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Hawthorne, California
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Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. The city in 2000 had a population of 84,112.
History
Hawthorne's first known residents were Indians of the Shoshonian linguistic group, occupying the South Bay, Los Angeles area as early as the 1500s. Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo caught sight of the area in October 1542, and 30 years later Sir Francis Drake sailed past the nearby coast. In 1769 title to all land in California became vested in the King of Spain, and the Southbay lands were used for the grazing of cattle.
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Encyclopedia
Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. The city in 2000 had a population of 84,112.
History
Hawthorne's first known residents were Indians of the Shoshonian linguistic group, occupying the South Bay, Los Angeles area as early as the 1500s. Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo caught sight of the area in October 1542, and 30 years later Sir Francis Drake sailed past the nearby coast. In 1769 title to all land in California became vested in the King of Spain, and the Southbay lands were used for the grazing of cattle. In 1822 Mexico obtained title to California from Spain. One of the ranchos subsequently formed was Sausal Redondo, named after a round clump of willows in the area. Sausal Redondo consisted of approximately 22,460 acres and included the present-day cities of El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Manhattan Beach, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, and Torrance.
In 1837 Governor Alverado of Mexico granted title to Sausal Redondo to Don Antonio Avila. When California became a United States territory in 1848 and a state in 1850, disputes arose over the ownership of the rancho. Finally, in 1855 Avila was issued a U.S. Land patent for the rancho and thus became the first legal and recorded owner of the land of present-day Hawthorne.
In 1860 Sir Robert Burnett of Crathe's Castle, Scotland came to California and purchased Sausal Redondo from Avila's heirs. He expanded the sheep and cattle raising operations and planted thousands of eucalyptus, pepper, and fruit trees. Burnett returned to Scotland in 1873 and leased (with an option to buy) the rancho to Daniel Freeman, a Canadian. Freeman restocked the ranch with sheep and cattle and continued planting trees, adding more than 13,000. After the severe droughts of 1875 and 1876, during which he lost thousands of sheep and cattle, Freeman started dry farming and grew barley. By 1880 the area was producing a million bushels of barley a year. Freeman finally used his option to buy Sausal Redondo land and in 1885 received title from Sir Robert Burnett.
In 1887 several groups of investors, encouraged by the narrow-gauge railroad being built, organized several companies and purchased large amounts of towns. One of these was the Hawthorne Land Company. Hawthorne was founded by Benjamin I. Harding and Harry Dana Lombard, who in 1905 purchased acreage from the land company, thus creating the Hawthorne Improvement Company whose purpose was to build an 80-acre town site on the waving barley fields. The name of Hawthorne was chosen by Harding's daughter, Mrs. Laurine Harding Woolwine, who shared her birthday with author Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Hawthorne was advertised as the town between the city and the sea. Special appeals were made to those who wished to raise poultry and grow vegetables. Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Anderson were the first settlers and began building their house in November 1906 at 515 Freeman Avenue. Their son, Glenn, later served as mayor of Hawthorne, Lieutenant Governor of California, and congressman from the California 17th District.
By 1907 Hawthorne had grown to a thriving little town of over one hundred homes. Advertisements lauded Hawthorne as ideal for Homes or Investment Situated directly on the Redondo Electric Car Line - Three Stations on Property, 30 Minutes Ride from the Heart of Los Angeles and right in line of Rapid Growth Toward the Harbor.
In its early days Hawthorne had but one grocery store, and meat was brought by wagon from Inglewood three times a week. There was a furniture factory, an overall factory, a glove factory, and an art leather firm. A small building served as both church and school. The school had 16 pupils ranging from kindergarten to 18 years of age. Mail service began in October 1908.
By 1921 the population had reached 2,000, and Hawthorne was incorporated in July 1922. The area was largely settled by emigrants from the Oklahoma and Texas dustbowl.
The city has a council form of Government. The first city council consisted of Mayor C. C. Butler and Councilmen Lorig, Mason, Haylett, and Millhouse. W.B. Shaw served as City Clerk.
The first census was taken in 1930 and showed 6,595 residents. In 1939 Northrop Aircraft Inc. (later Northrop Corporation and even later Northrop Grumman Corporation) moved to Hawthorne with 50 people on the payroll. Dozens of firms moved to Hawthorne to acquire Northrop subcontracts. From that time on industrial and commercial development in Hawthorne proceeded at a steady pace. Northrop and Hawthorne enjoyed a long period of prosperity and cooperation. With the growth of the aviation industry and the subsequent aerospace industry, Hawthorne became known as the Cradle of Aviation and enjoyed a boom for many years in both jobs and real estate.
The City of Hawthorne has grown from a small, largely rural community to a well-rounded mixture of business, industries and homes.
Geography
Hawthorne is at (33.917214, -118.348607). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 15.7 km² (6.1 mi²), all land.
To the north of is the unincorporated community of Lennox and the city of Inglewood. To the east is the unincorporated community of Athens and the city of Gardena. To the south is the unincorporated community of El Camino Village, and the cities of Lawndale and Redondo Beach. Manhattan Beach is at the southwest corner of Hawthorne, and the city of El Segundo is to the west of Hawthorne. The unincorporated community of Del Aire is surrounded on three sides by the city of Hawthorne along western edge of Hawthorne.
The Century Freeway (Glenn Anderson Freeway, I-105) runs along the northern boundary of Hawthorne, with the LACMTA Green Line light rail line running down the center of the Century Freeway. The San Diego Freeway (I-405) runs along the western boundary of Hawthorne. Major east-west streets in Hawthorne include Rosecrans Ave., El Segundo Ave.. and Imperial Highway. Major north-south street include Aviation Blvd., Inglewood Ave., Hawthorne Blvd., Prairie Ave., Crenshaw Blvd., and Van Ness Ave.
Hawthorne is five miles from the Los Angeles International Airport.
Hawthorne comprises ZIP codes, 90250, 90251, and the 310 Area Code.
Climate
Hawthorne goes through some extreme hot summers and cold winters. Hawthorne's coldest winter was January 17, 2007 at 7am the temperature reached a freezing 22 degrees fahrenheit. And its hottest was in the summer of 2004 reaching a burning 118 degrees fahrenheit. Hawthorne gets an average of 22 in of rain per year. In the summer of 1932 the region's first and only tropical system hit the area. On 1997 El Niño hit the region it dumped 28 in of rain in a period of 1 month causing severe flooding and 5 in of hail fell in 2 hours. the next time it hailed it was in 2003 the city got pounded with 2 in of hail.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 84,112 people, 28,536 households, and 19,775 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,359.0/km² (13,879.4/mi²). There were 29,629 housing units at an average density of 1,887.8/km² (4,889.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 29.27% White, 39.02% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 6.73% Asian, 0.86% Pacific Islander, 24.16% from other races, and 5.22% from two or more races. 44.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 28,536 households out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.6% were married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.50.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.7% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,887, and the median income for a family was $35,149. Males had a median income of $29,481 versus $27,427 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,022. About 18.4% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
In the state legislature Hawthorne is located in the 25th Senate District, represented by Democrat Edward Vincent, and in the 51st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Curren D. Price Jr.. Federally, Hawthorne is located in California's 35th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +33 and is represented by Democrat Maxine Waters.
The United States Postal Service Hawthorne Post Office is located at 12700 Inglewood Avenue.
Noted residents
Hawthorne is known to rock and roll fans as the home of Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. The Wilson brothers' boyhood home was demolished in the late 1980s during the construction of the Century Freeway, although it was honored by the dedication of the Beach Boys Historic Landmark (California Landmark 1041) in May 2005.
- Actress Marilyn Monroe lived in the city as an infant until she was 6.
- Sports figure Jim Thorpe resided in Hawthorne during part of his life, and there is a park named after him.
- Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, of the Beach Boys, were raised in Hawthorne.
- Jeff and Steve McDonald of the band Redd Kross were raised in Hawthorne.
- Singer Chris Montez grew up in Hawthorne.
- NFL Players Curtis Conway, Jason Simmons, and Dennis Northcutt have all resided in Hawthorne.
- Rapper Kurupt lived in Hawthorne after moving from Philadelphia.
- Actor Fred Dryer was born in Hawthorne.
- Beatle George Harrison's second wife, Olivia Harrison (née Olivia Trinidad Arias), graduated from Hawthorne High School, class of 1965.
- Dorell Wright of the Miami Heat grew up in Hawthorne.
- Actor Butch Patrick of TV's The Munsters also lived in Hawthorne for a short time.
- MADtv character Bunifa Latifah Halifah Sharifa Jackson currently lives in Hawthorne.
- Major League Baseball pitcher (New York Mets and Houston Astros) and Cy Young Award winner, Mike Scott grew up in Hawthorne and graduated from Hawthorne High School in 1973.
Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder grew up in Hawthorne.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
Centinela Valley Union High School District
Hawthorne School District
Wiseburn School District
- (Kindergarten-2nd grade), Peter Burnett Elementary School (3rd-5th grade), Richard Henry Dana Middle School (6th-8th grade)
Lawndale Elementary School District
Lennox School District
Los Angeles Unified School District
In addition Los Angeles County Office of Education operates Southwest Day (5th-12th grade).
Hawthorne Math and Science Academy is a charter high school in Hawthorne associated with the Hawthorne School District.
Colleges and universities
Los Angeles Community College District
Business
- SpaceX has its headquarters near Hawthorne Municipal Airport.
- Hawthorne Plaza shopping center
- Mattel - the headquarters of Mattel was, for a long time, located in Hawthorne, but is now in nearby El Segundo.
See also
External links
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