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EspañolTORRANCE, CALIFORNIA
(Redirected from Torrance, CA)
'Torrance' is a city located in the southwestern or "South Bay" region of Los Angeles County, California.
As of the 2000 census, the city population was 137,946; in 2005 the population was estimated to be 142,384. Torrance is the sixth largest city in Los Angeles County and the 34th largest in the state of California.[1]
Torrance was originally part of the 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant, issued to Juan Jose Dominguez, signed by King Carlos III of the Spanish Empire.
In the early 1900s, real estate developer Jared Sidney Torrance and other investors saw the value of creating a mixed industrial-residential community south of Los Angeles. They purchased part of an old Spanish land grant and hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to design a new planned community. [2] The resulting town was founded in October 1912 and named after Torrance; the city of Torrance was formally incorporated in May 1921. [3]
A group known as Save Historic Old Torrance, or SHOT for short, led by Bonnie Mae Barnard, has sought to create a zone in Torrance's downtown area, making it tougher to develop in that area or reconstruct homes in such a manner that it would lose its historic character. Barnard and her husband, along with SHOT, recently tried to have the City Council pass an ordinance renaming the historic area, "The Olmsted District." The measure did not pass, however.
Barnard is also the author of a book on Old Torrance, and is currently an English teacher with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District at Palos Verdes Intermediate School in Palos Verdes Estates. She and her husband live in the same home that once belonged to Louis Zamperini, who is oftentimes referred to as Torrance's hometown boy. Zamperini attended Torrance High School and later went on to be a track star in the Olympics. During World War II, he was shot down from his plane and spent days adrift in the Pacific Ocean. He survived the war and currently lives in Hollywood, California.
Highways and freeways in the region include I-110, I-405, CA-91, CA 107, and CA-1.
There is the harbor '' was filmed at the Foster's Freeze Drive-thru located in downtown Torrance.
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. The airport handles approximately 175,000 annual take-offs and landings (473 per day [4]), down from the 1974 record of 428,000 operations. Airport noise abatement is a major local issue.
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 U.S. Headquarters of numerous leading automotive aftermarket companies, including: Tanabe Racing Development, Speed Star Racing Wheels, Alpine Electronics, Koyo radiators, Stoptech brakes, Cosworth, and Edelbrock.
Torrance is also home to the main bakery facility for King's Hawaiian, the dominant brand of Hawaiian bread in North America.
The footwear companies Lakai and Globe also have headquarters in Torrance. Electronics manufacturer Panasonic has a plant manufacturing DVD-RAM and Blu-Ray media in Torrance. The United States division of Japanese videogame company Tecmo is also headquartered in Torrance. TabletKiosk, manufacturer of Tablet PCs, UMPCs and Mobile Computing Accessories is headquartered in Torrance.
The Torrance Unified School District encompasses five high schools (Torrance High, North High, South High, West High, and Shery High) and their feeder schools. Area districts have created the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SCROC) to teach technical classes to their students and to local adults. TUSD is a participant feeder district of the California Academy of Mathematics and Science or CAMS, a mathematics and science magnet high school, administered by the Long Beach Unified School District.
A Roman Catholic high school (Bishop Montgomery High School), administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, is also located within the city.
Torrance is home to a two-year community college, El Camino College.
Libraries: The City of Torrance has the main Katy Geissert Civic Center Library and five branches [5].
★ 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 (in the unincorporated Los Angeles County community of West Carson) but also has a Torrance address.
★ Torrance Fire Department staffs four paramedic rescue squads at Fire Station 1 (Headquarters), Fire Station 3, Fire Station 4, and Fire Station 6. Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Little Company of Mary Hospital, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Kaiser Hospital-South Bay, and Memorial Hospital of Gardena are receiving hospitals for residents in Torrance who call 911 for medical assistance. Ambulance transportation is provided through Gerber Ambulance Service.
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.
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.
As of the census of 2000, there were 137,946 people, 54,542 households, and 36,270 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,593.1/km² (6,715.7/mi²). There were 55,967 housing units at an average density of 1,052.0/km² (2,724.7/mi²). The racial 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 commercial and 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.
There were 54,542 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $56,489, and the median income for a family was $67,098. Males had a median income of $51,472 versus $37,114 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,144. About 4.5% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
★ John Butler - Leader of the John Butler Trio
★ Larry Carlton - Guitarist
★ Bobby East - NASCAR driver
★ Ben Going - YouTube celebrity
★ Rorion Gracie and Royce Gracie - Mixed martial arts practitioners and UFC fighters
★ Parnelli Jones and P. J. Jones - Indy car drivers
★ Fred Kendall - Former MLB catcher and manager
★ Jason Kendall - Oakland Athletics catcher
★ Kevin Kim - Professional tennis player
★ Michelle Kwan - Figure skater
★ Francisco Mendoza - MLS player
★ Alyson & Amanda Michalka (Aly & AJ) - Singers & actresses
★ Lisa Moretti - WWE's "Ivory"
★ Chad Morton and Johnnie Morton - NFL players
★ George Nakano - California politician
★ Don Newcombe - Former L.A. Dodgers pitcher; only player to win Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards
★ Chuck Norris - Karate expert. First Dojo opened in Torrance.
★ Daryl Sabara & Evan Sabara - Actors (''Spy Kids'')
★ Quentin Tarantino - Filmmaker
★ David Wells - MLB pitcher, currently with the Los Angeles Dodgers
★ Louis Zamperini - Track star, author, World War II veteran
★ City of Torrance official website
★ Torrance information page at City-Data.com
★ Torrance Airport Data from airnav.com
★ Local organizations and businesses
★
★ Torrance shopping centers
★
★ Del Amo Fashion Center
★
★ Torrance Historical Society
★
★ Friends of Madrona Marsh Preserve
★
★ King's Hawaiian official website
'Torrance' is a city located in the southwestern or "South Bay" region of Los Angeles County, California.
As of the 2000 census, the city population was 137,946; in 2005 the population was estimated to be 142,384. Torrance is the sixth largest city in Los Angeles County and the 34th largest in the state of California.[1]
History
Torrance was originally part of the 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant, issued to Juan Jose Dominguez, signed by King Carlos III of the Spanish Empire.
In the early 1900s, real estate developer Jared Sidney Torrance and other investors saw the value of creating a mixed industrial-residential community south of Los Angeles. They purchased part of an old Spanish land grant and hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to design a new planned community. [2] The resulting town was founded in October 1912 and named after Torrance; the city of Torrance was formally incorporated in May 1921. [3]
A group known as Save Historic Old Torrance, or SHOT for short, led by Bonnie Mae Barnard, has sought to create a zone in Torrance's downtown area, making it tougher to develop in that area or reconstruct homes in such a manner that it would lose its historic character. Barnard and her husband, along with SHOT, recently tried to have the City Council pass an ordinance renaming the historic area, "The Olmsted District." The measure did not pass, however.
Barnard is also the author of a book on Old Torrance, and is currently an English teacher with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District at Palos Verdes Intermediate School in Palos Verdes Estates. She and her husband live in the same home that once belonged to Louis Zamperini, who is oftentimes referred to as Torrance's hometown boy. Zamperini attended Torrance High School and later went on to be a track star in the Olympics. During World War II, he was shot down from his plane and spent days adrift in the Pacific Ocean. He survived the war and currently lives in Hollywood, California.
Transportation
Highways and freeways in the region include I-110, I-405, CA-91, CA 107, and CA-1.
There is the harbor '' was filmed at the Foster's Freeze Drive-thru located in downtown Torrance.
Commerce and industry
Torrance as seen from the air
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. The airport handles approximately 175,000 annual take-offs and landings (473 per day [4]), down from the 1974 record of 428,000 operations. Airport noise abatement is a major local issue.
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 U.S. Headquarters of numerous leading automotive aftermarket companies, including: Tanabe Racing Development, Speed Star Racing Wheels, Alpine Electronics, Koyo radiators, Stoptech brakes, Cosworth, and Edelbrock.
Torrance is also home to the main bakery facility for King's Hawaiian, the dominant brand of Hawaiian bread in North America.
The footwear companies Lakai and Globe also have headquarters in Torrance. Electronics manufacturer Panasonic has a plant manufacturing DVD-RAM and Blu-Ray media in Torrance. The United States division of Japanese videogame company Tecmo is also headquartered in Torrance. TabletKiosk, manufacturer of Tablet PCs, UMPCs and Mobile Computing Accessories is headquartered in Torrance.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
The Torrance Unified School District encompasses five high schools (Torrance High, North High, South High, West High, and Shery High) and their feeder schools. Area districts have created the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SCROC) to teach technical classes to their students and to local adults. TUSD is a participant feeder district of the California Academy of Mathematics and Science or CAMS, a mathematics and science magnet high school, administered by the Long Beach Unified School District.
Private schools
A Roman Catholic high school (Bishop Montgomery High School), administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, is also located within the city.
Colleges and universities
Torrance is home to a two-year community college, El Camino College.
Public libraries
Libraries: The City of Torrance has the main Katy Geissert Civic Center Library and five branches [5].
Health Care
★ 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 (in the unincorporated Los Angeles County community of West Carson) but also has a Torrance address.
★ Torrance Fire Department staffs four paramedic rescue squads at Fire Station 1 (Headquarters), Fire Station 3, Fire Station 4, and Fire Station 6. Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Little Company of Mary Hospital, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Kaiser Hospital-South Bay, and Memorial Hospital of Gardena are receiving hospitals for residents in Torrance who call 911 for medical assistance. Ambulance transportation is provided through Gerber Ambulance Service.
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
As of the census of 2000, there were 137,946 people, 54,542 households, and 36,270 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,593.1/km² (6,715.7/mi²). There were 55,967 housing units at an average density of 1,052.0/km² (2,724.7/mi²). The racial 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 commercial and 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.
There were 54,542 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $56,489, and the median income for a family was $67,098. Males had a median income of $51,472 versus $37,114 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,144. About 4.5% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
★ John Butler - Leader of the John Butler Trio
★ Larry Carlton - Guitarist
★ Bobby East - NASCAR driver
★ Ben Going - YouTube celebrity
★ Rorion Gracie and Royce Gracie - Mixed martial arts practitioners and UFC fighters
★ Parnelli Jones and P. J. Jones - Indy car drivers
★ Fred Kendall - Former MLB catcher and manager
★ Jason Kendall - Oakland Athletics catcher
★ Kevin Kim - Professional tennis player
★ Michelle Kwan - Figure skater
★ Francisco Mendoza - MLS player
★ Alyson & Amanda Michalka (Aly & AJ) - Singers & actresses
★ Lisa Moretti - WWE's "Ivory"
★ Chad Morton and Johnnie Morton - NFL players
★ George Nakano - California politician
★ Don Newcombe - Former L.A. Dodgers pitcher; only player to win Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards
★ Chuck Norris - Karate expert. First Dojo opened in Torrance.
★ Daryl Sabara & Evan Sabara - Actors (''Spy Kids'')
★ Quentin Tarantino - Filmmaker
★ David Wells - MLB pitcher, currently with the Los Angeles Dodgers
★ Louis Zamperini - Track star, author, World War II veteran
External links
★ City of Torrance official website
★ Torrance information page at City-Data.com
★ Torrance Airport Data from airnav.com
★ Local organizations and businesses
★
★ Torrance shopping centers
★
★ Del Amo Fashion Center
★
★ Torrance Historical Society
★
★ Friends of Madrona Marsh Preserve
★
★ King's Hawaiian official website
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