Lawndale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 31,807 at the 2020 census, down from 32,769 at the 2010 census. The city is in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles Area.
History
Native Americans of the Tongva tribe lived in the area.
thumb|left|Lawndale was originally part of [[Rancho Sausal Redondo, granted in 1837 to Antonio Ygnacio Ávila, of the prominent Ávila family of California.]]
From the 1780s onward, the area that is now Lawndale was part of the Rancho Sausal Redondo, a land grant given by the Spanish colonial government that includes much of what is now the South Bayshore region. In 1905, Charles B. Hopper first subdivided the area and named it after the Chicago neighborhood of the same name. Lots sold slowly and different promotions were tried, such as promoting Lawndale as a chicken raising area. The first railway to run through Lawndale was the Inglewood Division of the Redondo Railway which would later become part of the Pacific Electric "Red Car" system. It ran down the middle of Railway Avenue (now Hawthorne Boulevard) until 1933. In 1927, the Santa Fe railroad arrived. After World War II, the immense demand for housing from returning veterans and California newcomers resulted in Lawndale's formation as a bedroom community. On December 28, 1959, it was incorporated as a city.
Starting in the 1970s, Lawndale's relatively low housing prices but more desirable location relative to its neighboring cities attracted absentee landlords and a substantial portion of its residents increasingly became renters.
For a time in the 1980s, with a new cycle of expansion of the defense industry nearby, many young people who wished to live in the Beach Cities found that they simply could not afford to do so, and settled in less glamorous inland cities such as Lawndale. But with the contraction of this industry after the Cold War, Lawndale reverted to its previous pattern. It has attempted to attract more owner–residents, as well as tourists, with the 2003 completion of the "Beautify Lawndale" urban renewal project along the city's stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard (State Route 107), a major South Bay thoroughfare.
A large electronic billboard was installed and began running advertising in 2004 until it was realized that the sign violated a city ordinance prohibiting advertising of out-of-town businesses on signs of that nature. For its first 18 months, the sign was sponsored by Fox and promoted upcoming television shows and movies under the Fox label. It later gained and lost a sponsorship with Acura before its current sponsorship for Los Angeles radio station 100.3 – The Sound. The billboard is said to generate Lawndale $200,000 annually. In 2012, the Lawndale community center opened its doors.
Economy
Top employers
According to the city's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
| 1
|Lawndale Elementary School District
|779
|-
| 2
|Centinela Valley Union High School District
|525
|-
| 3
|Target
|78
|-
| 4
|VCA Advanced Veterinary Care Center
|75
|-
| 5
|El Super Grocery Store
|72
|-
| 6
|McDonald's
|70
|-
| 7
|City of Lawndale
|65
|-
| 8
|Options for Life, Inc.
|50
|-
| 9
|Smart & Final
|42
|-
| 10
|American Drilling Co
|40
|}
Media
Lawndale Community Cable Television on Channel 22 is a Public-access television cable TV station. The City of Lawndale's Cable Television Department is funded by the Lawndale Cable Usage Corporation and the City of Lawndale through Local Access Fees and Cable television franchise fee provided by the local cable company, Time Warner Cable. The Lawndale Cable Usage Corporation is the non-profit, California corporation that receives these fees, and provides for the development of Lawndale Community Cable Television.
The Lawndalian a citywide newsletter that informs the residents about programs and events happening in the City of Lawndale. The Lawndalian is now available Online at the city's website.
The Lawndale Tribune is the community paper for the City of Lawndale.
Government
Municipal government
Harold Hofmann served as mayor for 23 years, due to there not being city term limits and running unopposed in most elections.
State and federal representation
In the California State Legislature, Lawndale is in , and in .
In the United States House of Representatives, Lawndale is in California's 43rd congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +26 and is represented by .
Infrastructure
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the Lennox Station in Lennox, serving Lawndale. In addition the agency operates the City of Lawndale
Sheriff's Department Service Center.
The United States Postal Service Lawndale Post Office is located at 4320 Marine Avenue.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Curtis Tucker Health Center in Inglewood, serving Lawndale.
The County of Los Angeles Public Library Lawndale Library is located 14615 Burin Ave.
Education
Lawndale Elementary School District
- Will Rogers Middle School serving 6th, 7th and 8th grades
- Jane Addams Middle School serving 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.
- F.D.R. Elementary School
- William Anderson Elementary School
- William Green Elementary School
- Mark Twain Elementary School
- Billy Mitchell Elementary School
- Lucille J. Smith Elementary School
- The elementary school was nominated for National Blue Ribbon School award for reducing the achievement gap on state standardized test scores. This is one of the highest recognition a school can earn from the federal government. It is the first school in the Lawndale elementary School District to be nominated for the award. In August, 2025, the second Trump administration terminated this award program, and no winners were announced. The elementary school hosted a local celebration anyway.
Centinela Valley Union High School District
- Lawndale High School
- Leuzinger High School
- Hawthorne High School
- Lloyde High School
Environmental Charter High School is a charter school in Lawndale serving grades 9 through 12.
In 2009, the renovated Lawndale Public Library of the County of Los Angeles Public Library, which is located adjacent to the Lawndale City Hall, re-opened.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
The weather is warm all year long. In the winter, there are moderate rains. Because of the formation of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and its proximity to the beach, the city gets effects of the marine layer on almost identical, if not slightly lower, levels of nearby beach cities such as Manhattan Beach and El Segundo.