from the LA Times, Real 

Estate prices increased almost 20% per year between 1999 and 2005. Properties within 

short walking distance of the ocean routinely sell for well over $1 Million USD. Those 

with direct, unhindered views routinely ask in excess of $2 Million. Money Magazine 

ranks communities in the area as some of the most expensive places to live in America. 

The average 3-bed 2-bath home costs about $850,000 in South Redondo as of 2006 and 

$750,000 in North Redondo. 

Geography 

Redondo Beach is located at 33°51′23″N, 118°22′37″W (33.856514, -118.377081) GR1 . 



Demographics 


families residing in the city. The population density was 3,889.4/km² (10,065.4/mi²).


racial makeup of the city was 78.62% White, 2.52% African American, 0.47% Native 








was 2.87. 










Trivia 

Redondo Beach is the subject of a particularly memorable Patti Smith song. 

Vince Neil of the rock band Motley Crue was involved in a drunk driving accident on 

Esplanade Ave. on December 1984, that killed Razzle (Nicholas Dingley), the drummer 

of Hanoi Rocks. 

The well-known hardcore punk band Black Flag is from Redondo Beach. 

Chuck Norris opened a Martial Arts studio in Redondo Beach before his career in acting. 

The popular television show The O.C. uses the beach and pier when shooting on location. 

Popular British singer Morrissey has a song entitled redondo beach. 

The well-known contemporary artist Allan McCollum grew up in Redondo Beach. 

Redondo Beach is mentioned in the song "Surfin' USA" by The Beach Boys. 

Redondo Beach is home of the fictional Bird of Paradise Motel in the film The Two 

Jakes.

Redondo Beach is the birthplace of Jack Black (actor) 







Santa Clarita, California 

Santa Clarita, California 

Santa Clarita as seen from the Santa Susana foothills. 

Seal 

Location

Location of Santa Clarita in California and Los Angeles County 


Country 

State 

County 

Incorporated 1987 

Government 

United States 

California 


City Council Laurene Weste (mayor) 

Marsha McLean 

Frank Ferry 

Bob Kellar 

Cameron Smith 

Area 


City 123.9 km² (47.8 sq mi) 

Land 123.9 km² (47.8 sq mi) 

Water 0.1 km² (0.04 sq mi) 0.04% 

Population 

City (2000) 151,088 

Density 1,219.6/km² (3,159.1/sq mi) 

Time zone 

Summer (DST) 


PST (UTC-8) 

PDT (UTC-7) 

Website: www.santa-clarita.com

A typical stretch of Valencia Boulevard in the Valencia part of Santa Clarita. The bridge 

in the distance carries a paseo (a type of dedicated pedestrian pathway unique to 

Valencia) over the roadway. 

Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. 

As of the 2005 California Department of Finance estimate, the city population was 

167,954. It is located about 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and occupies 

most of the Santa Clarita Valley. It is a notable example of a U.S. edge city or boomburb. 

The FBI rates it as the sixth safest city in the United States with at least 100,000 

inhabitants. (Nearby Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, in Ventura County, traditionally 

alternate between the first and second spots on the list.) 

Santa Clarita was incorporated in 1987 as the union of several previously existing 

communities, including Saugus, Valencia, Canyon Country, Newhall, and portions of 

Castaic. Its principal boundaries are the Golden State and Antelope Valley freeways; 

their merger in Newhall Pass at the city's southernmost point gives Santa Clarita its 

distinctive triangular appearance on the map. Unlike many other hybrid cities' districts, 

communities in Santa Clarita retain a considerable degree of autonomy, to the extent that 

some of them--Valencia, most notably--are often mistaken for completely separate cities. 

Santa Clarita's most notable attractions are the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement 

park on the western edge of the city, and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), 

located in Valencia. 

As the city is hemmed in by mountains on all sides (the Tehachapis on the north, the San 

Gabriels on the east, and the Santa Susanas on the south and west) and is primarily reliant 

on the automobile for transportation, it suffers from chronic smog. It is also prone to 

wildfires, as demonstrated by the destruction of large undeveloped areas around the city 

during blazes in 2003 and 2004. 

Geography 

Santa Clarita is located at 34°24′60″N, 118°30′23″W (34.416561, -118.506443) GR1 . 

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 123.9 km² 

(47.8 mi²). 123.9 km² (47.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.04%) is water.

Demographics 







Even though it is still a predominantly middle-class white community, it has seen a 

substantial increase in residents of varying ethnicities. The growth in diversity in the city 

is not without problems. According to a Los Angeles Times report [1], racial crimes are 

increasing in the region. Most of the recent allegations pertain to the nearby Valencia 

High School. 






was 3.38. 










Youth involvement 

Santa Clarita is also known for its extensive youth-involvement programs, including 

Visions in Progress (VIP), a youth advisory group to the City Council, the SCV Youth 

Project, which strives to increase teen involvement in the city, and the Volunteen 

program, which provides teens with the chance to perform community service in the city, 

such as the annual River Rally (a river cleanup project of the Santa Clara River). (VIP) 

seeks to better the communtity and also provide a safe and very exciting environment for 

the local teens and new residents. The Santa Clarita Valley Safe Rides program, 

established in 1986, is a Teen Volunteer group which helps to prevent drunk driving in 

teens.

Television and movie production 

Because of Santa Clarita's proximity to Hollywood countless TV shows and movies have 

been filmed in Santa Clarita. From 'Pump Up the Volume' that was filmed exclusively in 

Saugus, to popular TV shows '24' and 'CSI'. 

Problems 

There have been many recent issues regarding Mining interests who wish to create mines 

in the Santa Clarita and Unincorperated Los Angeles County areas. These are widely 

opposed by city politicians and residents. There is a disproportionate amount of teen 

drinking and drug abuse. Also, recent issues with Racism at Valencia High School and 

other high schools in the William S. Hart High School District have led to fights, 

lockdowns, and media involvement. 

School districts 



• Castaic Union School 

District [1] 

• Newhall School 

District [2] 

• Saugus Union School 

District [3] 

• Sulphur Springs 

Elementary School 

District [4] 

• William S. Hart High 

School District [5] 

• California Institute of 

the Arts 

• The Master's College 

[6] 

• College of the 

Canyons [7] 

• Santa Clarita 

homepage 

• Santa Clarita Valley 

Resources Page






Santa Monica, California 

Santa Monica beach and pier 

Santa Monica Pier entrance 


• SCVTalk.com - Santa 

Clarita 

Neighborhood 

News/Community 

Journalism Site 

• AM-1220 KHTS - 

Santa Clarita's 

Hometown Radio 

Station

Santa Monica is a coastal city in western Los Angeles County, California, USA. It 

borders Santa Monica Bay (part of the Pacific Ocean) on the west, Pacific Palisades and 

Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles and Mar Vista on the east, and Venice on the 

south. As of the late 2004 census, the city had a population of 96,500, although, an early 

2006 estimate has the city at 103,255 people. Santa Monica is named for Saint Monica of 

Hippo because it was first visited by Spaniards on her feast day. In the skateboard and 

surfing communities Santa Monica's Ocean Park neighborhood and adjacent parts of 

Venice are sometimes called Dogtown. 

Because of its agreeable weather, Santa Monica had become a famed resort town by the 

early 20th century. The city has experienced a boom since the late 1980s through the 

revitalization of its downtown core, significant job growth, and increased tourism. 

Santa Monica is known for its progressive politics, including policies that address the 

needs of renters, consumers, and the homeless. Residents of the city are among the 

largest contributors in the nation to Democratic Party candidates. The city was well 

known for its strict rent control ordinance, which had been enacted in 1978 and was 

partially overridden by state law in 1999. Santa Monica is sometimes called the 

"Homeless Capital of the West" due to the presence of the third largest homeless 

population in Los Angeles County (after Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood), a 

large number of whom are teenaged runaways; satirist Harry Shearer calls it "The home 

of the homeless." 

History 

Santa Monica Beach, 1908. 

Main article: History of Santa Monica, California

Attractions and cultural resources 

Santa Monica Beach 

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, designed by Welton Becket in 1958. Home of the 

Oscars award ceremony from 1961 to 1968. 

The Monica, on 2nd Street, remains a popular place to catch an artsy flick. 

The Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome (carousel) is a National Historic Landmark. It sits 

on the Santa Monica Pier, which was built in 1909. The La Monica Ballroom on the pier 

was once the largest ballroom in the US, and the source for many New Year's Eve 

national network broadcasts. The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium was an important 

music venue for several decades and hosted the Academy Awards in the 1960s. 

McCabe's Guitar Shop is still a leading acoustic performance space. Bergamot Station is 

a city-owned art gallery compound that includes the Santa Monica Museum of Art. The 

city is also home to the Santa Monica Heritage Museum. 

Its two hospitals are Saint Johns and the Santa Monica Medical Center. Its cemetery is 

Woodlawn Memorial. 

The oldest theater in the city is the 1912 Majestic, also known as the Mayfair Theatre, 

closed since the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The Aero Theater (now operated by the 

American Cinematheque) and Criterion Theater were built in the 1930s and still show 

movies. The Santa Monica Promenade alone supports more than two dozen movie 

screens. 

Palisades Park stretches out on the crumbling bluffs overlooking the Pacific and is a 

favorite walking area to view the ocean. It features a camera obscura. For 48 years local 

churches and the Police Association assembled a twelve-tableau story of Christmas in

Palisades Park. The sheds were open on the street side, protected by chain-link fencing. 

Inside were dioramas of the Holy Family made from store mannequins; critics argued 

that many of them did not resemble real people, were damaged, or were otherwise 

inappropriate. In 2001 the city decided to temporarily end the practice of allowing private 

groups to place displays in city parks, but in 2004 the Christmas displays returned. 

Santa Monica is known for having a large population of British and Irish expatriates, 

which accounts for the numerous pubs in the city. Some bars are as likely to show 

English Premiership games as they are American football games. 

Natives and tourists alike have enjoyed the Santa Monica Rugby Club since 1972. The 

club has been very successful since its conception, most recently winning back-to-back 

national championships in 2005 and 2006. Santa Monica defeated the Boston Irish 

Wolfhounds 57-19 in the Division 1 final, convincingly claiming its second consecutive 

American title on June 4th, 2006, in San Diego. They offer Men's, Women's and a 

thriving childrens programs. 

Every Fall the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce hosts The Taste of Santa Monica on 

the Santa Monica Pier. Visitors can sample food and drink from Santa Monica 

restaurants. 

Education 

Founded in 1929 with an enrollment of 153, Santa Monica College (SMC, informally 

known as Pico Tech or Harvard-by-the-Sea), a junior college, now occupies 35 acres (14 

ha) and enrolls 30,000 students annually. The two-year college is the leading source of 

transfers to the University of California system. Rolling Stone magazine rated it among 

the top ten community colleges in the nation in 1998. Notable SMC alumni and dropouts 

include: James Dean, Dustin Hoffman, Rickie Lee Jones, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and 

former Microsoft chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold. The college also serves as 

the location of the studios of 89.9 KCRW, a National Public Radio affiliate known for its 

eclectic music programming. 

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District provides public education at the 

elementary and secondary levels. Private high schools in the city include the Crossroads 

School, New Roads School, Lighthouse Christian Academy and Saint Monica's Parochial 

School. 


The Santa Monica Freeway (Interstate 10) begins in the Santa Monica near the Pacific 

Ocean and heads east from there. The Santa Monica Freeway between Santa Monica and 

downtown Los Angeles has the distinction of being one of the busiest highways in all of 

North America. After traversing Los Angeles County, I-10 continues all the way across 

the USA, crossing seven more states, to the Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville, Florida. At

the eastern edge of Santa Monica, there is a large road sign designating this route as the 

Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway, but it is doubtful that more of these 

signs have been erected by the states. California State Highway 1 (Lincoln 

Boulevard/Pacific Coast Highway) passes through Santa Monica on its way from the 

southern boundary of California to the northern boundary. California State Route 2 

(Santa Monica Boulevard) begins in Santa Monica and continues northeast across Los 

Angeles County, crossing the San Gabriel Mountains as the Angeles Crest Highway. 

Santa Monica is also the western (Pacific) terminus of historic U.S. Route 66, a road from 

Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles County. Route 66 terminates at the Santa Monica Pier, a 

location that has served as the setting for numerous television shows, commercials and 

movies. Close to the eastern boundary of Santa Monica the very long Sepulveda 

Boulevard passes on its way from southmost Los Angeles County to the San Fernando 

Valley. Also close to the eastern boundary of Santa Monica lies Interstate-405, the San 

Diego Freeway, a major north-south route in Los Angeles County. To summarize, in spite 

of its relatively small land area, Santa Monica is a critical highway junction and terminus. 

Santa Monica is also the home for the Third Street Promenade, a major outdoor 

pedestrian oriented shopping district that stretches for four blocks between Wilshire Blvd. 

and Colorado Blvd. 

The City of Santa Monica runs its own award-winning bus service, the Big Blue Bus, 

which also serves much of Los Angeles's Westside and UCLA. A Big Blue Bus was 

featured prominently in the motion picture Speed. 

The city is also served by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation 

Authority's bus lines. Metro also complements Big Blue service, as when Big Blue routes 

are not operational overnight, Metro buses make all Big Blue Bus stops, in addition to 

MTA stops. It currently has no rail service but Metro is working on bringing light rail to 

Santa Monica in the form of the Exposition Line. The Red Line subway is also in the 

midst of an extension to Santa Monica, dubbed "subway to the sea". In the past, Santa 

Monica had rail service operated by the Pacific Electric Railway, until it was dismantled 

in the 1960's. 

Santa Monica beach and pier

The city owns and operates a general aviation airport, Santa Monica Airport, which has 

been the site of several important aviation achievements. Passenger flights are available 

at Los Angeles International Airport just to the south of Santa Monica via Sepulveda 

Boulevard. 

Like all Los Angeles County cities, Santa Monica is dependent upon the Port of Long 

Beach and the Port of Los Angeles for international ship cargo. In the 1890s, Santa 

Monica was once in competition with Wilmington, Calif., and San Pedro for recognition 

as the "Port of Los Angeles" (see History of Santa Monica, California). 

Geography 

Santa Monica Bay coast with the Pier on the right. Note that the bluff is highest at the 

north end, here exaggerated by the perspective. 

Santa Monica is situated at 34°1'19" North, 118°28'53" West (34.022059, - 

118.481336) GR1 . 

The city rests on a mostly flat slope that angles down towards Ocean Ave and towards the 

south. Some beautiful high bluffs separate the city from the beaches. 

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 41.2 km² (15.9 

mi²); 21.4 km² (8.3 mi²) of it is land. Its borders extend three nautical miles (5.6 km) out 

to sea, and so 19.8 km² (7.7 mi²) of it is water for a total area that is 48.08% water. 

Weather

Palm trees line Ocean Avenue 

Santa Monica enjoys an average of 325 days of sunshine a year. Because of its location, 

nestled on a vast open bay (Santa Monica Bay), morning fog and haze is a common 

phenomenon in May, June and early July (caused by ocean temperature variations and 

currents). Locals have a particular terminology for this phenomenon: the "May Gray" and 

the "June Gloom". Overcast skies are common for June mornings, but usually the strong 

sun burns the fog off by noon. Nonetheless, it will sometimes stay cloudy and cool all 

day during June, even as other parts of the Los Angeles area will enjoy sunny skies and 

warmer temperatures. At times, the sun shines east of 20th St while the beach area is 

overcast. 

As a general rule, the temperature is from 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (3 to 5.5 degrees 

Celsius) cooler than it is inland. A typical spring day (Mid-April) is sunny, pleasant and 

about 68 °F (20 °C). In the summer, which stretches basically from May to late October, 

temperatures can reach to the mid-80's Fahrenheit (about 30 °C) at the beach. The 

average temperature for August is 71 °F (21 °C). September is the warmest month of the 

year in Santa Monica, with an average of 73 °F (22 °C). It is also in September that 

records tend to be broken. In early September 2004, temperatures of 92 °F to 98 °F (33 

°C to 37 °C) were recorded. 

In early November, it is about 68 °F (20 °C). In late January, temperatures are around 63 

°F (17 °C). It is winter, however, when the hot, dry winds of the Santa Anas are most 

common. In mid-December 2004, temperatures soared to 84 °F (28 °C) in Santa Monica, 

for a few straight days, with perfectly sunny skies. 

The rainy season is from late October through late March. Winter storms usually 

approach from the northwest and pass quickly through the Southland. There is very little 

rain during the rest of the year. 

Santa Monica usually enjoys a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean, keeping the air 

fresh and clean. Therefore, smog is less a problem for Santa Monica than elsewhere 

around Los Angeles. However, in the autumn months of September through November, 

the Santa Ana winds will sometimes blow from the East, bringing smoggy inland air to 

the beaches.

Demographics 

The seal of the City of Santa Monica. 

Santa Monica City Hall, designed by Donald Parkinson, with terrazo mosaics by Stanton 

MacDonald-Wright 

Population grew from 417 in 1880 to 84,084 in 2000. For population statistics by decade, 

see History of Santa Monica, California. 

As of the census GR2 of 2000, there are 84,084 people, 44,497 households, and 16,775 

families in the city. The population density is 3,930.4/km² (10,178.7/mi²). There are 

47,863 housing units at an average density of 2,237.3/km² (5,794.0/mi²). The racial 

makeup of the city is 78.29% White, 7.25% Asian, 3.78% African American, 0.47% 

Native American, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 5.97% from other races, and 4.13% from two 

or more races. 13.44% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 

44,497 households, out of which 15.8% have children under the age of 18, 27.5% are 

married couples living together, 7.5% have a female householder with no husband 

present, and 62.3% are non-families. 51.2% of all households are made up of individuals 

and 10.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average 

household size is 1.83 and the average family size is 2.80. 

The population is diverse in age, with 14.6% under 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 40.1% from 

25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% 65 years or older. The median age is 39 years. 

For every 100 females there are 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there 

are 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $50,714, and the median income for a 

family is $75,989. Males have a median income of $55,689 versus $42,948 for females. 

The per capita income for the city is $42,874. 10.4% of the population and 5.4% of 

families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.9% of those under the 

age of 18 and 10.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. 

Notable people born in Santa Monica 

Downtown Santa Monica 

• Tony Alva, 

skateboarder, Z- 

Boys 

• Kenneth Anger, filmmaker, 

author 

• Sean Astin, filmactor, 

director, and 

producer 

• Jack Black, actor, 

musician 

• Elonka Dunin, gamedeveloper 

and writer 

• Dwight Evans, former 

Major League 

Baseball player 

• Ed Fallon, Iowa 

politician 

• Miguel Ferrer, actor 

• Bobbi Fiedler, 

congresswoman 

• Bonnie Franklin, 

actress

See also 

• Lynette Fromme, 

criminal 

• Sara Gilbert, actress 

• Anjelica Huston, 

actress 

• Tommy Kendall, 

NASCAR driver 

• Lorenzo Lamas, actor 

• Mark Loretta, MLB 


• Lorna Luft, 

entertainer 

• Tobey Maguire, actor 

• Teena Marie, singer, 

songwriter, producer 

• Chris Masters, 

professional wrestler 

• Sean Penn, actor 

• Robert Redford, 

motion picture actor, 

director, producer, 

businessman, model, 

and philanthropist 

• Randy Rhoads, 

guitarist 

• Christina Ricci, 

actress 

• Mike Scott, former 

MLB baseball player 

• Bobby Sherman, 

singer and actor 

• Amber Tamblyn, 

actress 

• Shirley Temple, 

diplomat and former 

film child actress 

• Robert Trujillo, 

bassist, Metallica 

• Suzanne Vega, 

songwriter and 

singer 

• Trifun Zivanovic, 

figure skater

Santa Monica Daily Press 


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Torrance, California 

• City of Santa Monica 

• Santa Monica 

Chamber of 

Commerce 

• Santa Monica 

Observer 

• Santa Monica Mirror 

• Santa Monica Library 

Photo Archives 

• Santa Monica travel 

guide from 

Wikitravel 


City of Torrance, California 

Seal 

Location 

Location of Torrance in the County of Los Angeles 

Country 

State 

County 

Government 

Mayor Dan Walker 

Area 

United States 

California 

Los Angeles County, California 


City 20.5 mi² - 53.2 km² 

Land 20.5 mi² - 53.2 km² 

Water 0 km² 

Population 

City (2000) 137,946 (city proper) 

Density 6,715.7 mi² - 2,593.1/km² 

Time zone 

Summer (DST) 

PST ( UTC−8 ) 

PDT ( UTC−7 )

Website: http://www.torrnet.com 

Torrance is a city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. 

The city is named after its founder, oilman Jared Sidney Torrance. As of the 2000 census, 

the city population was 137,946; a 2003 estimate puts the total population at 142,621 [1]. 

Torrance is the 7th largest city in Los Angeles County. 

Geography 

Torrance is located at 33°50′5″N, 118°20′29″W (33.834815, -118.341330) GR1 . 


mi²), all land. 

Area attractions 

Typical roadside signage at Del Amo Fashion Center 

Del Amo Fashion Center, at three million square feet (300,000 m²), is one of the largest 

malls in the United States. Estimates vary between the second largest (after the Mall of 

America) and the fourth largest, depending on the measurements used. The current mall 

was created when Del Amo Center, built in 1958, merged with Del Amo Fashion Square, 

built in 1970. Once located on opposite sides of Carson Street, a gigantic expansion of 

the mall spanning Carson Street joined the two centers by 1982, making it the longest 

mall in the world at the time. Del Amo Fashion Center has been used as a location for 

several motion pictures, including Jackie Brown and Bad Santa. In 2005, the east end of 

the original mall north of Carson Street was demolished to make way for a new open-air 

shopping center, scheduled to open in summer of 2006. 

One of the country's few urban wetlands can be found in Torrance. Madrona Marsh is a 

nature preserve on undeveloped land once set aside for oil production.

Torrance Beach lies between Redondo Beach and Malaga Cove. The region shared by 

Torrance and Redondo Beaches are often called "Rat Beach" (short for "Right After 


Torrance"). 

Torrance is well-known for its annual Armed Forces Parade on Armed Forces Day in 

mid-May every year down Torrance Boulevard. The parade features many military 

vehicles from the different branches of the Armed Forces. After the parade, the military 

vehicles are put on display at the parking lot of the Del Amo Fashion Center for two 

days. 

Torrance High School is not only one of the oldest high schools in California, its facade 

is familiar to television viewers as the setting for Beverly Hills 90210 and Buffy the 

Vampire Slayer and to moviegoers for its appearances in She's All That. 

South High School, near the southern border of Torrance, was used as a location for the 

1999 filming of the movie American Beauty. 

Commerce and industry 

Torrance is home to the U.S. headquarters of two of the three largest Japanese auto 

makers, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. and American Honda Motor Company. Robinson 

Helicopters are designed and built in Torrance as are Garrett Systems turbochargers, used 

on automobile engines worldwide. California's aerospace industry began in Torrance and 

surrounding communities. 

Torrance is also home to the main bakery facility for King's Hawaiian, the dominant 

brand of Hawaiian bread in North America. 

As a major oil-producing region, Torrance was once dotted with thousands of oil wells 

and oil derricks. Though the oil wells are not as common as they once were, the 

ExxonMobil refinery in the north end of the city is responsible for much of Southern 

California's gasoline supply. In fact, much of Southern California's gasoline supply is 

refined within a few miles of Torrance. ARCO produces gasoline in Carson; Texaco has 

a refinery a bit further east in Wilmington; Unocal is in San Pedro while one of the oldest 

refineries in the state is the Chevron plant in El Segundo. Torrance was also an important 

hub and shop site of the Pacific Electric Railway. 

Torrance has a busy general aviation airport, originally named simply "Torrance Airport" 

and since renamed Zamperini Field after local track star, World War II hero and Torrance 

High graduate Louis Zamperini. In 1990 the airport had 243,324 take-offs and landings, 

down from the 1974 record of 428,000 operations. Airport noise abatement is a major 

local issue. 

Torrance is home to the corporate headquarters of Edelbrock, a leading manufacturer of 

automotive and motorcycle aftermarket products.

Livability 

Today, Torrance is considered to be a very desirable place to live in Los Angeles County, 

reflected in the ever-increasing property values and its proximity to the beach 

communities of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and the upscale 

coastal communities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. 

Torrance is one of the few American cities that approaches the ideal balance between the 

three major types of zones. This explains its slogan: "A Balanced City, Industrial, 

Residential, Commercial." However, in recent years, major re-zoning of old industrial 

areas to residential has caused an enormous population growth and all the caveats that 

come with it, including heavy traffic congestion. 

Other livability factors: 

Education 

• Primary and 

secondary schools: 

The Torrance 

Unified School 

District [2] 

encompasses five 

high schools 

(Torrance High, 

North High, South 

High, West High, 

and Shery High) and 

their feeder schools, 

and the district's 

students consistently 

score well above 

average on 

standardized tests. A 

Roman Catholic high 

school (Bishop 

Montgomery High 

School) is also 

located within the 

city. 

• Colleges: Torrance is 

home to an excellent 

two-year community 

college, El Camino 

College.

Health Care 

• Other schools: The 

largest English as a 

Second Language 

school in California, 

Language Systems, 

has a branch in the 

city. 


• Libraries: The City of 

Torrance has one of 

the best library 

systems in Los 

Angeles County, 

including the main 

Katy Geissert Civic 

Center Library and 

five branches [3]. 

Two major hospitals are located within the city -- Torrance Memorial Medical Center and 

Little Company of Mary Hospital. A third hospital, Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA 

Medical Center, lies just outside the city limits but also has a Torrance address 

Parks 

Torrance has 24 city parks; the focal point is 44-acre Wilson Park which has extensive 

picnic and sports facilities, including a modern gymnasium, skatepark, and roller-hockey 

rink. Wilson Park also hosts a Farmer's Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and is the site 

of the city's annual Fourth of July fireworks display. 

Sister cities 

In 1973, Torrance established a sister-city relationship with Kashiwa, Chiba (Japan), as 

part of the Sister Cities International program. Since then, citizens of Torrance have 

regularly engaged in cultural exchange with Kashiwa through the guidance of the 

Torrance Sister City Association, which facilitates a Japanese cultural festival, a yearly 

student exchange program, and contact between officials of the two cities. 

Demographics 




makeup of the city was 59.16% White, 28.61% Asian, 4.72% from two or more races,

4.57% from other races, 2.19% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American and 

0.35% Pacific Islander. 12.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 

Because of the large Japanese industrial presence in Torrance, the city has one of the 

highest concentrations of Japanese expatriates and Japanese-Americans in the United 

States. Among Los Angeles citizens, Torrance is known for its large Asian-American 

population. 






was 3.10. 











• Larry Carlton - 

Guitarist 

• Bobby East - 

NASCAR driver 

• Parnelli Jones and P.J. 

Jones - Indy car 

drivers 

• Fred Kendall - 

Former MLB 

Catcher and manager 

• Jason Kendall - 

Oakland Athletics 

catcher 

• Michelle Kwan - 

Figure skater 

• Alyson & Amanda 

Michalka (Aly & AJ) 

- Singers & actresses







Local organizations and businesses 

Del Amo Fashion Center 

Friends of Madrona Marsh Preserve 

King's Hawaiian official website 

West Hollywood, California 

• Lisa Moretti - WWE's 

"Ivory" 

• George Nakano - 

California politician 

• Daryl Sabara & Evan 

Sabara - Actors (Spy 

Kids) 

• Quentin Tarantino - 

Filmmaker 

• City of Torrance 

official website 

• Torrance information 

page at City- 

Data.com 


West Hollywood, California 

Location 

Location of Los Angeles County in California and West 

Hollywood withen Los Angeles County 

Country 

State 

County 

Incorporated 1984 

Government 

United States 

California 


City Council John Heilman (mayor) 

Sal Guarriello 

Area 

John J. Duran 

Abbe Land 

Jeffrey Prang 


City 4.9 km² (1.9 sq mi) 

Land 4.9 km² (1.9 sq mi) 

Water 0.0 km² (0.0 sq mi) 0% 

Population 

City (2000) 35,716 

Density 7,335.1/km² (18,992.7/sq mi) 

Time zone 

Summer (DST) 


PST (UTC-8) 

PDT (UTC-7)

Website: www.weho.org 

West Hollywood's logo illustrates the city's borders. 

West Hollywood (abbreviated WeHo) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, 

bordered on the north by the Santa Monica Mountains, on the north and east by the 

Hollywood District of Los Angeles, on the west by the city of Beverly Hills and on south 

by the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. West Hollywood is the first city in the USA to 

enact a law banning cat declawing. Council member John Heilman is the city's longest 

serving council member and has served continuously since 1984 and is currently serving 

his sixth term as mayor. The position is mostly a ceremonial post that rotates on an 

annual basis among the council members. 

History 

For many years, the area that is now the City of West Hollywood was an unincorporated 

area in the midst of the City of Los Angeles that was under the jurisdiction of "the 

county." It was illegal to gamble in the city of Los Angeles, but legal in the county, and 

in the 1920s many nightclubs and casinos went in along the Sunset Strip in West 

Hollywood for this reason, specifically to avoid the heavy-handed policing of the LAPD, 

that had no jurisdiction in WeHo. Since the time the area is not part of the city of Los 

Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is in charge of policing it. 

Movie people were attracted to this less restricted "county" area and a number of 

architecturally fine apartment houses and apartment hotels were built. Movie fans 

throughout the world knew that Ciro's, the Mocambo, the Trocadero, the Garden of 

Allah, the Chateau Marmont, and movie stars could be seen on the Sunset Strip. 

Eventually, the area and its extravagant night spots lost favor with movie people. But the 

Strip and its restaurants, bars and clubs, continued to be an attraction for locals and outof-town 

tourists. In the late 1960s, the Strip was transformed again during the hippie 

movement. Young people from all over the country flocked to West Hollywood clubs 

such as the Whisky a Go Go and the Troubadour. 

In the 1960s, a club called Ciro's held the first gay dance nights on Sundays. Men 

dancing together was illegal in those days but as with the casinos and speakeasies that 

had gone before, the laws were not strictly enforced. This tolerance led to more gay clubs 

after Ciro's closed and the end of the anti-gay laws that prohibited dancing between two 

persons of the same gender in Los Angeles County. Those gay nights at Ciro's were

commonly called "Tea Dances" [or "T-Dances"]. Eventually Ciro's closed and the 

building is now the home of The Comedy Store. 

In the early 1970s, there was a large influx of Russian Jews from the Fairfax District and 

gays. 

In November 1984, voters passed a proposal on the ballot to incorporate and the area 

became the City of West Hollywood because of a threat that united all the tenants in the 

area. That uniting factor was rent control. The county was in the process of abolishing 

rent control in all unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. That factor however 

galvanized the residents of the area to band together and form the city and impose rent 

control on all rental units built before 1979. 

Because of the large gay population and the large numbers of gay-oriented businesses, 

West Hollywood became prominently known as a gay village. The section of Santa 

Monica Boulevard from La Cienega Blvd to Robertson Blvd, known as "boys town," is 

among the most important gay neighborhoods in the world, with numerous well-known 

spots such as the nightclubs Rage and Mickys. West Hollywood was the first city in the 

country to have a majority-gay city council[1], and in 1985 it was the first city to have 

same gender domestic partnership registration for its residents, and same gender domestic 

partner benefits for its employees. 

West Hollywood has a distinctive street design scheme, with postmodern street signs 

featuring a blue map of the city. L.A. County Sheriffs Dept. vehicles that patrol West 

Hollywood feature the same map of the city, but in the rainbow colors of the gay 

community. 

Today it contains some of the most exclusive condominium complexes on the West Coast 

with "name" buildings such as Shorham Towers, Sierra Towers, and on the exclusive culde 

sac, Alta Loma Road, the popular buildings known as The Empire West and The Park 

Wellington. 

Alta Loma Road is also home to the exclusive hotel "The Sunset Marquis" with its 

famous 45 person Whisky Bar and a recording studio that has been the home to many 

hits. Alta Loma Road was one of the main locations for the film Perfect but it was also 

the home a tragedy. In the 1970s it was the street on which Sal Mineo lived and died. 

Geography 

West Hollywood is located at 34°5′16″N, 118°22′20″W (34.087909, -118.372160) GR1 . 


mi²), all land. 

Demographics


families residing in the city. The population density was 7,335.1/km² (18,992.7/mi²). 

There were 24,110 housing units at an average density of 4,951.6/km² (12,821.0/mi²). 

This makes it one of the most densely populated cities in the US and the world. The racial 

makeup of the city was 86.43% White, 3.78% Asian, 3.09% African American, 0.36% 

Native American, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 2.87% from other races, and 3.35% from two 

or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.80% of the population. 






In the city the population was spread out with 5.7% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 

24, 48.6% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or 






population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 


According to the city of West Hollywood's demographic profile, gleaned from the 2000 

Census, the 2000 Customer Satisfaction Survey, the 1998 Community Needs Assessment 

Survey, and the 1994 Community Needs Assessment Survey, gay or bisexual men 

account for 41% of the population. Of these, 60% are between the ages of 25-44, 27% are 

living with HIV/AIDS, and 8% are living with a same sex partner/spouse. 

Landmarks and interesting spots 

• Abbey Bar and 

Restaurant 

• Al & Ed's Autosound 

• Barney's Beanery 

• Beverly Center Mall 

• Chateau Marmont 

• Comedy Store 

• Dudley Do-Right's 

Emporium 

• Formosa Cafe 

• House of Blues 

• Hard Rock Cafe 

• Here Lounge

• Hyatt West 

Hollywood 

• Pacific Design Center 

• Plummer Park 

• The Roxy Theatre 

• Tail O' the Pup 

• Tower Records 

• Troubadour 

• Samuel Goldwyn 

Studios 

• The Schindler House 

by mid-century 

architect Rudolf 

Schindler 

• Sunset Strip 

• Whisky a Go Go 

• Whisky Bar 

• Viper Room 

West Hollywood is also home to Sunset Plaza, a European-style shopping area on Sunset. 

Though only 1/2 mile long, it boasts tenants that would otherwise be on Rodeo Drive. 

The western stretch of Melrose Avenue, between Fairfax Avenue and Doheny Drive, is 

notable for its interior design shops, restaurants and antique stores, and is more sedate as 

compared to the eastern Hollywood stretch between Fairfax Avenue and Highland 

Avenue. At the west end of Melrose, near the Pacific Design Center you'll find the most 

exclusive furniture and interior design shops in the world. 

The area around Fountain Ave, Harper Ave, and Havenhurst Dr contains a high 

concentration of landmark 1920s Spanish Revival and Art Deco apartment buildings by 

noted architects such as Leland Bryant. The historic district has been home to many 

celebrities and at one time the Sunset Tower was home to Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn, the 

Gabor Sisters, John Wayne and Howard Hughes. 

The Robertson/West 3rd Street area is home to some of the hippest stores and cafes in 

Los Angeles and in recent times, is known as the place where the paparazzi rent parking 

spaces by the month and young up-and-coming under 30+ celebrities hang out when they 

"accidently" want to be seen (and then claim that they "need their privacy"). The Ivy is 

currently one of the most popular places that celebrites can hide in broad daylight. 

Another less auspicious locale is the 2nd floor cafe in the adjacent Cedars-Sinai Medical 

Center, where confidentiality rules are the norm. 

Events 

West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval

The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is an event that takes place anually on October 

31. The largest Halloween street party in the United States (spanning over one mile of 

Santa Monica Boulevard from La Cienega Boulevard on the East to Doheny and the 

Beverly Hills border on the West), the 2005 Carnaval was reported to have more than 

350,000 people in attendance, with some traveling from other countries specifically for 

this event. 

Christopher Street West ("CSW") 

CSW is a Gay Pride parade and festival that was first held in June of 1970 in Hollywood 

to commemorate the first anniversary of Stonewall riots in New York. After 

incorporation the event moved to West Hollywood and is typically held the second 

weekend in June so as not to conflict with the larger celebrations in San Francisco and 

New York, and with Father's Day (because many deputies request that day off and do not 

want to work overtime on that day). 

Frontrunners GLBT Pride Run is a 5k/10k run/walk held on the Sunday morning of 

GLBT Pride. 

West Hollywood Folklore 

Legend has it that when ZIP codes were being assigned in the 1960s, the ZIP code of the 

growing gay area of West Hollywood was designated 90069, out of sequence, because 

the person who was assigning the ZIP codes for Los Angeles County was a frequent 

customer of Ciro's on Sunday nights and thought the "69" code could be used to identify 


the area as tolerant of the gay community in the era before the Stonewall riots. 





• West Hollywood 

Official Website 

• West Hollywood 

Convention & 

Visitors Bureau 

• West Hollywood City 

Map & Data 

• Avenues of Art & 

Design Official 

Website


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