El Segundo, California | |
|---|---|
 El Segundo's welcome signage | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: The Aerospace Capital of the World | |
 Location ofLos Angeles County inCalifornia (left) and of El Segundo in Los Angeles County (right) | |
  El Segundo, California Location of El Segundo in theUnited States | |
| Coordinates:33°55′17″N118°24′22″W / 33.92139°N 118.40611°W /33.92139; -118.40611 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Los Angeles |
| Incorporated | January 18, 1917[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council Manager |
| • Mayor | Chris Pimentel |
| • Mayor Pro Tem | Ryan Baldino |
| • City council[2] | Drew Boyles Lance Giroux Michelle Keldorf |
| • City Clerk | Susan Truax[2] |
| • City Treasurer | Matthew Robinson[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.76 sq mi (27.87 km2) |
| • Land | 5.46 sq mi (14.15 km2) |
| • Water | 5.30 sq mi (13.72 km2) |
| Elevation | 115 ft (35 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 17,272 |
| • Density | 3,161.6/sq mi (1,220.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code | 90245[6] |
| Area codes | 310/424 |
| FIPS code | 06-22412 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1660605,2410417 |
| Website | www |
El Segundo (/ˌɛlsəˈɡʌndoʊ/EL sə-GUN-doh,Spanish:[elseˈɣundo];Spanish for 'The Second')[7] is a city inLos Angeles County, California, United States. Located onSanta Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is part of theSouth Bay Cities Council of Governments. The population was 17,272 as of the2020 census, a 3.7% increase from 16,654 in the2010 census. A significant center of the oil and aerospace industries in Southern California, roughly three quarters of the city's land is dedicated exclusively to industrial and commercial uses, including a Chevron oil refinery which takes up more than a quarter of the city.
The El Segundo andLos Angeles coastal area was first settled by theTongva (or Gabrieleños)Native American tribes. The area was once a part ofRancho Sausal Redondo ("Round Willow Patch Ranch"). Rancho Sausal Redondo extended fromPlaya Del Rey in the north to Redondo Beach in the south. Originally a Mexican land grant owned by Antonio Ygnacio Avila, the rancho was later purchased by a Scottishbaronet named Sir Robert Burnett in 1860. After his return to Scotland in 1873, the property was purchased by then-manager of the rancho,Daniel Freeman. Daniel Freeman sold portions of the rancho to several persons.George H. Peck owned the 840 acres (340 ha) of land where theChevron Refinery now sits. The city acquired its name ("the second" in Spanish) due to being the second Standard Oil refinery on the West Coast when Standard Oil of California purchased the 840 acres of land in 1911.[8] Peck also developed land in neighboringEl Porto, where a street still bears his name.
The city was incorporated in 1917. The Standard Oil Company was renamedChevron in 1984. The El Segundo refinery entered its second century of operation in 2011.[9]
TheDouglas Aircraft Company plant in El Segundo was one of the major aircraft manufacturing facilities in California duringWorld War II. It was one of the major producers ofSBD Dauntless dive bombers, which achieved fame in theBattle of Midway. The facility, now operated byNorthrop Grumman, is still an aircraft plant.[10][11]
![SBD Dauntless dive bombers being built by Douglas Aircraft Factory in El Segundo during World War II[12]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aDouglas_Aircraft_Factory_-_El_Segundo.PNG)
In 2009, a pair of local artists discovered the Smoky Hollow area, which mainly consisted of commercial properties. Other artists started to migrate as they had been priced out of Venice Beach and Culver City. Not long after the Tech Industry discovered Smoky Hollow.[13][14][15][16][17][18]
On the evening of 2 October 2025an explosion occurred and a fire erupted at the Chevron refinery, which produces 276,000 barrels of crude oil daily.[19]
The northern and southern boundaries of the town areLos Angeles International Airport andManhattan Beach, with thePacific Ocean as the western boundary. Its eastern boundary is roughly marked byAviation Blvd.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a land area of 5.5 square miles (14 km2).
The beachfront area neighboring the refinery was once dominated by industrial wharves servicing oil tanker ships, and heavily polluted by sewage and stormwater runoff. The major expansion of the Hyperion wastewater treatment plant in the 1980s was the impetus for rehabilitation of the beach. The old piers were demolished, an underwater oil terminal was constructed a few miles offshore, and an enormous amount of dredged sand was used to restore and dramatically enlarge the once narrow and polluted beach. TheMarvin Braude Bike Trail runs along this new artificial beach, as the refinery wharves were one of the last remaining industrial facilities directly obstructing the shoreline of the Santa Monica Bay.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 1,563 | — | |
| 1930 | 3,503 | 124.1% | |
| 1940 | 3,738 | 6.7% | |
| 1950 | 8,011 | 114.3% | |
| 1960 | 14,219 | 77.5% | |
| 1970 | 15,620 | 9.9% | |
| 1980 | 13,752 | −12.0% | |
| 1990 | 15,223 | 10.7% | |
| 2000 | 16,033 | 5.3% | |
| 2010 | 16,654 | 3.9% | |
| 2020 | 17,272 | 3.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[20] 1860–1870[21][22] 1880-1890[23] 1900[24] 1910[25] 1920[26] 1930[27] 1940[28] 1950[29] 1960[30][31] 1970[32] 1980[33] 1990[34]2000[35] 2010[36] 2020[37] | |||
El Segundo first appeared as a city in the1920 U.S. census[26] as part of the now defunct Redondo Township (pop. 5,016 in 1910).[25]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[38] | Pop 2010[39] | Pop 2020[37] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 12,356 | 11,515 | 10,626 | 77.07% | 69.14% | 61.58% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 181 | 321 | 394 | 1.13% | 1.93% | 2.28% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 52 | 40 | 45 | 0.32% | 0.24% | 0.26% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1,005 | 1,427 | 1,804 | 6.27% | 8.57% | 10.44% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 47 | 30 | 61 | 0.29% | 0.18% | 0.35% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 87 | 56 | 88 | 0.54% | 0.34% | 0.51% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 540 | 656 | 1,268 | 3.37% | 3.94% | 7.34% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,765 | 2,609 | 2,976 | 11.01% | 15.67% | 17.23% |
| Total | 16,033 | 16,654 | 17,272 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The2020 United States census reported that El Segundo had a population of 17,272. The population density was 3,161.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,220.7/km2). The racial makeup of El Segundo was 65.9%White, 2.4%African American, 0.6%Native American, 10.6%Asian, 0.4%Pacific Islander, 4.9% fromother races, and 15.1% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.2% of the population.[40]
The census reported that 99.7% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.1% were institutionalized.[40]
There were 7,175 households, out of which 30.7% included children under the age of 18, 45.2% were married-couple households, 7.0% werecohabiting couple households, 26.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 21.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 29.5% of households were one person, and 9.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.4.[40] There were 4,351families (60.6% of all households).[41]
The age distribution was 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% aged 18 to 24, 30.7% aged 25 to 44, 28.2% aged 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males.[40]
There were 7,500 housing units at an average density of 1,372.9 units per square mile (530.1 units/km2), of which 7,175 (95.7%) were occupied. Of these, 42.5% were owner-occupied, and 57.5% were occupied by renters.[40]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $149,149, and theper capita income was $80,399. About 2.8% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line.[42]
The2010 United States census[43] reported that El Segundo had a population of 16,654. The population density was 3,047.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,176.8/km2). The racial makeup of El Segundo was 12,997 (78.0%) White (69.1% non-Hispanic White),[44] 337 (2.0%) African American, 68 (0.4%) Native American, 1,458 (8.8%) Asian, 38 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 799 (4.8%) fromother races, and 957 (5.7%) from two or more races. There were 2,609 people of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race (15.7%).
The Census reported that 16,578 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 66 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 10 (0.1%) were institutionalized.
Of the 7,085 households, 2,183 (30.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,050 (43.0%) were married couples living together, 729 (10.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 326 (4.6%) had a male householder with no wife present; and 369 (5.2%) wereunmarried opposite-sex partnerships. About 31.8% were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34. The city had 4,105families (57.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.02.
22.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.7% was 18 to 24, 31.1% was 25 to 44, 29.8% was 45 to 64, and 10.1%o was 65 or older. The median age was 39.2. For every 100 females, there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.
The 7,410 housing units had an average density of 1,356.1 units per square mile (523.6 units/km2), of which 3,034 (42.8%) were owner-occupied and 4,051 (57.2%) occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.1%. About 49.1% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 50.4% in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States census, El Segundo had a median household income of $84,341, with 4.8% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[45]
The name was adopted in 1911 whenChevron built its second refinery, El Segundo, which is Spanish for "the Second".[46] This refinery has received crude oil from the Amazon region of South America – more than 5,000 barrels per day.[47] El Segundo is located next to theHyperion sewage treatment plant[48] and the El Segundopower plant. The El Segundo power plant is operated by the American energy companyNRG. NRG was to create a newcombined cycle power island, providing power for 240,000 households. The power plant, which came online in 2013, uses two generators: a Siemensgas turbine[49][50] and an additional steam turbine. Prior to its dissolution,Unocal was headquartered in El Segundo.[51][52]
In 1928, William Mines, an immigrant from Canada, leased land for a flying field.[53] In 1930, Los Angeles Municipal Airport, laterLos Angeles International Airport, opened north of El Segundo; its presence led to the concentration of aerospace and aviation-related firms in the El Segundo area.[46] Many largeaerospace companies have facilities in El Segundo, including the four largest aerospace companies in the US:Boeing,RTX Corporation,[54]Lockheed Martin andNorthrop Grumman; many smaller aerospace companies such asWyle Laboratories,the Aerospace Corporation, andAerojet Rocketdyne Holdings all have facilities in El Segundo as well, withAerojet Rocketdyne Holdings being headquartered there. It is also home to theLos Angeles Air Force Base and theSpace and Missile Systems Center, which is responsible for space-related acquisition for the military.The current Boeing factory, theBoeing Satellite Development Center, was originally built byNash Motors in 1946 and opened in 1948. In 1955,Hughes Aircraft Company purchased the 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) building; it was converted to build missiles and also served as a test facility.[55] At one time,MGM Grand Air had its headquarters in El Segundo.[56]
Toy manufacturerMattel,[57] AT&T Entertainment Hub (formerlyDirecTV[58]) direct technology marketing companyPCM, Inc., andA-Mark Precious Metals are headquartered there, as well as sporting goods retailerBig 5 Sporting Goods andStamps.com. Database companyTeradata has aresearch and development facility in El Segundo, as well. The North American headquarters of the Japanese video game companySquare Enix are also in the city.
From 1982 until 1996, the headquarters of theLos Angeles Raiders of theNational Football League was located in El Segundo.[59] The headquarters of theLos Angeles Kings of theNational Hockey League is also located in El Segundo. In 2024, theLos Angeles Chargers moved their headquarters to El Segundo fromCosta Mesa.[60] TheLos Angeles Lakers office headquarters and practice facility, theUCLA Health Training Center are also located in El Segundo. TheirNBA G-League affiliate theSouth Bay Lakers plays their games there. TheLos Angeles Sparks are planning to build a new training facility in El Segundo.[61]
Film production companies are located in El Segundo, includingRhythm and Hues Studios andLightstorm Entertainment.[62][63] Human resources software companyNeogov was founded in El Segundo in 2012.[64]
TheLos Angeles Times moved its newsroom from downtown Los Angeles to a 4.5-acre (18,000 m2) campus in El Segundo in 2018.[65]
According to the city's 2020–21 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[66] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boeing | 12,005 |
| 2 | Raytheon Technologies | 6,000 |
| 3 | Northrop Grumman | 2,422 |
| 4 | The Aerospace Corporation | 2,180 |
| 5 | Mattel | 1,545 |
| 6 | Chevron | 1,187 |
| 7 | Internet Brands | 661 |
| 8 | Infineon Technologies | 498 |
| 9 | Karl Storz Endoscopy America Inc. | 421 |
| 10 | Big 5 Sporting Goods | 290 |
Nexon America, the North American branch of Korean online game publisherNexon Co. Ltd. has its offices in El Segundo.
The North American branch of the Japanese video game publisher and developerSquare Enix has its headquarters in El Segundo.[67]
Due to its proximity to Los Angeles International Airport, El Segundo became the host of several offices of airlines. In 1979, theUnited Airlines Reservation Center, a two-story, $4.5 million, 55,000-square-foot (5,100 m2) facility in the International Center, was scheduled to begin construction. Austin Co., a firm inIrvine, was to build the facility, which was scheduled for opening in May of that year.[68]Japan Airlines operates its United States headquarters, which was moved fromNew York City to El Segundo in around 2003.[69] at Suite 620 of 300 Continental Boulevard;[70]Cathay Pacific has an office in El Segundo.[71][72][73] The airline moved its North America headquarters to Greater Los Angeles in 1990,[74] and the headquarters were situated in El Segundo until 2005.[75][76]
Air China operates its North American headquarters in the 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) 2131 East Maple Avenue building, south ofLAX, in El Segundo. Its current North American headquarters opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony and other festivities on Friday March 26, 2010. The call center reservations, marketing, and sales employees all moved into the building. The building includes a call center with space for 50 employees; when the building opened, half of the spaces had been filled.[77]
Air New Zealand operates its United States headquarters in El Segundo.[78][79][80] Other airlines with offices in El Segundo include Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways,Air Tahiti Nui,[81]Aeroméxico,[82]China Airlines[83]Emirates,[84]EVA Air,[85] andSingapore Airlines.[86]
Infineon Technologies acquired El Segundo-based companyInternational Rectifier in 2015.[87]
El Segundo has its own beach, as well as two public pools; both are outdoor pools, one of which is open only during the summer months.[66] The El Segundo Parks and Recreation staff are the basis for the hitNBC programParks and Recreation.[88] El Segundo has two full-sized turf fields namedCampus El Segundo Athletic Fields, which are open to the public.[89]
In 2023, El Segundo Little League won the world championship of theLittle League World Series, defeating the team fromWillemstad, Curaçao in the championship. Louis Lappe hit a walk-off home run to win the game, 6–5. It was the first championship for a team from California since2011.
EL Segundo is home toOld Town Music Hall, a501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to concerts, films from Hollywood’sGolden Age, andsilent films, accompanied by a MightyWurlitzer organ.[90]
According to the city's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, its various funds had $99.0 million in revenues, $91.0 million in expenditures, $206.5 million in total assets, $33.6 million in total liabilities, and $50.4 million in cash and investments.[66]
In theLos Angeles County Board of Supervisors, El Segundo is in the Second District, represented byHolly Mitchell.[91]
In theCalifornia State Legislature, El Segundo is inthe 24th senatorial district, represented byDemocrat Ben Allen, and inthe 66th Assembly district, represented byDemocrat Al Muratsuchi.[92]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, El Segundo is inCalifornia's 36th congressional district, represented byDemocrat Ted Lieu.[93]
TheEl Segundo Unified School District serves the residential district of El Segundo, west of Pacific Coast Highway. It operatesEl Segundo High School.
Eastern El Segundo is part of the tax base for theWiseburn Unified School District, and formerly for theCentinela Valley Union High School District (CVUHSD). There are no residential areas in the eastern part of the city.[94] This portion of the city includes corporate operations providing significant tax revenue to the district (formerly districts).[95]
Vistamar School is a private school in El Segundo.
Originally all of the city was located in the Wiseburn School District,[96] which opened in 1896.[97] When theInglewood Union High School District, now known as the CVUHSD, opened in 1905, its territory included the Wiseburn district. In 1912 the El Segundo School District opened, taking territory from the Wiseburn School District. The territory of the El Segundo district continued to be in the Inglewood Union District. On November 22, 1925, the El Segundo High School District was formed and El Segundo withdrew from the Inglewood Union district.[96]
TheLos Angeles Times has been headquartered in El Segundo since 2018.[98] The localCharter Spectrum news and sports channels,Spectrum News 1,Spectrum SportsNet, andSportsNet LA are based out of El Segundo.
TheEl Segundo Herald is the community newspaper for El Segundo. It was established in 1911, six years before the city was incorporated. It had its centennial anniversary of service to the community in 2011.
A monthly arts and culture publication,The El Segundo Scene, began printing in May 2018. Created and run by two El Segundo residents, the magazine serves El Segundo and its neighbors in the South Bay.
State Route 1 passes through the city asPacific Coast Highway, whileInterstate 105 begins its journey at Sepulveda Boulevard (the continuation ofState Route 1 north of El Segundo city limits) just outside the northern city limits of El Segundo and heads east toNorwalk. TheLos Angeles Metro K Line runs through the Eastern industrial and office district before meeting theC Line near Interstate 105 andAviation Boulevard and continuing along north for the rest of its length.
Amtrak's El Segundo Bus Stop (ESG) is located at theLos Angeles Metro Rail'sDouglas station and is serviced byAmtrak Thruway. The stop is on Amtrak's 1c bus route that runs four times a day between Amtrak's Torrance Bus Stop (Alpine Village) and theBakersfield Amtrak station where passengers transfer to and from trains onGold Runner services; passengers can also connect withPacific Surfliner at theVan Nuys Amtrak station.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is located immediately to the north of El Segundo. In 2014, anair quality study found harmfulultrafine particles from the takeoffs and landings at LAX to be of a much greater magnitude than previously thought.[99]
'El Segundo,' Spanish for 'the second' to signify the second oil refinery in the state.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Unocal Corporation. December 27, 1996. Retrieved on July 7, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).Unocal Corporation. January 29, 2005. Retrieved on July 7, 2009.Los Angeles 300 Continental Boulevard, Suite 500, El Segundo, CA 90245
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., 300 N. Continental Boulevard, Suite 500, El Segundo, CA 90245
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)Los Angeles 300 Continental Boulevard, Suite 500, El Segundo, CA 90245
Places adjacent to El Segundo, California | |
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