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Lynwood, California
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Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. As of 2007, the city had a total population of 72,984. Lynwood is located near South Gate, Compton and Downey in the southern portion of the Los Angeles Basin. Incorporated in 1921, the city's name was first applied to the local dairy for Miss Lynn Wood Sessions, wife of the owner. The local railroad station and subdivision were later named after the dairy.
ood is located at (33.924642, -118.201862).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.6 km˛ (4.8 mi˛), all land.
f the census of 2007, there were 72,984 people, 14,770 households, and 12,941 families residing in the city.
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Encyclopedia
Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. As of 2007, the city had a total population of 72,984. Lynwood is located near South Gate, Compton and Downey in the southern portion of the Los Angeles Basin. Incorporated in 1921, the city's name was first applied to the local dairy for Miss Lynn Wood Sessions, wife of the owner. The local railroad station and subdivision were later named after the dairy.
Geography
Lynwood is located at (33.924642, -118.201862).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.6 km˛ (4.8 mi˛), all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2007, there were 72,984 people, 14,770 households, and 12,941 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,560.3/km˛ (15,022.2/mi˛). There were 14,987 housing units at an average density of 1,193.1/km˛ (3,087.6/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city was 38.42% White, 10.20% African American, 1.32% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.39% Pacific Islander, 49.04% from other races, and 4.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 86.36% of the population.
Lynwood went through five phases of demographic change in the 20th century. First, a colonial settlement. Second, a farming small town. Third, a mostly working-class white suburb from 1940 to 1970. Fourth, a majority African-American city between 1970 and 1990, and today, a predominantly Latino community.
There were 14,770 households out of which 41.38% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.17% were married couples living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.1% were non-families. 7.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.8 and the average family size was 4.8.
In the city the population was spread out with 41.38% under the age of 18, 7.01% from 18 to 24, 31.04% from 25 to 44, 15.96% from 45 to 64, and 4.61% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,886, and the median income for a family was $40,886. Males had a median income of $23,241 versus $19,149 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,640. About 21.0% of families and 23.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
Music
"Weird Al" Yankovic is originally from Lynwood, California and named his twelfth studio album "Straight Outta Lynwood."
Government and infrastructure
Fire protection in Lynwood is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The LACFD operates Station #147 at 3161 East Imperial Highway and Station #148 at 4262 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, both in Lynwood, as a part of Battalion 13.
In the state legislature Lynwood is located in the 27th Senate District, represented by Democrat Alan Lowenthal, and in the 50th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Hector De La Torre. Federally, Lynwood is located in California's 39th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +13 and is represented by Democrat Linda Sánchez.
The United States Postal Service operates the Lynwood Post Office at 11200 Long Beach Boulevard and the East Lynwood Post Office at 11634 Atlantic Avenue.
History
In 1810, Don Antonio Lugo, received a grant to a tract of land of some . He named it Rancho San Antonio, probably after his birthplace, La Misión San Antonio de Padua, in 1775.
Rancho San Antonio lay just north of Juan Jose Dominguez Rancho San Pedro, the borderline approximately of today's Rosecrans Avenue in Compton, and ran north parallel with and adjacent to, the pueblo de Los Angeles. The eastern boundary lay somewhere along the ever changing Los Angeles river or as it was called the San Gabriel river.
Lugo maintained a home in the pueblo de Los Angeles, near the plaza and across from the church. He was alcalde (mayor) of Los Angeles, from 1816 to 1819, and a leader in most of the social functions of the time. Antonio Lugo received a patent from the United States government on July 24, 1847, which made him undisputed owner of Rancho San Antonio, which was Lynwood's birthplace.
After Lugo's death in 1860, the rancho was divided among his children, five boys and three girls. Guadalupe Lugo inherited the area now known as Lynwood. She later deeded the land to a man named Heldman, who later deeded it, in 1871 to M.A. Shields, the wife of J.H. Shields. It is not known whether Mrs. Shields was any relation to the Lugo's. Later, she deeded her interest to J. S. Slauson, a Los Angeles banker and a prominent figure in the early history of the Los Angeles area. Slauson Avenue, dividing the south Los Angeles industrial belt, was named for him.
In 1902, C.H. Sessions had acquired title of about and established a dairy and creamery. His wife's maiden name was Miss Lynn Wood and the family agreed together to call the place "the Lynwood Dairy and Creamery" and it was located at what is now Sanborn and Long Beach Blvd. Later the Southern Pacific Railway had a siding here, which they called the 'Lynwood siding'. Henry Huntington organized another railroad company called the Pacific Electric Railway in 1902. One of the lines, built in 1904 to 1905, ran from Los Angeles to Santa Ana, passing directly through the middle of Lynwood. In 1929 Pacific Electric installed a P.E. Depot on the corner of Long Beach Blvd. and Fernwood Avenue. (That building still exists and has been relocated to Lynwood City Park and is dedicated to the late former Mayor, John D. Byork.) The PE Railway took up the Lynwood name from the dairy and creamery.
Later, seven gentlemen formed the Lynwood company and they brought excursions of potential buyers to Lynwood. They opened up for 'suburban' home sites in 1913. The biggest attraction for lot buyers, who came on excursions and had lunch in a circus tent, was free water. Residential lots, 100 x 800, were sold for $500 to $800 and the promoters promised to furnish buyers water free and to turn over to any city that might be formed, the entire debt-free water system.
H.V. Copeland was one of the seven members of Lynwood company and he built the first residence in Lynwood at Long Beach Blvd. and Imperial Hwy. The water pump the Copeland's used was near Court and Platt.
At the time of the dairy, there was not even a country road where Long Beach Blvd. is now. Many years later, Long Beach Blvd. was paved and became a main street in Lynwood.
Discovery of gold in 1848-1849 brought thousands of people west, suddenly creating a demand for food. Part of that food was cattle and Antonio Lugo was one of many ranchers to become wealthy from the sale of cattle. Later, the main business of the area was the dairy and creamery. Sugar beets accounted for a substantial amount of Lynwood's farming activity, although Lynwood farmers also raised an impressive amount of other products, particularly hay.
The families who first came to the Lynwood territory arrived in the late 1870s and early 1880s. The Abbott family was among the first settlers and Haymer Abbott built a house in 1889. Which has been relocated on the corner of Wright Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (Century) in Ham Park. It was no great land rush that settled Lynwood. In 1918 the Lynwood company closed its sales office and the building was turned over to the residents for a community center. It was this building which served as the first city hall when voters approved incorporation on July 16, 1921.
That first city hall was a wooden structure and one day caught fire, destroying a portion of the building. Repairs appeared to be too costly, so the city council decided to build an entirely new city hall. Lynwood voters passed a bond issue in 1927, authorizing the construction of a new edifice, a two-story brick building. The fire department occupied the southwest corner of the building, the police department had the north side and was adjacent to a spacious jail. The city clerk's office occupied the ground floor immediately opposite the entrance and a passage to its right led to the police department. The council chamber was a large room on the second floor. Court was also conducted in the council chamber. In 1963, a new city hall located on Bullis Road was dedicated.
It is not known when the Lugo School District (Lynwood's first school district) was formed. However, in the 1880s, the district bought an acre of ground at the corner of what was Temple (now Bullis Road) and Cortland Street, a one room school house was built. By 1895 they built a more modern two-room structure equipped with a lofty tower and iron bell that rang. The one-room structure was moved down to the corner of Carlin and Bullis Road and converted into a residence. The Lynwood junior high (presently high school) was built in 1930 and has the distinction of being the only school in this district that was not condemned after the 1933 earthquakes. In 1934 the total registration in Lynwood schools was 1282, with 38 teachers, including one home teacher and one nurse-inspector. The system became known as the Lynwood School District at this time. Early in 1953 the Lynwood unified school district dedicated the new Lugo School, located on Pendelton, and there were several direct decedents of Antonio Maria Lugo present.
In 1946, the city started issuing home occupation licenses. In 1952 the assessed valuation was 23 million dollars, there were 8000 dwellings and 12,000 registered voters. The fiscal year 1987-88 showed $785,545,000 assessed valuation and 14,485 registered voters. Construction of the Century Freeway (named the I-105 Glenn Anderson Fwy) had been talked about since 1958. This freeway replaced the Southern Pacific right-of-way. The LAMTA, Metro Green Line route began operations in September, 1995 and runs down the middle of the I-105 Glenn Anderson Fwy from Norwalk to El Segundo. (From the City of Lynwood website)
On April 1, 1999, Jim Coles, Lynwood Aquatics Coordinator and Swim team coach passed away due to undisclosed reason. Shortly after the pool was closed and renovated, the city denied a request to name it after the beloved coach, his memory however still lives on throughout the entire facility. In 2005, at the authorization of the City Council, a home in Ham Park, former home of the Ham Family, a historic Lynwood family, was demolished and Firebaugh High School was built; many homes were demolished as well. The most populated place in the city known as "El Farallon de Lynwood" was demolished along with small businesses to build César E. Chávez Middle School also in 2005. In 2006, The city announced a plan to demolish parts of the city from Imperial Hwy., down south to Fernwood within the 105 Freeway, and from Harris Ave east to the 710 to build an NFL stadium and a community center. Many Lynwood residents oppose this plan and are currently still at odds over the proposed development. The proposal has been recently brought to attention in 2008.
In June 2008 Lynwood became home to the world's largest wholesale cash and carry pallet warehouse when Via Trading moved operations there. They took a site in the ERC Business park, replacing the Lennox manufacturing facility that had closed down.
The city is the home to the St. Francis Medical Center, formerly the St. Francis Hospital of Lynwood.
On March 20, 2006, former mayor Paul H. Richards II was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison after being convicted in 2005 on numerous corruption charges that centered on his funneling of $6 million in city business - including exorbitant no-bid contracts - to a "consulting company" controlled by him and his family. Richards had served on the City Council from 1986 until he was recalled by voters in 2003; during that time he served seven terms as mayor.
Lynwood is also the site where celebrity Paris Hilton and her longtime friend Nicole Richie were jailed. Hilton Spent 23 Days, and Richie Spent 82 Minutes.
Education
Most of Lynwood is served by the Lynwood Unified School District. St. Emydius School, a private Catholic K-8 school with an adjacent parish, is also located in Lynwood. From 1939-1993, Lynwood Adventist Academy (www.lynwoodacademy.com) was located at 11011 Harris Ave. It was taken by eminent domain to make way for the new Lynwood High School campus.
- Lynwood High School (Imperial HWY.)
- Vista High School (Wright Rd.)
- Path Way High School (Bullis Rd.)
- Firebaugh High School (Martin Luther King jr. Blvd.
- Lynwood Middle School [the old High School](Bullis Road.)
- Hosler Middle School (Spruce Ave.)
- Cesar E. Chavez Middle School (Abbott Rd.)
- Lugo Elementary School (Pendleton Ave.)
- J.P. Abbott Elementary School (Clark ave.)
- Will Rogers Elementary School (Duncan Ave.)
- Lincoln Elementary School (State St)
- Woodrow Wilson Elementary School (School St)
- Linbergh Elementary
- Roosevelt Elementary
- Rosa Parks Elementary
- Washington Elementary
- Lynwood Community Adult School (Day Campus - Atlantic Avenue)
Public libraries
County of Los Angeles Public Library operates the Lynwood Library at 11320 Bullis Road.
See also
External links
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