Hawthorne, California


Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area commonly known as the South Bay. As of the 2020 US census, Hawthorne had a population of 88,083.
Hawthorne is widely known as the home of The Beach Boys.

History

Hawthorne was once part of the Rancho Sausal Redondo of the Mexican land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California given in 1837 to Antonio Ygnacio Ávila by Juan Alvarado the Mexican Governments Governor of Alta California. Rancho Sausal Redondo covered the area that now includes Playa Del Rey, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Lawndale, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Hawthorne, and Redondo Beach.
Hawthorne was founded in 1905 as the "Hawthorne Improvement Company" by real estate developers B.L. Harding and H.D. Lombard. Harding's daughter shared her birthday—July 4, American Independence Day—with New England author Nathaniel Hawthorne, and a decision was made to name the small village after him.
Hawthorne was once a "whites only" settlement, commonly called a sundown town. During the 1930s, signs warned African-Americans to be out of Hawthorne by sundown.

Geography

To the north of Hawthorne 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. To the west is the city of El Segundo, and the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westchester is to the northwest of Hawthorne. Hawthorne surrounds the unincorporated community of Del Aire on three sides. It also shares a small border on the northeast along Imperial Highway with the unincorporated community of Westmont.
The Century Freeway runs along the northern boundary of Hawthorne, with the C Line light rail line running down the center of the Century Freeway. The San Diego Freeway runs along the western boundary of Hawthorne. Major east–west streets in Hawthorne include Rosecrans Avenue, El Segundo Boulevard, and Imperial Highway. Major north–south streets include Aviation Boulevard, Inglewood Avenue, Hawthorne Boulevard, Prairie Avenue, Crenshaw Boulevard, and Van Ness Avenue.
Hawthorne is five miles from the Los Angeles International Airport.
Hawthorne comprises ZIP codes 90250 and 90251. It is in the 310 area code, except for a small portion of northeastern Hawthorne, which is located in the 323 area code.

Climate

Hawthorne, like the rest of the Los Angeles basin, has a Mediterranean climate:
  • On average, the warmest month is August.
  • The highest recorded temperature was in 1961.
  • On average, the coolest month is January.
  • The lowest recorded temperature was in 1963.
  • Most rainfall occurs during winter and spring.
Hawthorne has a Mediterranean climate or dry-summer subtropical, enjoying plenty of sunshine throughout the year, with an average of 263 sunshine days and only 35 days with measurable precipitation annually.

Surrounding areas



Demographics

Hawthorne first appeared as a city in the 1930 U.S. Census.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010
White alone 32,49721,89110,3978,6429,14757.57%30.66%13.00%10.25%10.38%
Black or African American alone 7,24919,38327,20822,57920,76312.84%27.15%32.35%26.79%23.57%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 3572451991721280.63%0.34%0.24%0.20%0.15%
Asian alone 4,3477,3465,5675,4926,5527.70%10.29%6.62%6.52%7.44%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone 4,3477,3466859196837.70%10.29%0.81%1.09%0.78%
Other race alone 2242652563977730.40%0.37%0.30%0.47%0.88%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx2,0331,5202,727xx2.42%1.80%3.10%
Hispanic or Latino 11,77322,21937,22744,57247,31020.86%31.12%44.26%52.88%53.71%
Total56,44771,34984,11284,29388,083100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Hawthorne had a population of 88,083. The population density was. The racial makeup of Hawthorne was 16.1% White, 24.2% African American, 2.0% Native American, 7.7% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 33.8% from other races, and 15.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 53.7% of the population.
The census reported that 99.3% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized.
There were 30,541 households, out of which 37.6% included children under the age of 18, 36.8% were married-couple households, 8.3% were cohabiting couple households, 33.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 21.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 24.9% of households were one person, and 6.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.86. There were 20,718 families.
The age distribution was 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.4% aged 18 to 24, 32.1% aged 25 to 44, 24.4% aged 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 34.8years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males.
There were 31,578 housing units at an average density of, of which 30,541 were occupied. Of these, 27.4% were owner-occupied, and 72.6% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $72,719, and the per capita income was $33,651. About 13.3% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Hawthorne had a population of 84,293. The population density was. The racial makeup of Hawthorne was 27,678 White, 23,385 African American, 565 Native American, 5,642 Asian, 974 Pacific Islander, 22,127 from other races, and 3,922 from two or more races. There were 44,572 people of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race.
The census reported that 83,754 people lived in households, 208 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 331 were institutionalized.
There were 28,486 households, 12,330 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,833 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 6,369 had a female householder with no husband present, 2,357 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,309 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 191 same-sex married couples or partnerships. Of the households, 7,125 were one person and 1,430 had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.94. There were 19,559 families ; the average family size was 3.54.
The age distribution was 23,157 people under the age of 18, 9,487 people aged 18 to 24, 27,035 people aged 25 to 44, 18,395 people aged 45 to 64, and 6,219 people who were 65 or older. The median age was 31.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
There were 29,869 housing units at an average density of 4,902.7 per square mile, of the occupied units 7,623 were owner-occupied and 20,863 were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%. 25,869 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 57,885 people lived in rental housing units.
During 2009–2013, Hawthorne had a median household income of $44,649, with 19.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
According to Mapping L.A. in 2000, Mexican and Filipino were the most common ancestries in the city. Mexico and Guatemala were the most common foreign places of birth in the city.

Homelessness

In 2022, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count counted 173 homeless individuals in Hawthorne.

Economy

As of 2022 the city is known as a center for the space industry and hosts numerous space related private companies, industries and startups. The relatively large number of aerospace engineers and technicians, history of established aerospace companies, and the presence of SpaceX has facilitated the development of space engineering industry cluster in the city. According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of Employees
1SpaceX6,094
2Amazon Fulfillment Center1,500
3Hawthorne School District900
4Wiseburn Unified School District394
5City of Hawthorne360
6Home Depot340
7OSI Systems280
8Expeditors260
9Teledyne Relays253
10Target250

Besides the current top employers, the following businesses are currently located in Hawthorne:
Previously in Hawthorne:
  • Mattel, toy manufacturer; originally started in Hawthorne in 1945 and moved to their current facility in nearby El Segundo, California by 1991.
  • Hawthorne Plaza, a regional shopping center, now closed
  • The Boring Company, infrastructure and tunnel construction services company.
  • Northrop Corporation, founded in 1939 and headquartered in Hawthorne, became a major manufacturer of aircraft during World War II, as well as a major subcontractor to other aircraft companies. Jack Northrop developed his famous flying wings, which ultimately led to the B-2 stealth bomber. Northrop also produced the P-61 Black Widow fighter in its Hawthorne plant, which was on the south side of Northrop Field. The facility was, for some time, used as an aircraft plant, producing fuselage sections for Boeing 747s and 787s. The building is currently used as the headquarters and main factory of SpaceX.

Government

Municipal government

Hawthorne has an elected city council composed of a mayor elected every four years and four city council members elected on four year terms.
OFFICEOFFICE HOLDERTERM ENDS
MayorAlex VargasDecember 2028
Mayor Pro TemAngie Reyes-EnglishDecember 2028
CouncilmemberFaye JohnsonDecember 2028
CouncilmemberAlex MonteiroDecember 2026
CouncilmemberKatrina ManningDecember 2026

According to the city's most recent "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report," its various funds had $126.1 million in revenues, $113.2 million in expenditures, $220.2 million in total assets, $152.7 million in total liabilities, and $29.6 million in cash and investments. The city manager is Vontray Norris.

State and federal representation

In the California State Legislature, Hawthorne is in, and in.
In the United States House of Representatives, Hawthorne is in.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Hawthorne is served by multiple school districts. Schools that include portions of Hawthorne include:
;Centinela [Valley Union High School District]
;Hawthorne School District
;Lawndale Elementary School District
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt-Kit Carson Elementary School
  • Will Rogers Middle School
;Lennox School District
  • Elementary schools with boundaries coinciding include: Buford, Felton, Jefferson, Dolores Hutera and Moffett
  • All district residents are zoned to Lennox Middle School
;Wiseburn Unified School District
;Los Angeles Unified School District
In addition Los Angeles County Office of Education operates Southwest Day.
Hawthorne Math and Science Academy is a charter high school in Hawthorne associated with the Hawthorne School District.

Private schools

Colleges and universities

;Los Angeles Community College District

Media

The Hawthorne Press Tribune is the community newspaper for the City of Hawthorne.

Infrastructure

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Curtis Tucker Health Center in Inglewood, serving Hawthorne.
The United States Postal Service Hawthorne Post Office is located at 12700 Inglewood Avenue.

Notable people