Norwalk, California


Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 102,773 at the 2020 census.
Founded in the late 19th century, Norwalk was incorporated as a city in 1957. It is located southeast of downtown Los Angeles and is part of the Greater Los Angeles area.
Norwalk is a member of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments. Norwalk's sister cities are Morelia in the Mexican state of Michoacán, and Hermosillo, in the Mexican state of Sonora.
WWW norwalk.orgR/ norwalkca

History

The area known as "Norwalk" was first home to the Shoshonean Native American tribe. They survived primarily on honey, an array of berries, acorns, sage, squirrels, rabbits and birds. Their huts were part of the Sejat Indian village.
In the late 1760s, settlers and missions flourished under Spanish rule with the famous El Camino Real trail traversing the area. Manuel Nieto, a Spanish soldier, received a Spanish land grant in 1784 that included Norwalk.
After the Mexican–American War in 1848, the Rancho and mining days ended. Portions of the land were subdivided and made available for sale when California was admitted into the union of the United States. Word of this land development reached the Sproul Brothers in Oregon. They recalled the fertile land and huge sycamore trees they saw during an earlier visit to the Southern California area. In 1869, Atwood Sproul, on behalf of his brother, Gilbert, purchased of land at $11 an acre in an area known as Corazón de los Valles, or "Heart of the Valleys".
By 1873, railroads were being built in the area and the Sprouls deeded, stipulating a "passenger stop" clause in the deed. Three days after the Anaheim Branch Railroad crossed the "North-walk" for the first time, Gilbert Sproul surveyed a town site. In 1874, the name was recorded officially as Norwalk. While a majority of the Norwalk countryside remained undeveloped during the 1880s, the Norwalk Station allowed potential residents the opportunity to visit the "country" from across the nation.
The families referred to as the "first families" of Norwalk settled in the area in the years before 1900. D.D. Johnston pioneered the first school system in Norwalk in 1880. Johnston was also responsible for the first real industry in town, a cheese factory, by furnishing Tom Lumbard with the money in 1882. Norwalk's prosperity was evident in the 1890s with the construction of a number of fine homes that were located in the middle of orchards, farms and dairies. Headstones for these families can be found at Little Lake Cemetery, which was founded in 1843 on the border between Norwalk and Santa Fe Springs at Lakeland Road.
At the turn of the 19th century, Norwalk had become established as a dairy center. Of the 50 local families reported in the 1900 census, most were associated with farming or with the dairy industry. Norwalk was also the home of some of the largest sugar beet farms in all of Southern California during this era. Many of the dairy farmers who settled in Norwalk during the early part of the 20th century were Dutch.
After the 1950s, the Hispanic population in Norwalk grew significantly as the area became increasingly residential.

Airplane disaster

In February 1958, two military aircraft, a Douglas C-118A military transport and a U.S. Navy P2V-5F Neptune patrol bomber, collided over Norwalk at night. Forty-seven servicemen were killed, as was a civilian 23-year-old woman on the ground who was hit by falling debris. A plaque commemorating the disaster and erected by the American Legion in 1961 marks the spot of the accident, today a mini-mall at the corner of Firestone Boulevard and Pioneer Boulevard.

The Hargitt House

Built in 1891 by the D.D. Johnston family, the Hargitt House was built in the architectural style of Victorian Eastlake. The Hargitt House Museum, located at 12426 Mapledale, was donated to the people of Norwalk by Charles and Ida Hargitt.

The Sproul House

The Sproul House is a Stick Style-influenced, Victorian farm house built in 1870 by the founder of Norwalk, Gilbert Sproul. He and his family lived there while he founded Norwalk. His descendants lived in the house continually until 1962 when it was donated to the city. Today it houses the Gilbert Sproul Museum which covers Norwalk history through artifacts, photos, documents and other interpretive elements.

Geography

Norwalk is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of. of it is land and of it is water.
Norwalk is bordered by Downey to the northwest, Bellflower to the southwest, Cerritos and Artesia to the south, and Santa Fe Springs and Whittier to the north and east.

Demographics

Norwalk first appeared as a city in the 1960 U.S. census as part of the Downey-Norwalk census county division.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 19,57413,0078,91918.95%12.32%8.68%
Black or African American alone 4,5294,1353,8494.38%3.92%3.75%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 4632812940.45%0.27%0.29%
Asian alone 11,72412,38713,68011.35%11.74%13.31%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone 3363663700.33%0.35%0.36%
Other Race alone 1381914860.13%0.18%0.47%
Mixed race or Multiracial 1,5691,1411,6271.52%1.08%1.58%
Hispanic or Latino 64,96574,04173,54862.89%70.15%71.56%
Total103,298105,549102,773100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Norwalk had a population of 102,773. The population density was. The racial makeup of Norwalk was 20.1% White, 4.1% African American, 2.4% Native American, 13.7% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 38.3% from other races, and 21.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 71.6% of the population.
The census reported that 98.8% of the population lived in households, 0.7% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized.
There were 27,835 households, out of which 42.6% included children under the age of 18, 52.7% were married-couple households, 6.8% were cohabiting couple households, 25.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.8% had a male householder with no partner present. 13.1% of households were one person, and 6.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.65. There were 22,894 families.
The age distribution was 22.0% under the age of 18, 10.4% aged 18 to 24, 28.6% aged 25 to 44, 25.2% aged 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 36.6years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males.
There were 28,455 housing units at an average density of, of which 27,835 were occupied. Of these, 64.6% were owner-occupied, and 35.4% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $98,709, and the per capita income was $31,989. About 7.3% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Norwalk had a population of 105,549. The population density was. The racial makeup of Norwalk was 52,089 White, 4,593 African American, 1,213 Native American, 12,700 Asian, 431 Pacific Islander, 29,954 from other races, and 4,569 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 74,041 persons
The Census reported that 103,934 people lived in households, 315 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,300 were institutionalized.
There were 27,130 households, out of which 13,678 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15,190 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 5,045 had a female householder with no husband present, 2,348 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,712 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 178 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,417 households were made up of individuals, and 1,631 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.83. There were 22,583 families ; the average family size was 4.10.
The population was spread out, with 29,164 people under the age of 18, 12,026 people aged 18 to 24, 30,138 people aged 25 to 44, 23,790 people aged 45 to 64, and 10,431 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
There were 28,083 housing units at an average density of, of which 17,671 were owner-occupied, and 9,459 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 70,180 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 33,754 people lived in rental housing units.
During 2009–2013, Norwalk had a median household income of $60,770, with 12.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Mapping L.A.

Mapping L.A. reported that in 2000, Mexican and Filipino were the most common ancestries. Mexico and the Philippines were the most common foreign places of birth.

Government

City government

Norwalk operates under a Council/Manager form of government, established by the Charter of the City of Norwalk which was drafted in 1957. The five-member City Council acts as the city's chief policy-making body. Every two years, Council members are elected by the citizens of Norwalk to serve four-year, overlapping terms. Council members are not limited to the number of terms they may serve. The Mayor is selected by the council and serves a one-year term.

Public safety

Norwalk is a contract city, in which the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department provides police services. It maintains its own station, which also provides police services to La Mirada and unincorporated South Whittier. At one time the station also provided contracted police services to Santa Fe Springs, but those services ended when the city entered into a contract with the Whittier Police Department. The station is staffed with 206 sworn personnel.
Fire protection in Norwalk is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department with ambulance transport by Care Ambulance Service.

County, state, and federal representation

In the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Norwalk is in the Fourth District, represented by Janice Hahn.
In the California State Senate, Norwalk is in. In the California State Assembly, it is in.
In the United States House of Representatives, Norwalk is in.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Whittier Health Center in Whittier, serving Norwalk.
The United States Postal Service operates the Norwalk Post Office at 14011 Clarkdale Avenue and the Paddison Square Post Office at 12415 Norwalk Boulevard.

Superior Court

The Southeast District of the Los Angeles County Superior Court is located in Norwalk.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Freeways

Three freeways travel through the city. The Santa Ana Freeway and San Gabriel River Freeway pass through and intersect just above its northern edge, while the Century Freeway (I-105) ends in Norwalk at Studebaker Road.

Norwalk Transit

Norwalk Transit serves Norwalk and its adjacent communities. Six bus lines operate in Norwalk and adjacent cities, including Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, La Mirada and Whittier. Norwalk Transit Buses make connections with Los Angeles Metro Rail C Line from Route 2 and Metrolink from Route 7

Long Beach Transit

Long Beach Transit provides service to the Metro C Line Station via Studebaker Road from Long Beach.

Los Angeles Metro

The Los Angeles MTA provides both bus and rail service from Norwalk. The Metro C Line light rail provides service from the C Line station to LAX and Redondo Beach. Metro bus routes provide service to the west on Florence Avenue, Firestone Boulevard, Imperial Highway, and Rosecrans Avenue from the Norwalk C Line Station. Express routes also connect to Disneyland, El Monte Bus Station, Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles.

Metrolink

The Metrolink Orange County Line and 91/Perris Valley Line trains connect Norwalk with Orange County, Riverside County, and Downtown Los Angeles.

Healthcare

Metropolitan State Hospital

The Metropolitan State Hospital, a psychiatric and mental health facility operated by the California Department of State Hospitals, is located in Norwalk. It has four different types of categories for patient intake. The four categories being; incompetent to stand trial, offender with a mental health disorder, not guilty by reason of insanity, and conservatorship lanterman-petris-short Act.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of Employees
1Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District2,057
2Cerritos College1,570
3Los Angeles County Registrar/Recorder1,564
4Metropolitan State Hospital1,466
5Target442
6City of Norwalk409
7Costco317
8Doty Brother's Construction300
9Coast Plaza Hospital295
10Los Angeles Community Hospital250
11Little Lake School District242
12Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department240
13Walmart238
14Kerber Brothers Inc200
15Southland Care Center180
16Double Tree Hotel169
17McDonald's168
18Keystone Collision Center150
19Prudential California Realty150
20US Post Office130

Education

Although Norwalk is credited with being the home to Cerritos College, only the east half of the campus is actually in Norwalk, the west half is in Cerritos. Founded in 1955, Cerritos College is a public community college serving an area of of southeastern Los Angeles county. The college offers degrees and certificates in 87 areas of study in nine divisions. Over 1,200 students complete their course of studies each year.Most of Norwalk is served by the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District,
headquartered at 12820 Pioneer Boulevard in Norwalk. NLMUSD also contains The California distinguished school J.B. Morrison Elementary Magnet School in Norwalk.
Certain areas of Norwalk are served by the Little Lake City School District, headquartered in Santa Fe Springs, and the Whittier Union High School District. Another section is within the ABC Unified School District, based in Cerritos.
Among the several parochial schools in Norwalk are Saint John of God School, Pioneer Baptist School, and Saint Linus School.

Media

The independent TV station KHJ-TV/KCAL-TV channel 9 was licensed to Norwalk for a year in 1989 during an ownership transfer as part of a settlement with the FCC by former owner RKO General; the one-year change in city of license was barely noted on-air, and the station never had any actual assets based in Norwalk. Los Cerritos Community News serves the city.

Notable people

Neighborhoods

  • Carmenita
  • Civic Center
  • Norwalk Hills
  • South Norwalk
  • Studebaker
  • Norwalk Manor