Lawndale, California

History

Native Americans of the Tongva tribe lived in the area.

From the 1780s onward, the area that is now Lawndale was part of the Rancho Sausal Redondo, a land grant given by the Spanish colonial government that includes much of what is now the South Bayshore region. In 1905, Charles B. Hopper first subdivided the area and named it after the Chicago neighborhood of the same name. 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 Avenue (now Hawthorne Boulevard) 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. On December 28, 1959, it was incorporated as a city.

Starting in the 1970s, Lawndale's relatively low housing prices but more 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 a new cycle of expansion of the 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 to its previous pattern. It has attempted to attract more owner–residents, as well as tourists, with the 2003 completion of the "Beautify Lawndale" urban renewal project along the city's stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard (State Route 107), a major South Bay thoroughfare.

A large electronic billboard was installed and began running advertising in 2004 until it was realized that the sign violated a city ordinance prohibiting advertising of out-of-town businesses on signs of that nature. For its first 18 months, the sign was sponsored by Fox and promoted upcoming television shows and movies under the Fox label. It later gained and lost a sponsorship with Acura before its current sponsorship for Los Angeles radio station 100.3 – The Sound. The billboard is said to generate Lawndale $200,000 annually. In 2012, the Lawndale community center opened its doors.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Media

Lawndale Community Cable Television on Channel 22 is a Public-access television cable TV station. The City of Lawndale's Cable Television Department is funded by the Lawndale Cable Usage Corporation and the City of Lawndale through Local Access Fees and Cable television franchise fee provided by the local cable company, Time Warner Cable. The Lawndale Cable Usage Corporation is the non-profit, California corporation that receives these fees, and provides for the development of Lawndale Community Cable Television.

The Lawndalian a citywide newsletter that informs the residents about programs and events happening in the City of Lawndale. The Lawndalian is now available Online at the city's website.

The Lawndale Tribune is the community paper for the City of Lawndale.

Government

Municipal government

Harold Hofmann served as mayor for 23 years, due to there not being city term limits and running unopposed in most elections.

State and federal representation

In the California State Legislature, Lawndale is in , and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Lawndale is in California's 43rd congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +26{{cite web | access-date = October 20, 2014}} and is represented by .

Infrastructure

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the Lennox Station in Lennox, serving Lawndale. In addition the agency operates the City of Lawndale Sheriff's Department Service Center.

The United States Postal Service Lawndale Post Office is located at 4320 Marine Avenue.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Curtis Tucker Health Center in Inglewood, serving Lawndale.

The County of Los Angeles Public Library Lawndale Library is located 14615 Burin Ave.

Education

Lawndale Elementary School District

• Will Rogers Middle School serving 6th, 7th and 8th grades
• Jane Addams Middle School serving 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.
• F.D.R. Elementary School
• William Anderson Elementary School
• William Green Elementary School
• Mark Twain Elementary School
• Billy Mitchell Elementary School
• Lucille J. Smith Elementary School
  • The elementary school was nominated for National Blue Ribbon School award for reducing the achievement gap on state standardized test scores. This is one of the highest recognition a school can earn from the federal government. It is the first school in the Lawndale elementary School District to be nominated for the award. In August, 2025, the second Trump administration terminated this award program, and no winners were announced. The elementary school hosted a local celebration anyway.

Centinela Valley Union High School District

• Lawndale High School
• Leuzinger High School
• Hawthorne High School
• Lloyde High School

Environmental Charter High School is a charter school in Lawndale serving grades 9 through 12.

In 2009, the renovated Lawndale Public Library of the County of Los Angeles Public Library, which is located adjacent to the Lawndale City Hall, re-opened.

Geography

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

Lawndale is bordered by Redondo Beach on the west and southwest, Hawthorne on the north, Torrance on the southeast, and the unincorporated area of El Camino Village (also known as Alondra Park) on the east.

Lawndale is serviced by Interstate 405, Hawthorne Boulevard (State Route 107), and by Artesia Boulevard (State Route 91), which becomes a freeway farther east. Lawndale is 5.7 miles southeast of Los Angeles International Airport.

Lawndale is serviced by following public transit: the Lawndale Beat, the Gardena Bus 1, Metro Green Line and by Metro buses 211, 40 and 740, the latter two of which are operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The weather is warm all year long. In the winter, there are moderate rains. Because of the formation of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and its proximity to the beach, the city gets effects of the marine layer on almost identical, if not slightly lower, levels of nearby beach cities such as Manhattan Beach and El Segundo.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1860–1870 1880-1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Lawndale first appeared as a city in the 1960 U.S. census as part of the Inglewood census county division.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Lawndale had a population of 31,807. The population density was 16,129.3 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Lawndale was 21.2% White, 8.5% African American, 2.5% Native American, 10.4% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 39.3% from other races, and 17.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 62.9% of the population.

The census reported that 99.4% of the population lived in households, 0.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 9,973 households, out of which 40.0% included children under the age of 18, 42.5% were married-couple households, 8.2% were cohabiting couple households, 28.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.8% had a male householder with no partner present. 18.8% of households were one person, and 5.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.17.

The age distribution was 22.3% under the age of 18, 10.1% aged 18 to 24, 31.3% aged 25 to 44, 26.0% aged 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 35.5years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males.

There were 10,286 housing units at an average density of 5,216.0 /mi2, of which 9,973 (97.0%) were occupied. Of these, 33.4% were owner-occupied, and 66.6% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $83,538, and the per capita income was $32,199. About 8.7% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Lawndale had a population of 32,769. The population density was 16,599.0 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Lawndale was 14,274 (43.6%) White (16.2% Non-Hispanic White), 3,320 (10.1%) African American, 301 (0.9%) Native American, 3,269 (10.0%) Asian, 367 (1.1%) Pacific Islander, 9,374 (28.6%) from other races, and 1,864 (5.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20,002 persons (61.0%).

The census reported that 32,594 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 158 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 17 (0.1%) were institutionalized.

There were 9,681 households, 4,516 (46.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,467 (46.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,813 (18.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 881 (9.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 722 (7.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 64 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,758 households (18.2%) were one person and 442 (4.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.37. There were 7,161 families (74.0% of households); the average family size was 3.84.

The age distribution was 8,927 people (27.2%) under the age of 18, 3,744 people (11.4%) aged 18 to 24, 10,541 people (32.2%) aged 25 to 44, 7,301 people (22.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,256 people (6.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 31.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.6 males.

There were 10,151 housing units at an average density of 5,141.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 3,326 (34.4%) were owner-occupied and 6,355 (65.6%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 11,606 people (35.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 20,988 people (64.0%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Lawndale had a median household income of $47,769, with 16.7% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000

Mapping L.A. reported that in 2000, Mexican (34.7%) and Vietnamese (4.2%) were the most common ancestries. Mexico (47.6%) and Vietnam (9.1%) were the most common foreign places of birth.

Since Lawndale has a large amount of elderly residents, the city provides free trips for seniors on its city bus: The Lawndale Beat. The city also provides a meals on wheels program as well as a seniors travel club.

Notable people

• Fred Dryer, NFL player and actor, raised in Lawndale in the 1950s, Lawndale High School alumnus.
• Russell Westbrook, NBA player, attended high school in Lawndale Leuzinger High School.
• Traci Lords, actress.
• Roy Rogers, famed actor and singer in Western-themed movies, radio programs and television shows.
• Tiran Porter, bass player for the Doobie Brothers and Moby Grape was raised in Lawndale and attended Leuzinger High School.

International relations

Sister cities

PHI Cagayan de Oro, Philippines (1986)

References

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