Search Apartment Rentals

Torrance

History of Torrance

Torrance was originally settled by Tongva Native Americans. In 1784 it became the Spanish land grant Rancho San Pedro. The United States took over in 1848.

In the early 1900s, Jared Sidney Torrance with his partners developed the area as a mixed industrial residential community. The city was laid out by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. the son of the designer of New York’s Central Park. The town was officially founded in October 1912 and incorporated in 1921. The original part of the city is referred to as Old Town Torrance which is currently being reviewed as a potential historic district.

Rapid growth in Torrance began after World War II with aerospace manufacturing and related high technology industries. Large housing developments were built in the 1950s and 1960s for the new arrivals.

A major oil-producing region, Torrance once had thousands of oil wells. The oil has since been depleted but oil refineries remain and are the major distinguishing characteristic of the city as seen from the San Diego Freeway.

Torrance is home to the U.S. headquarters of two Japanese automakers, Toyota and Honda two of the biggest employers in the city.

Description of Torrance

Torrance is located in the South Bay region Los Angeles County. Its boundaries are Redondo Beach Boulevard and the cities of Lawndale and Gardena to the north; Western Avenue and the Harbor Gateway section of Los Angeles to the east; the Palos Verdes Hills to the south; and the Pacific Ocean and city of Redondo Beach to the west. The city is 21 square miles.

Residents of Torrance

There are 140,000 people in Torrance, 52% White, 29% Asian, 13% Latino and 2% Black. The median household income is $77,000. 37% of the residents have a four year degree. The median age is 39.

Rentals in Torrance

There is no rent control in Torrance. The median rent is $1278.  Rentals in Torrance can range dramatically in price depending on the amenities and the size of the home as well as the owner.  With no rent control, Torrance rental prices can easily be raised or lowered based on owner desire.

Fun Things to do Torrance

Torrance has a mile and a half of South Bay Shoreline, but the beach is not as popular tourist destination as other communities around Santa Monica Bay.

Torrance is where the American Youth Soccer Organization was founded. The sport is popular in the city’s 30 parks.

The Madrona Marsh is a rare urban wetland. It is a nature preserve for birds, wildlife, and native plants with an educational nature center on site.

The Del Amo Fashion Center, at 2.5 million square feet is one of the largest malls in the United States filled with stores and restaurants.