History of Hawthorne City

Hawthorne began its development in 1905 when it was founded by B.L. Harding and H.D. Lombard who purchased the land and built the Hawthorne Improvement Company. The name Hawthorne was chosen by Ms. Laurine Woolwine, the daughter of Harding. The company stood on an 80-acre plan and records from January 3rd, 1906 detail the first land sale.

The town was advertised by Hawthorne as "The town between the city and the sea." The company named many streets in Hawthorne and some of the names are used to this present day. On the western border, from north to south of the city a very wide street became Hawthorne Boulevard. Today that street is still the widest street in South of California. This city has a strip for parking which is very famous and is known as the world's longest parking lot. The parking lot extends three miles southward from Imperial Boulevard and past Rosecrans Avenue.

The company later induced people to go to Hawthorne by setting up many factories which offered employment to residents. They publicized the place as "The city that has more jobs than there are people." Through this means, the city grew up to the present day.

As the population grew, the first school named Wiseburn was set up. Since then improvement has taken place and the city has grown greatly.

Industrial and commercial development in Hawthorne began at a constant pace after the arrival of the Northrop Aircraft (today called the Northrop Grumman Corporation) in 1939. Hawthorne enjoyed a prosperity growth of jobs and in the real estate business after the breakthrough of a dozen firms that followed with the expansion of the aviation/aerospace industry. Hawthorne, once known as a small rural community, has grown to be a well-rounded city. Offering many job opportunities and better living standards has encouraged many people to locate to Hawthorne, California.