Gardena is a city located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 61,027 at the 2020 census, up from 58,829 at the 2010 census. Until 2014, the U.S. census cited the City of Gardena as the place with the highest percentage of Japanese Americans in California. Gardena's Japanese American population contributes to the South Bay region of Los Angeles being home to the highest density of Japanese companies within the mainland United States.
History
thumb|left|Don [[Manuel Dominguez|Manuel Domínguez, a signer of the Californian Constitution and owner of Rancho San Pedro, which included all of modern-day Gardena]]
Based on archaeological findings, the Tongva people hunted and fished in the area of today's Gardena. The Tongva Indians – also known as Gabrielino Indians – are probably descendants of those who crossed from Asia to North America around 10,000 years ago.
Japanese Americans settled in Gardena throughout its history. The only way Gardena could protect itself from a heavy county tax imposed on a planned project at a park site was to incorporate. As this Los Angeles suburb grew, many Japanese American families moved into the new tract homes being built.
Geography
thumb|Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve is a remnant of [[Dominguez Slough]]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , over 99% of which is land. A wetland preserve, the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, is located at the southeast corner of Gardena. This is a naturally occurring marshland where water seeps above-ground all year round. It hosts several species of trees and other vegetation.
Gardena is bordered by the unincorporated community of Athens on the north, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Harbor Gateway on the east and south, Torrance on the southwest, Alondra Park on the west, and Hawthorne on the northwest.
Neighborhoods in Gardena include:
- Hermosillo
- Moneta
- Strawberry Park