Wilmington is a neighborhood in the South Bay and Harbor region of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California, covering . Featuring a heavy concentration of industry and the third-largest

oil field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the prese ...

in the continental

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, this neighborhood has a high percentage of Latino and foreign-born residents. Nearly 20 percent of Wilmington’s total land area is taken up by oil refineries — roughly 3.5 times more area than is dedicated to open and accessible green spaces. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilmington had one of the highest death rates in all of Los Angeles County, exacerbated by elevated levels of industrial pollution. It is the site of Banning High School, and ten other primary and secondary schools. Wilmington has six parks. Wilmington was part of a 1784 Spanish land grant. It became a separate city in 1863, and it joined the city of Los Angeles in 1909. Places of interest include the headquarters

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

for

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

and the Drum Barracks built to protect the nascent Los Angeles harbor during the American Civil War.

Geography

Wilmington shares borders with Carson to the north,

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

to the east, San Pedro to the south and west and Harbor City to the northwest.

Demographics

A total of 53,815 people were living within Wilmington's 9.14 square miles, according to the 2010 U.S. census—averaging 5,887 people per square mile, among the lowest population densities in the city as a whole. The median age was 28. The percentages of people from birth through age 34 were among the county's highest. Population was estimated at 54,512 in 2008. Wilmington is not considered very diverse ethnically, with a diversity index of 0.245. In 2000, Latinos made up 86.6% of the population, while non-Hispanic

whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

were at 6.4%,

Asians "Asian people" (sometimes "Asiatic people")United States National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings. 2004. November 17, 200Nlm.nih.gov: ''Asian Continental Ancestry Group'' is also used for categorical purposes. is an umbrella term ...

at 4.8%, blacks at 2.6% and others at 1.7%. Mexico and Guatemala were the most common places of birth for the 44.5% of the residents who were born abroad, considered a high percentage of foreign-born when compared with the city and the county as a whole. The $40,627 median household income in 2008 dollars was average for the city. Renters occupied 61.5% of the housing units, with homeowners occupying the rest. In 2000 there were 1,524 military veterans, or 4.6% of the population, relatively low in comparison to the city and county as a whole. There is a

Mexican-American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

community in Wilmington.

History

The area that is now Wilmington was inhabited by the

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands of California, Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the peop ...

people of Native Americans. Archeological work in the nearby Chowigna excavation show evidence of inhabitants as far back as 7,100 years ago. The

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

expanded into this area when the Viceroy of

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

commissioned

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (; 1497 – January 3, 1543) was a Portuguese maritime explorer best known for investigations of the west coast of North America, undertaken on behalf of the Spanish Empire. He was the first European to explore presen ...

to explore the Pacific Ocean in 1542–1543. In 1784, the

Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

deeded

Rancho San Pedro Rancho San Pedro was one of the first California land grants and the first to win a patent from the United States. The Spanish Crown granted the of land to soldier Juan José Domínguez in 1784, with his descendants validating their legal clai ...

, a tract of over in the area, to retired soldier Juan José Domínguez, for his service with the Portolà expedition into the area over a decade earlier.

Phineas Banning Phineas Banning (August 19, 1830 – March 8, 1885) was an American businessperson, businessman, financier and entrepreneur. Known as "The Father of the Port of Los Angeles," he was one of the founders of the town of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Ca ...

acquired the land that would become Wilmington from

Manuel Dominguez Don Manuel Domínguez e Ybáñez (1803–1882) was a Californio ranchero, politician, and a signer of the California Constitution in 1849. He served as two terms as Alcalde of Los Angeles (mayor). He was one of the largest landowners in South ...

, grand nephew and heir to Juan José Domínguez, in 1858 to build a

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

for the city of Los Angeles. Known as New San Pedro from 1858 to 1863, it was subsequently renamed Wilmington by Banning, a.k.a. “Father of the Harbor”, after his birthplace,

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

. In 1861, at the beginning of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Banning and Benjamin Wilson gave the federal government 60 acres of land to build Drum Barracks to protect the nascent Los Angeles harbor from

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

attack. Wilmington was a township in the 1870 census. The township consisted of the present-day South Bay communities, Compton, western

, parts of Rattlesnake Island and Mormon Island which later evolved into

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as , is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington and San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles ...

. Census records report a population of 942 in 1870. The township had been named San Pedro Township in 1860. Wilson College, precursor to the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, opened in Wilmington in 1874 as the first coeducational college west of the

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. Los Angeles annexed Wilmington in 1909, and today it and neighboring San Pedro form the waterfront of one of the world's largest import/export centers. Citizens of Wilmington were dubious that annexation would be in their best interests, fearing that it would shift economic activity out of their city and towards Los Angeles. Because the city government of Los Angeles so strongly wanted to have the growing port inside the city limits, it made a number of promises to Wilmington and also to the equally-dubious citizens of the-then independent city of San Pedro. Among these promises were that $10 million would be invested in improvements to the port and that as much would be spent inside the city on public works as was collected in taxes. In the 1920s,

William Wrigley Jr. William Mills Wrigley Jr. (September 30, 1861 – January 26, 1932) was an American chewing gum industrialist. He founded the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in 1891. Biography William Mills Wrigley Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvani ...

built innovative housing in Wilmington that was dubbed the “Court of Nations.” WilmingtonOilField

Wilmington is adjacent to the

Wilmington Oil Field The Wilmington Oil Field is a prolific petroleum field in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County in southern California in the United States. Discovered in 1932, it is the third largest oil field in the United States in terms of cumu ...

, discovered in 1932. It is the third largest oil field in the continental United States. Consequently, there are at least 8 major refineries in the Wilmington area, many of them dating back to the original strike. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the

United States Military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

operated the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation in Wilmington, from which soldiers and sailors were sent abroad to battle zones. The LAPE was controlled by the San Francisco Port of Embarkation from its inception in 1942 until late 1943 when it became autonomous. The California Shipbuilding Corporation, known for building

victory ship The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by American shipyards during World War II. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship, were slightly larger and had more powerful steam turbine engin ...

s during the war (although usually associated with

), operated in Wilmington as well.

Points of interest

* Drum Barracks Civil War Museum – U.S. Army headquarters for Southern California and the Arizona territory during the Civil War. ** Camp Drum Powder Magazine * The first Der Wienerschnitzel restaurant (on Pacific Coast Highway, east of

Figueroa Street Figueroa Street is a major north-south street in Los Angeles County, California, spanning from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington north to Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, Eagle Rock. A short, unconnected continuation of ...

). *The

Phillips 66 The Phillips 66 Company is an American Multinational corporation, multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Company, assisted in establishing ...

refinery in Wilmington is also home to the "world's largest

jack-o'-lantern A jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern) is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin, or formerly a root vegetable such as a mangelwurzel, rutabaga or turnip. Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday. Its name comes ...

", which is a 3 million gallon (11.3 million liter) storage tank decorated every year for

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

. Decorated annually since 1952 (back when it was owned by Union Oil), the jack-o'-lantern draws 30,000 visitors annually. * The Banning Museum - Phineas Banning—entrepreneur, the founder of the city of Wilmington, and “the Father of the Port of Los Angeles”—built the 23-room residence in 1864.

Government and infrastructure

The

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Health Services Los Angeles County, officially the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, operates the public hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and is the United States' second largest municip ...

operates the Torrance Health Center in Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles, near Torrance and serving Wilmington. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

Wilmington Post Office is located at 1008 North Avalon Boulevard. The community of Wilmington is located in the Council District 15 within the City of Los Angeles. The community of Wilmington is represented by one Neighborhood Council, Wilmington Neighborhood Council.

Education

Only 5.1% of Wilmington residents aged 25 or older had completed a four-year degree by 2000, a low figure when compared with the city and the county at large, and the percentage of those residents with less than a high school diploma was high for the county. Wilmington is home to Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy, ranked the top high school in the city of Los Angeles and the fourth-best school in California.

Schools

Wilmington is part of the

Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...

. The area is in Board District 7. As of September 2009, the leadership of District 7 was under Interim Superintendent Dr. George McKenna. Los Angeles Harbor College is in Wilmington, at 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington, CA 90744. Secondary and primary schools include:''The Thomas Guide,'' 2006, pages 794 and 824http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/wilmington-schools "Wilmington Schools," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times'' * Phineas Banning Senior High School,

LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...

, 1527 Lakme Avenue * Avalon High School, LAUSD

continuation In computer science, a continuation is an abstract representation of the control state of a computer program. A continuation implements ( reifies) the program control state, i.e. the continuation is a data structure that represents the computat ...

, 1425 North Avalon Boulevard * Pacific Harbor Christian School, private K-12, 1530 Wilmington Boulevard * Broad Avenue Elementary School, LAUSD, 24815 Broad Avenue * Wilmington Christian School, private, 24910 South Avalon Boulevard * Wilmington Middle School, LAUSD, 1700 Gulf Avenue * Fries Avenue Elementary School, LAUSD, 1301 Fries Avenue * Gulf Avenue Elementary School, LAUSD, 828 West L Street * Wilmington Park Elementary School, LAUSD, 1140 Mahar Avenue * St. Peter and St. Paul Elementary School, private, 706 Bay View Avenue * Hawaiian Avenue Elementary School, LAUSD, 540 Hawaiian Avenue * Harry Bridges Span School, LAUSD 1235 Broad Avenue * George De La Torre Jr. Elementary School, LAUSD, 500 Island Avenue, Wilmington, CA 90744 * Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy, LAUSD, 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington, CA 90744

Libraries

Wilmington branch Los Angeles Public Library 1300 N

Los Angeles Public Library The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California, operating separate from the Los Angeles County Public Library system. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million resid ...

operates the Wilmington Branch.

Parks and recreation

* Banning Recreation Center, 1331 Eubank Avenue. Auditorium, baseball diamond (lighted), basketball courts (lighted/indoor, unlighted/outdoor), children's play area, picnic tables, tennis courts (lighted). * East Wilmington Greenbelt Community Center, 918 North Sanford Avenue. Basketball courts (lighted/indoor), class room, after school programs, day camps. * East Wilmington Greenbelt Pocket Park, 1300 East O Street * Wilmington Recreation Center, 325 North Neptune Avenue. Auditorium, baseball diamond (lighted/unlighted), basketball courts (unlighted/outdoors, lighted/indoors), children's play area, community room, four picnic areas with tables. * Wilmington Senior Citizen Center, 1371 Eubank Avenue. Auditorium, baseball diamond (lighted), basketball courts (lighted/Indoor, unlighted/outdoor), children's play area, indoor gym (without weights), picnic tables, tennis courts (lighted). * The Wilmington Waterfront Park, opened in June 2011 between the Port of Los Angeles and Wilmington. (This park is not, in fact, on any waterfront: the name is a misnomer.)

Notable people

* Cayetano Apablasa (1847–1889), member of the Los Angeles Common Council * John Avalos (1964-), member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors * Wilder W. Hartley (1901–1970), Los Angeles City Council member, 1939–41 * L.T. Fisher, publisher of Wilmington newspapers in the 1870s * Asa Keyes (1877–1934), Los Angeles County district attorney, 1923-1928 * George H. Moore (1871–1958), Los Angeles City Council member, 1943–51 * Eric Plunk (1963–), former pitcher for the Oakland Athletics and the Cleveland Indians * Thuy Trang (1973–2001), actress * Charmian London (1871-1955), writer, second wife of

Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...

Gallery

File:Wilmington Municipal Building.jpg, Wilmington Municipal Building, 544 N.

Avalon Boulevard Avalon Boulevard is a north-south street in Los Angeles County. Geography Avalon Boulevard emerges southward as a fifth roadbed out of the intersection of San Pedro Street and Jefferson Boulevard. It passes through the southern Los Angeles ...

File:Foodman Market, Pacific Coast Highway, Wilmington, California LCCN2017703197.tif, Foodman Market, on PCH in Wilmington, 1977 File:11-1-4 CalSB-Wilmington-TermIs-25.jpg, California Shipbuilding Corporation yard in Wilmington, 1944 BP1.JPG, Historic Banning Park Home, American Colonial style Banning Park, Tudor Revival architecture.jpg, Banning Park, Tudor Revival architecture Holy Family Catholic Church, Wilmington, California.JPG, Holy Family Catholic Church Spanish architecture inspired Banning Park home.jpg, Spanish architecture inspired Banning Park home THEDONWILM.jpg, The Don

References

Notes

External links

List of Historical and Cultural Monuments in Wilmington and Harbor City

Wilmington Neighborhood Council

General Phineas Banning Residence Museum

Phineas Banning High School

Los Angeles Harbor College

Comments about living in Wilmington

Wilmington crime map and statistics
{{Authority control Former municipalities in California Neighborhoods in Los Angeles Los Angeles Harbor Region Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zones South Bay, Los Angeles