El Segundo, one of the beach cities of Los Angeles County, is centrally located within a couple of miles of the LAX Airport, making it easily accessible from West Los Angeles and surrounding South Bay communities.
Would you believe that this city, which is now known as a major aeronautical and industrial business center, and more than 16,000 people, was once a "round clump of willows"?
Naturally, the addition of the Los Angeles International Airport, which officially opened in 1930, had a major role in turning El Segundo into a aerospace center. The likes of Douglas Aircraft, Hughes Aircraft, Northrop and North American Aviation (Rockwell) all located in El Segundo during the 1940s and 1950s. Most of these aircraft-related companies would eventually transition into the aerospace/defense industry. In 1960, the creation of The Aerospace Corporation and Los Angeles Air Force Base gave El Segundo the esteemed title of "The Aerospace Capital of the World."
Today, the city encompasses over five square miles, spanning from the Los Angeles International Airport on the north, to the Chevron Refinery on the south, to the Pacific Ocean on the west and Aviation Boulevard on the east. The city's population has leveled off at approximately 16,500 residents, which has enabled the community to preserve the small town intimacy and charm.
