Lawndale

This community was founded in 1905, with the first residents moving in the next year. Charles Hopper founded and named the city, which began as a poultry farming community. In the late 1950s, it seemed that the area would be incorporated into the neighboring cities of Hawthorne, Redondo Beach or Torrance.  According to City Council member Jim Ramsey, Hawthorne Blvd. consisted of family businesses, not sidewalks and a ditch down the center.  According to an article in the Daily Breeze, a former President of the Lawndale Chamber of Commerce, Robert Cerny, pulled together a group to put the issue of incorporating the area on the ballot.  It succeeded and the city was incorporated in 1959.  Improving the commercial district has been one important goal of the city government.  

As chair of the South Bay Association of Realtors Community Committee, Caren recently hosted a breakfast for Lawndale Realtors to meet with the Lawndale Mayor Pro Tem Jim Ramsey. Mr. Ramsey announced that the City had just received a $7.5 million dollar grant from the State of California to construct a 17,500 square foot city library, five times the size of the current facility.  Because the city is only two square miles, the response time from the Sheriff is usually two minutes or less.  Lawndale recently added a 115 foot high billboard just off the 405 freeway. The billboard is controversial, but Mr. Ramsey believes it brings visibility to the city, revenue to its coffers and publicity to local businesses and organizations.  The city’s population in 2000 was 31,711.

City Website:  www.lawndalecity.org