Hawthorne, California

Incorporated in 1922, Hawthorne, California, the “City of Good Neighbors,” has grown from an 80-acre townsite in the 1880s to a modern city with a population of around 86,000. Hawthorne, which experienced the post-World War II boom like so many other Los Angeles County communities and prospered in the 1950s, has a land area of around 6 square miles. Located in the Los Angeles basin only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, Hawthorne has a mild Mediterranean climate with cooler summers than communities further inland. The topography of Hawthorne is relatively flat. The city, though now urbanized, is underlain by fertile soil, including Ramona Loam, suitable for growing a wide variety of crops. In fact, Hawthorne was mainly agricultural at one time. Like most Southern California communities, Hawthorne relies mainly on imported water from far-flung locations such as Northern California, the Eastern Sierra Nevada, and the Colorado River. However, unlike nearby communities lying further to the east, Hawthorne is at low risk of flooding because it does not lie in the floodplain of any major watercourse. Part of the South Bay region, Hawthorne’s neighbors include Lennox and Inglewood to the north; El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, and Los Angeles International Airport to the west; Lawndale, Redondo Beach, and Hermosa Beach to the south or southwest; and Gardena and El Camino Village to the east.

Rail connects Hawthorne to Downtown Los Angeles and the ocean port of Los Angeles. In addition, the Glenn Anderson [Century] Freeway (Interstate 105) and the San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405) greatly increases Hawthorne’s regional accessibility. The Glenn Anderson Freeway was the first freeway to incorporate rapid transit rail lines (the Metro C (green) line) into its initial design. The Metro C line Crenshaw station is located at the junction of north-south trending Crenshaw Boulevard and the Glenn Anderson Freeway and is adjacent to Hawthorne Municipal Airport and a complex where several large employers are situated. Hawthorne is orchestrating transit-oriented development in the area.

Hawthorne is working to revitalize Downtown Hawthorne, which is defined by Hawthorne Boulevard, the city’s major north-south thoroughfare.

The southwestern and northeastern portions of Hawthorne are home to several large retailers, including Costco, Home Depot, Lowes Home Improvement, Target, and Best Buy. Other large employers in Hawthorne include Amazon Fulfillment Center and the Hawthorne School District.

In the nineteenth century, the area was largely used to raise cattle and sheep or grow barley. The city’s explosive growth in the mid-twentieth century was a product of the snowballing aerospace industry, fed by military and commercial aviation contracts. While much of the aerospace industry left the region in recent decades, Hawthorne has seen a resurgence in recent years. Hawthorne is now home to a Tesla Design Center. Tesla Motors manufactures electric vehicles, battery storage units, and other related products. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, known as SpaceX, which manufactures and launches rockets and spacecraft, is located in Hawthorne. SoFi Stadium, a 70,000-seat indoor area for sports and entertainment events, has spurred increased tourism in Hawthorne. Events at SoFi Stadium are linked to increased landings and take-offs at Hawthorne Municipal Airport.

Hawthorne contracts with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for fire and emergency services. These services are provided through three fire stations located within Hawthorne. Founded in 1922, the Hawthorne Police Department has almost 100 officers and 60 support staff. Hawthorne Police Department has its own armored rescue vehicle and helicopter. City annual revenue tops $88 million. Hawthorne School District was founded in 1907 and serves elementary and middle school students. Centinela Valley Union High School District serves Hawthorne high school students as well as high school students of several neighboring communities.

Hawthorne is the childhood home city of Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson of the chart-topping Beach Boys.

Hawthorne is dotted by a number of small parks, including Holly Park, Eucalyptus Park, Hawthorne Memorial Park, Bicentennial Park, Zela Davis Park, and Jim Thorpe Park, the last of which is named after one of Hawthorne’s most famous residents. James Francis (Jim) Thorpe was regarded during his life in the early decades of the 20th Century as one of history’s greatest athletes for his versatility and overall ability. During that time, he excelled in college track, professional football, and professional baseball, playing with several major league baseball teams. He eventually became president of the American Professional Football Association. The association would evolve into the modern-day National Football League. In addition to excelling in baseball and football, Thorpe also was an Olympic athlete at the Stockholm games in 1912, winning gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon for the United States of America. There are few athletes in history who had as diverse and celebrated career in sports as Jim Thorpe. Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jeane Mortensen) spent several years of her childhood in Hawthorne. The Barbie doll was a creation of Mattel, Inc., a toy manufacturer founded in Hawthorne. Singer and politician Sonny Bono spent his teenage years in Hawthorne and attended nearby Inglewood High School.

Hawthorne Municipal Airport, known to many as Jack Northrop Field, is a general aviation airport owned by the City of Hawthorne. The airport, which features a 4,956 foot-long runway, was named after a pioneer of aircraft design, a man who set up shop in Hawthorne, and whose eponymous company, Northrop Aircraft, Inc., helped energize the development of Hawthorne beginning at the end of the 1930s, when Hawthorne was a small town of less than 7,000 residents. For 24 years, Hawthorne Municipal Airport was the home of the Western Museum of Flight. The Western Museum of Flight is now located in Torrance, California.

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