Lawndale, California routes were developed between 1822 and 1846, Antonio Ignacio Avila was granted land in three separate parcels in an area called Rancho Sausal-Redondo. The area in question was originally regarded to encompass 40,000 acres; but when a United States Land Commission confirmed title, the area was reduced to 22,000 acres.

Rancho Sausal-Redondo covered the present communities of Lawndale, Inglewood, Lawndale, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Hermosa Beach; and was initially an unfenced grazing pasture for cattle. The land was fertile, but extensive agricultural development had to await the coming of later settlers.

Early incursions by the English based on the voyage of Sir Francis Drake and the Settlement of Alta California by the Spanish preceded the final acquisition of most of the Southwest by the United States. This expansion to include all of California occurred with the treaty of Gaudalupe Hidalgo in 1848.

Following the real estate boom in the Inglewood area, similar development began in the southern portion of the old Rancho, where the present City of Lawndale is located. This activity was the direct result of the opening of a seaport at Redondo in 1890, and the railroad service developing between Port Redondo and Los Angeles. Steam trains were soon replaced by electric trolley cars. Boundaries officially appeared on maps. In a few years the name became permanent. Three developers expressed the opinion that ocean should be the western boundary for then emerging Lawndale.

The year 1902 marked the Los Angeles and Redondo railways arrival in Lawndale along what is now Hawthorn Boulevard; the line extended south from Inglewood along what was then called Railroad Avenue. "The big red Cars" were an Olive green when they first served Lawndale. The color change in 1911 when the parent company, Pacific Electric, absorbed the Los Angeles and Redondo.

The early reliance on the Pacific Electric both stimulate growth throughout Southern California and was the result of H.E. Huntington's master real estate plan. Huntington and his partners also acquired and transported inexpensive water into the area to fully support the growing population and continued backyard poultry farming. The die was cast for the Community that was to become Lawndale with the water and trail transit that stimulated growth in the Centinela Valley. In 1910 a second subdivision called "Lawndale Acres" appeared on real estate maps, and the merging of the two subdivision covered that portion of the present city between Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue. The remainder of the City's southern area filled in between 1922 and 1924.


The Lawndale community fair originated in 1914, and eventually moved to Pomona to become the Los Angeles County Fair. As an unincorporated area, Lawndale still possessed community identification and a cohesiveness that foretold the future establishments for the City of Lawndale.

Oil discoveries in the 1920's created major commercial activity and temporarily changed the face of the community. The boom lasted from 1927 to 1929, and the influx of the oil workers and typical boom real estate speculation rapidly declined as the drilling subsided. For that three-year period, Lawndale was easily recognizable by the landscape of oil derrick construction. Lawndale settled into the 1930's with three schools in the community, and weathered, as did all America, the Great Depression.

The population of Lawndale did not increase as rapidly during the war years of 1941 through 1945 as did adjoining communities. The major influx of people occurred in the decade following the conclusion of World War II, as Lawndale slowly lost it's rural atmosphere. Post war veteran housing and the construction of the Harbor Freeway caused major growth. The advent of the personal automobile assisted in the gradual dismantling of the Pacific Electric and all rail transportation in the area. Lawndale's residential community transformation from a rural community highlighted a rapid increase of daily auto traffic through the community.
Civic Association and Community Identification

Although major growth occurred after the conclusion of World War II; the Civic Association , which was responsible for many community improvements, was originally established in February of 1939. This is considered to be one of major steps in the consolidation of this community. Further evidence of civic identification was both the establishment of a weekly newspaper in 1941, the Lawndale Tribune, and the formation of the Lawndale Symphony, which performed for a number of years.

The Civic Association functioned much as a Municipal Advisor Committee does in the present county structure, as a group to develop municipal services. With the increasing population, the Civic Association's tasks multiplied, and on April 6, 1945 August Reiss formed the Businessman's Group within the Association for the purpose of advertising the residential, commercial and industrial advantages of Lawndale. Also created to formulate zoning policies for the area, was a Special Zoning Committee of eight longtime residents and local business proprietors.
Lawndale was still struggling with having a rural setting amidst the rapid commercial growth and urbanization of the Centinela Valley. Agriculture gradually declined until zoning restriction official abolished it in January of 1958. Although Lawndale still remained an unincorporated area, the Legal Notices of this period did in fact refer to the "City of Lawndale". Incorporation was a continued topic of discussion among the various civic leaders. Formation of a city met with less than popular support at first, because a new level of government was not viewed as necessary. Fears of additional taxes motivated many of the residents on this particular issue.
Community leadership remained in the hands of the Civic Association; and on March 3, 1948, the Businessman's Corp. incorporated as the Lawndale Chamber of Commerce. The original Chamber group consisted of eleven charter members. The Chamber, from it's earliest years, has been a mainstay in community affairs at all levels.

In the decade between the incorporation of the Chamber of Commerce and the creation of the City of Lawndale, the major advocate for the needs of the general community was the Chamber. When the County government requested what services were required by the citizenry, or approaches to capital improvements, this organized voice assisted in focusing input from all concerned individuals. A few highlights of this decade include the final solution to flood control and street improvements, improved county services, such as library service and a local fire station, and major construction to promote the identify of Lawndale.

The construction culminated in the Dedication of the Lawndale Civic Center, which included a health clinic for this general area, on March 23, 1957. With the Civic Center area now dedicated, the desire for city hood accelerated into the key year of 1959. The debt to the Chamber of Commerce for their efforts in resisting the several annexation attempts must be fully realized. Cityhood was the crowning event in the years of community organizing ant the selfless work of many individual who bore a pride in Lawndale. The major cause of these annexation attempts was the desire of adjoining communities to increase their tax base. It can be said that all the efforts to identify Lawndale made it an attractive acquisition.

The incorporation of Lawndale marked the end of a year and a half struggle with neighboring communities as to acquisition of the businesses along Hawthorne Boulevard, or the need to round out their boundaries. The concern of one neighboring council man went so far as to champion legislation aimed at preventing this and other incorporation's as fiscally unsound. Although this threat went as far as Sacramento, the question was finally resolved when the electorate voted three to one to form the City of Lawndale as a general law city following the Lakewood Plan. This plan provides contracting essential through established county agencies when economically sound.

Today Lawndale still utilizes County Fire, Sheriff, and Library services for the community and has maintained their independence in other areas of control. The Charter promise of 1959 of no City taxes has never been altered due to this continuing process of responsible financial policy.