Gardena Basic Data
| City of Gardena |
| — City — |
|
Location of Gardena in Los Angeles County, California |
Coordinates: 33°53′37″N 118°18′28″W / 33.89361°N 118.30778°W / 33.89361; -118.30778
Coordinates: 33°53′37″N 118°18′28″W / 33.89361°N 118.30778°W / 33.89361; -118.30778 |
| Country |
United States |
| State |
California |
| County |
Los Angeles |
| Incorporated (city) |
1930-09-11 |
| Government |
| - Mayor |
Paul K. Tanaka |
| Area |
| - Total |
5.82 sq mi (15.07 km) |
| - Land |
5.82 sq mi (15.07 km) |
| - Water |
0.00 sq mi (0.00 km) 0.00% |
| Elevation |
49 ft (15 m) |
| Population (2000) |
| - Total |
57,746 |
| - Density |
9,921.3/sq mi (3,830.6/km) |
| Time zone |
PST (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) |
PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code |
90247-90249 |
| Area code(s) |
310/424 |
| FIPS code |
06-28168 |
| GNIS feature ID |
1660664 |
| Website |
ci.gardena.ca.us |
|
Photos of Gardena and surrounding area
Gardena History
Based on archaeological findings, Tongva Indians hunted and fished in the area of today's Gardena. The Tongva Indians — also known as Gabrielino Indians — are probably descendants of those who crossed from Asia to North America around 10,000 years ago.
In 1784, three years after the foundation of Los Angeles, Juan Jose Dominguez (1736–1809), a Spanish soldier who arrived in San Diego, California in 1769 with Fernando Rivera y Moncada, in recognition of his military service, received the roughly 43,000-acre Spanish land grant, the Rancho San Pedro. Part of this land contained what became known as Gardena Valley. After the American Civil War veterans bought parts of the land, soon ranchers and farmers followed suit. Union Army Major General William Starke Rosecrans in 1869 bought 16,000 acres. The "Rosecrans Rancho," was bordered by what later was Florence Avenue on the north, Redondo Beach Boulevard on the south, Central Avenue on the east, and Arlington Avenue on the west. The Rosecrans property was sub divided and sold in the early 1870s. One of those became the 650-acre Amestoy Ranch. Gardena proper began in 1887 when the Pomeroy & Harrison real estate developers subdivided the ranch, and-anticipating that the coming of the Los Angeles and Redondo Railway. Civil War veteran Spencer Roane Thorpe is credited with starting the first settlement in Gardena in 1887. Railroads put Gardena on the map following a real estate boom in the Los Angeles area in the 1880s. Some believe the city was named for its reputation for being the only "green spot" in the dry season between Los Angeles and the sea. Because of its acres of berries, the city was dubbed "Berryland". The Strawberry Day Festival and Parade was held each May annually. The berry industry suffered at the time of World War I as other crops were supported by the war economy. Japanese Americans settled in Gardena throughout its history.
The only way Gardena could protect itself from a heavy county tax imposed on a planned project at a park site was to incorporate. The City of Gardena became incorporated on September 11, 1930.
City Information
Zip Code(s): 90247 90248 90249
Area Code(s): 213/310/323/562
State: California State
County: Los Angeles County
Average House Value: $179,500
Average Household Income: $38,988
People Per Household: 3
Time Zone: Pacific (GMT -8:00)
MSA: 4472
PMSA: 4480
CSA: 348
CBSA: 31100
Geography
Land Area: 5.8 Sq. Mi.
Elevation: 53 feet
City Population
Total Population: 57,746
Male Population: 28,143
Female Population: 29,603
Average Resident Age: 34.4%
Percent Foreign Born: 32.9%
City Marital Status
| Never Married |
 (32.3%) |
| Married |
(48.4%) |
| Separated (Married) |
(3.4%) |
| Widowed |
(6.2%) |
| Divorced |
(9.6%) |
| |
| Races |
| Hispanic | (31.8%) | | Black | (26.0%) | | Other race | (16.9%) | | White Non-Hispanic | (12.2%) | | Japanese | (11.6%) | | Korean | (6.2%) | | Two or more races | (5.1%) | | Filipino | (3.3%) | | Vietnamese | (2.4%) |
| |
| Ancestries |
| German | (2.8%) |
| |
| Schooling |
| High School |
(74.0%) |
| Bachelors |
(16.6%) |
| Graduates |
(3.8%) |
|
