History

The City of Torrance developed in the early 1900s as a planned garden-industrial community. The plan by Frederick Law Olmstead Jr., with Irving Gill as Chief Architect, provided a balance between industrial, commercial, and residential uses. The city incorporated in May 1921, one year after the death of its founder and namesake, Jared Sydney Torrance, with a land area of 3.8 square miles and a population of 1,800. Rapid growth occurred during the 1950s and 1960s and the majority of the housing stock was built during those two decades. The city is now largely built-out and has had a relatively stable population for the last two decades.

Date Founded: October 24, 1912
Date of Incorporation: May 21, 1921
Date Charter Adopted: January 7, 1947

Current Population Estimate: 136,700
(source: State Department of Finance - January 1, 1994)

Land Area

20.49 square miles