City of Gardena
—  City  —
Seal
Nickname(s): Freeway City
Motto: "The City of Opportunity"
Location of Gardena in Los Angeles County, California
Coordinates: 33°53′37″N 118°18′28″W / 33.89361°N 118.30778°W / 33.89361; -118.30778Coordinates: 33°53′37″N 118°18′28″W / 33.89361°N 118.30778°W / 33.89361; -118.30778
Country	United States of America
State	California
County	Los Angeles
Incorporated (city)	1930-09-11[1]
Government
• Mayor	Paul K. Tanaka[2]
Area[3]
• Total	5.865 sq mi (15.191 km2)
• Land	5.829 sq mi (15.097 km2)
• Water	0.036 sq mi (0.094 km2)  0.62%
Elevation	49 ft (15 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	58,829
• Density	Bad rounding here10,000/sq mi (Bad rounding here3,900/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	90247-90249[4]
Area code(s)	310/424[5]
FIPS code	06-28168
GNIS feature ID	1660664
Website	ci.gardena.ca.us

Gardena is a city located in the South Bay (southwestern) region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census. The city of Gardena has the highest percentage of Japanese in North America.^[6]

Geography [edit]

Gardena is located at 33°53′37″N 118°18′28″W / 33.89361°N 118.30778°W / 33.89361; -118.30778 (33.893615, -118.307841).^[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15 km²), over 99% of which is land. A 9.4-acre wetland preserve, named the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve is located at the south-east corner of Gardena. This is a naturally-occurring marshland where water seeps above-ground all year round hosting several species of trees and other vegetation. It is located near the present day intersection of Vermont Avenue and Artesia Boulevard.

Gardena is bordered by Athens on the north, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Harbor Gateway on the east and south, Torrance on the southwest, Alondra Park on the west, and Hawthorne on the northwest.

History [edit]

Based on archaeological findings, Tongva Indians hunted and fished in the area of today's Gardena.^[8] The Tongva Indians — also known as Gabrielino Indians — are probably descendants of those who crossed from Asia to North America around 10,000 years ago.^[8]

In 1784, three years after the foundation of Los Angeles, Juan Jose Dominguez (1736–1809), a Spanish soldier who arrived in San Diego, California in 1769 with Fernando Rivera y Moncada, in recognition of his military service, received the roughly 43,000-acre (170 km²) Spanish land grant, the Rancho San Pedro. Part of this land contained what became known as Gardena Valley.^[8] After the American Civil War veterans bought parts of the land, soon ranchers and farmers followed suit.^[8] Union Army Major General William Starke Rosecrans in 1869 bought 16,000 acres (65 km²). The "Rosecrans Rancho," was bordered by what later was Florence Avenue on the north, Redondo Beach Boulevard on the south, Central Avenue on the east, and Arlington Avenue on the west. The Rosecrans property was sub divided and sold in the early 1870s. One of those became the 650-acre (2.6 km²) Amestoy Ranch. Gardena proper began in 1887 when the Pomeroy & Harrison real estate developers subdivided the ranch, and-anticipating that the coming of the Los Angeles and Redondo Railway. Civil War veteran Spencer Roane Thorpe is credited with starting the first settlement in Gardena in 1887.^[8] Railroads put Gardena on the map following a real estate boom in the Los Angeles area in the 1880s.^[8] Some believe the city was named for its reputation for being the only "green spot" in the dry season between Los Angeles and the sea.^[8] Because of its acres of berries, the city was dubbed "Berryland".^[8] The Strawberry Day Festival and Parade was held each May annually.^[8] The berry industry suffered at the time of World War I as other crops were supported by the war economy.^[9] Japanese Americans settled in Gardena throughout its history.^[10] Their community was the subject of a 60 Minutes report in 1970.

The only way Gardena could protect itself from a heavy county tax imposed on a planned project at a park site was to incorporate.^[9] The City of Gardena became incorporated on September 11, 1930.^[9]

Demographics [edit]

2010 [edit]

The 2010 United States Census^[12] reported that Gardena had a population of 58,829. The population density was 10,030.0 people per square mile (3,872.6/km²). The racial makeup of Gardena was 14,498 (24.6%) White, 14,352 (24.4%) African American, 348 (0.6%) Native American, 15,400 (26.2%) Asian, 426 (0.7%) Pacific Islander, 11,136 (18.9%) from other races, and 2,669 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22,151 persons (37.7%).

The Census reported that 58,035 people (98.7% of the population) lived in households, 122 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 672 (1.1%) were institutionalized.

There were 20,558 households, out of which 7,199 (35.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 8,782 (42.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 3,931 (19.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,486 (7.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,085 (5.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 104 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,142 households (25.0%) were made up of individuals and 1,921 (9.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82. There were 14,199 families (69.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.39.

The population was spread out with 13,410 people (22.8%) under the age of 18, 5,353 people (9.1%) aged 18 to 24, 16,656 people (28.3%) aged 25 to 44, 15,086 people (25.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 8,324 people (14.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.9 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

There were 21,472 housing units at an average density of 3,660.8 per square mile (1,413.5/km²), of which 9,852 (47.9%) were owner-occupied, and 10,706 (52.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%. 28,585 people (48.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 29,450 people (50.1%) lived in rental housing units.

2000 [edit]

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 57,746 people, 20,324 households, and 14,023 families residing in the city. The population density was 9,921.3 inhabitants per square mile (3,830.9/km²). There were 21,041 housing units at an average density of 3,615.0 per square mile (1,395.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 23.82% White, 25.99% Black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 26.82% Asian, 0.73% Pacific Islander, 16.94% from other races, and 5.05% from two or more races. 31.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 20,324 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.38.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,988, and the median income for a family was $44,906. Males had a median income of $32,951 versus $29,908 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,263. About 12.3% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure [edit]

Local government [edit]

The Gardena Office of Economic Development is a department of the city government. It aids employers in filling a variety of jobs customized to their specific needs. It also helps potential employers in setting up business enterprises.

The Gardena Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in the City. The Police Department has 93 sworn police officers, 24 full-time support staff, and 33 part-time employees. There are reserve, volunteer, and explorer programs. The current Chief of Police is Edward Medrano, appointed in 2007. Radio communications and the 9-1-1 call center are handled by the South Bay Regional Public Communications Authority.

County representation [edit]

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Curtis Tucker Health Center in Inglewood and the Torrance Health Center in Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles, near Torrance and serving Gardena.^[14][15]

State representation [edit]

In the state legislature Gardena is located in the 25th Senate District, represented by Democrat Roderick D. Wright, and in the 51st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Curren D. Price Jr..

Federal representation [edit]

Gardena is located in California's 35th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +33^[16] and is represented by Democrat Maxine Waters.

The United States Postal Service operates the Gardena Post Office at 1455 West Redondo Beach Boulevard,^[17] the South Gardena Post Office at 1103 West Gardena Boulevard,^[18] and the Alondra Post Office at 14028 Van Ness Avenue.^[19]

The National Transportation Safety Board operates the Gardena Aviation Field Office in Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles; it is the regional headquarters of the NTSB Aviation Western Region.^[20]

Transportation [edit]

The city operates the Gardena Municipal Bus Lines.

Economy [edit]

Digital Manga is headquartered in Suite 300 at 1487 West 178th Street.^[21] Nissin Foods has its United States headquarters and its Gardena Plant in Gardena.^[22][23] Nissin Foods (U.S.A.) Co., Inc. opened in Gardena in 1970.^[24] Marukai Corporation U.S.A. has its headquarters in Gardena.^[25] En Pointe Technologies is based in Gardena.

National Stores Inc., which operates the Factory 2-U and the Fallas Paredes brands, has its headquarters in the Harbor Gateway area of Los Angeles,^[26] located near the City of Gardena.^[27]

Top employers [edit]

According to the City's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[28] the top employers in the city are:

Education [edit]

Primary and secondary schools [edit]

Zoned high schools include:

• Gardena High School (Los Angeles)

In Spring 1956, the junior high school classes stayed at the old Gardena High School while the high school classes moved into a new building. Up until the opening of the new Gardena High School, high school students held morning shifts, while junior high school students held afternoon shifts.^[29]

Private schools [edit]

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles operates Catholic schools in Gardena, including Junípero Serra High School,^[30] Maria Regina Catholic School (K-8),^[31] and St. Anthony of Padua School (K-8).^[32] Gardena Valley Christian School, a K-8 non-Catholic private school, is in Gardena.^[33] The Gardena Christian Academy, a PreK-2 Christian school, is in Gardena.^[34]

Public libraries [edit]

Gardena Mayme Dear Library, a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m²) building located in Gardena,^[35] and Masao W. Satow Library, located west of Gardena in Alondra Park (El Camino Village), unincorporated Los Angeles County,^[36][37] are operated by the County of Los Angeles Public Library.

Wednesday Progressive Club sponsored the formation of the Gardena Library.^[35] In 1913 the Moneta Branch was formed.^[36] In 1914 the Gardena Library became a part of the Los Angeles County Free Library system. Due to annexation the library was transferred to the Los Angeles City Library Board.^[35] In 1919 the Strawberry Park branch was formed.^[36] In August 1951 the Gardena library came back to the county system.^[35] In 1958 the Strawberry Park and Moneta branches merged into the West Gardena Branch.^[36] The current Gardena library building was dedicated on December 5, 1964.^[35] In 1969 a fire forced the West Gardena branch to go to a new location. The current Satow building, dedicated on February 26, 1977, was named after a Japanese American in the community.^[36] The Gardena library received its current name on May 30, 1992 after a library volunteer, who had died prior to the renaming.^[35]

Notable people [edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2012)

The following is a list of natives, residents, and other people with strong ties to the city:

• J.C. Agajanian, prominent racing promoter; owned and operated Ascot Park.^{[citation needed]}
• Paul Bannai, former city councilman and first Japanese American to serve in the California State Legislature.^{[citation needed]}
• Romana Acosta Bañuelos, 34th and first Hispanic US Treasurer; founder/owner of Ramona's Mexican Food Products, one of the oldest businesses still operating in the city.^{[citation needed]}
• Polly Bergen, actress and singer; lived in Gardena and attended Gardena High School (GHS).^[38]
• Gary Berland, professional poker player, won five World Series of Poker bracelets, born and raised in Gardena.
• Beau Bennett, forward in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and the highest drafted California-born-and-trained hockey player of all time
• Enos Cabell, third basemen with the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers; attended GHS.^[38]
• Wayne Collett, runner, 1972 Summer Olympics silver medalist in the 400 meter event; attended GHS.^[38]
• Dock Ellis, pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates; attended GHS.^[38]
• Charlie Evans, running back with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins; born in Gardena.^[39]
• Robert L. Freedman, screenwriter and playwright; former resident of Gardena.
• Frankie Garcia, Hall of Fame boxer; resident of Gardena.^[38]
• Gaston Green, running back with the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos; attended GHS.^[38]
• H.B. Halicki, actor, film maker, stuntman; business owner in Gardena and premiered his Gone in 60 Seconds there in 1974.^[38]
• Juaquin Hawkins, professional basketball player, played with the Houston Rockets during the 2002-2003 NBA season^[40]
• Lisa Leslie, Olympic gold medalist and Los Angeles Sparks basketball player; born in Gardena.^{[citation needed]}
• Art Pepper, innovative jazz saxophonist; born in Gardena.^{[citation needed]}
• Butch Patrick, actor; was living in Gardena and attending PAE when he auditioned for The Munsters.^[38]
• Paul Petersen, actor, novelist, activist; former resident of Gardena.^[38]
• William Rosecrans, Union general, congressman, and ambassador to Mexico; owner of and resident upon (from 1869) "Rosecrans Rancho," the foundation upon which Gardena would later emerge.^[38]
• Daewon Song, professional skateboarder; resident of Gardena.
• George Stanich, high jumper and bronze medalist of the 1948 Summer Olympics; resident of Gardena.^[38]
• Tyga, rapper; attended GHS.^[41]
• J.L. Silas, Award winning photo journalist for CBS News (retired; resident of Gardena.
• Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills wide receiver

See also [edit]

	Los Angeles portal
	Greater Los Angeles portal
	Southern California portal

• Gardena Municipal Bus Lines
• South Bay, Los Angeles
• Ascot Park, a closed racetrack in Gardena

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• City of Gardena, California Official Website
• Jobs and Business: Gardena Economic Development
• Cultural: Gabrielino/Tongva Tribal Council Website
• Cultural: Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute

v t e Municipalities and communities of Los Angeles County, California, United States County seat: Los Angeles Cities 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 Los Angeles Lynwood Malibu Manhattan Beach Maywood Monrovia Montebello Monterey Park Norwalk Palmdale Palos Verdes Estates 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 CDPs Acton Agua Dulce Alondra Park Altadena Avocado Heights Castaic Charter Oak Citrus Del Aire Desert View Highlands East La Mirada East Los Angeles East Pasadena East Rancho Dominguez East San Gabriel Elizabeth Lake Florence-Graham Green Valley Hacienda Heights Hasley Canyon La Crescenta-Montrose Ladera Heights Lake Hughes Lake Los Angeles Lennox Leona Valley Littlerock Marina del Rey Mayflower Village North El Monte Quartz Hill Rose Hills Rowland Heights San Pasqual South Monrovia Island South San Gabriel South San Jose Hills South Whittier Stevenson Ranch Sun Village Topanga Val Verde Valinda View Park-Windsor Hills Vincent Walnut Park West Athens West Carson West Puente Valley West Rancho Dominguez West Whittier-Los Nietos Westmont Willowbrook Unincorporated communities Agoura Alla Alpine Alsace Altacanyada Andrade Corner Antelope Acres Antelope Center Athens Aurant Bassett Big Pines Castaic Junction City Terrace Cornell Del Sur Del Valle Firestone Park Florence Gorman Hillgrove Hi Vista Indian Springs Juniper Hills Kagel Canyon Kinneloa Mesa Largo Vista Llano Malibu Vista Monte Nido Neenach Pearblossom Rancho Dominguez Sandberg Santa Anita Seminole Hot Springs Three Points Two Harbors Universal City Valyermo Ghost towns Achois Acuragna Ahapchingas Alpine Alyeupkigna Awigna Azucsagna Bairdstown Bartolo Cahuenga Chandler Chokishgna Chowigna Clayton Cow Springs Cucamonga Desert Relief Eldoradoville Evergreen Falling Springs Fort Tejon Gaspur Guirardo Hahamongna Harasgna Holland Summit Hollands Holton Honmoyausha Houtgna Hyperion Isanthcogna Juyubit King's Station Kowanga Las Tunas Lyons Station Machado Malibu Mar Vista Maugna Mentryville Motordrome Mud Spring Nacaugna Oberg Okowvinjha Palisades Del Rey Pasinogna Petroleopolis Pimocagna Pubugna Quapa Savannah Saway-yanga Sibagna Sisitcanogna Soledad Sulphur Springs Sonagna Suangna Takuyumam Toviseanga Toybipet Tuyunga Virgenes Wahoo Walton Place Widow Smith's Station Wilsona