LOMITA, CALIFORNIA

'Lomita' is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 20,046 at the 2000 census. Lomita is Spanish for "little knoll".

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Landmarks

Education

Trivia

References

External links

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²), all land. However, Lomita originally spanned 7 square miles. However, over time, much of this area was annexed by neighboring cities. This includes "Lomita Fields" now known as Torrance Municipal Airport or "Zamperini Field".

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,046 people, 8,015 households, and 5,033 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,073.6/km² (10,572.7/mi²). There were 8,295 housing units at an average density of 1,685.6/km² (4,375.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.16% White, 4.18% African American, 0.70% Native American, 11.41% Asian, 0.52% Pacific Islander, 10.79% from other races, and 6.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.20% of the population.
There were 8,015 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,360, and the median income for a family was $53,003. Males had a median income of $41,582 versus $31,353 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,748. About 9.3% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

Landmarks

★ Lomita Railroad Museum
Opened in 1966 by Irene Lewis, the Lomita Railroad Museum is a small museum in Lomita, California, devoted to the steam engine period of Railroading. Mrs Lewis, along with her husband Martin, operated "Little Engines of Lomita" which sold kits for live steam engine locomotives. Little Engine's had many customers, among the most famous was Walt Disney- a lifelong fan of locomotives. Her engines also made in to the movies, including "The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)" and "Von Ryans Express (1965)". This operation inspired Mrs. Lewis to earn a mechanical engineering degree late in life and to build the museum as a showplace for her products. When built, the museum was the first of its kind west of Denver. The museum was designed to replicate the Boston & Maine's Greenwood Station in Wakefield, Massachusetts which has been since lost in a fire. The Museum was donated by Mrs. Lewis to the City of Lomita in honor of her late husband, Martin Lewis, in 1967. On display are a 1902 Baldwin Locomotive, a Southern Pacific tender, a 1910 Union Pacific caboose, and a Santa Fe caboose. The Museum also houses a full-size replica of a 1920s water tower that was constructed in 2000. The museum also incorporates a small public park, which accommodates a Union Pacific boxcar and a Union Oil tank car. The Museum is open Thursday thru Sunday.

Education

Lomita residents are within the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Elementary schools that serve Lomita include:

★ Eshelman Avenue Elementary School

★ Lomita Math/Science Magnet (Kindergarten zoned only - 1-5 is magnet only)

★ President Avenue Elementary School (1-5) (in Los Angeles)
All residents are zoned to:

★ Fleming Middle School

★ Narbonne High School (in Los Angeles)

Trivia

★ Lomita was originally part of Rancho San Pedro, granted by the Spanish Empire to Juan Jose Dominguez by King Carlos III of Spain in 1784.

★ Chicago Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly was born in Lomita on Sunday, January 4, 1976.

★ The popular and influential hardcore punk band The Descendents were from Lomita, and Native American athlete Jim Thorpe briefly lived there.

★ Professional wrestler Rob Van Dam moved his 5 Star Comics store, (formerly of Lakewood) to Lomita.

★ Lomita established a sister city relationship with Takaishi, Osaka, Japan in October of 1981.

★ Margaret A. Turman, Lomita's longest living female resident has died on March 10th, 2007. She was 102 years old, and lived on Hendricks Ave when Lomita was just mainly known for its farm land. Ms. Turman was buried at Green Hills Cemetery on March 16th, 2007.
Early in her career, Judy Garland played in live theater in Lomita.

References

1. City of Lomita - Council Members
2. Incorporation Dates of California Cities
3. Lomita city, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder
4. USPS - ZIP Code Lookup - Find a ZIP+ 4 Code By City Results
5. Number Administration System - NPA and City/Town Search Results

External links

★ Lomita official website

★ LA County Disaster Communications Service ( DCS ) Lomita Sheriff Station

★ Lomita Harbor City News