Lawndale, California

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Location of Lawndale, California

Lawndale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 31,711 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Famous residents
3 Schools
4 Geography
5 Demographics
6 External links

[edit] History

From the 1780s onward, the area that is now Lawndale was part of the El Rancho Sausal Redondo, a land grant given by the Spanish colonial government that includes much of what is now the South Bay region. In 1905 E.L Hopper first subdivided the area and named it after a Chicago suburb. Lots sold slowly and different promotions were tried such as promoting Lawndale as a chicken raising area. The first railway to run through Lawndale was the Inglewood Division of the Redondo Railway which would later become part of the Pacific Electric "Red Car" system. It ran down the middle of Railway Ave. (now Hawthorne Blvd.) until 1933. In 1927 the Santa Fe railroad arrived. After World War II, the immense demand for housing from returning veterans and California newcomers resulted in Lawndale's formation as a bedroom community. In 1959 it was incorporated as a city.

Starting in the 1970s Lawndale's relatively low housing prices but less desirable location relative to its neighboring cities attracted absentee landlords and a substantial portion of its residents increasingly became renters.

For a time in the 1980s, with new cycle of expansion of defense industry nearby, many young people who wished to live in the Beach Cities found that they simply could not afford to do so, and settled in less glamorous inland cities such as Lawndale. But with the contraction of this industry after the cold war, Lawndale reverted back to its previous pattern. Lawndale has attempted to attract more owner/residents with the 2003 completion of an urban renewal project along the city's stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard (California State Highway 107), a major South Bay thoroughfare.

[edit] Famous residents

Roy Rogers once lived here for a short time, as did Bettie Page. Fred Dryer grew up in Lawndale.

[edit] Schools

Lawndale Elementary School District [1]

Will Rogers Middle School [2], serving 7th and 8th grades
five elementary schools

Centinela Valley Union High School District [3]

Environmental Charter High School [7] is a charter school in Lawndale.

[edit] Geography

Lawndale is located at 33°53′12″N, 118°21′13″W (33.886764, -118.353556)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 km² (2.0 mi²), all land.

Lawndale is bordered by Redondo Beach on the West and Southwest, Hawthorne on the North, Torrance on the Southeast, and unincorporated area of El Camino Village (also know as Alondra Park) on the East.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 31,711 people, 9,555 households, and 7,022 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,183.7/km² (16,036.7/mi²). There were 9,869 housing units at an average density of 1,924.5/km² (4,990.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 42.24% White, 12.61% African American, 0.99% Native American, 9.63% Asian, 0.91% Pacific Islander, 27.07% from other races, and 6.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.08% of the population.

There were 9,555 households out of which 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, and 26.5% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.31 and the average family size was 3.80.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,012, and the median income for a family was $37,909. Males had a median income of $29,033 versus $29,025.00 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,702. About 14.3% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.