Gardena, California
Gardena is a city of 59,422 people in Los Angeles County, California, founded in 1930.
Why visit Gardena
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 29 parks and trails, 191 places to eat, 11 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Toyota USA Automobile Museum and Falcon 9 Booster B1019.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 79°F; December lows average 49°F.
Weather in Gardena
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Gardena
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.
From the Wikipedia article Gardena, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do4
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Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 3.9 mi
Railway bridge in Torrance, California, United States
California State University, Dominguez Hills
School · 3.6 mi
University
Piedmont University
School · 3.1 mi
Christian university in Los Angeles, California, U.S
Museums and landmarks3
Toyota USA Automobile Museum
Museum · 3.0 mi
Automobile museum in Torrance, California
Parks, trails and playgrounds29
Alondra Community Regional Park
Park · 1.9 mi
3850 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Lawndale
Mo-Su 06:30-21:00
Alondra Park Golf Course
Golf course · 2.0 mi
18 hole Par 72 + 18 hole Par 54
16400 South Prairie Avenue, Lawndale
Chester Washington Golf Course
Golf course · 1.8 mi
18 hole Par 70
1930 West 120th Street, Los Angeles
Columbia Park, Torrance, California
Park · 3.2 mi
Piece of open land for recreational use in Torrance, California
Murdock Stadium
Sports field and stadium · 1.6 mi
16007 Crenshaw Boulevard, Torrance
17 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes191
7 Leaves Cafe
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Vietnamese · 2.2 mi
18547 South Western Avenue
Mo-Th 07:00-22:00; Fr 07:00-23:00; Sa 08:00-23:00; Su 08:00-22:00
CM Chicken
Restaurant · Chicken, Korean
15420 South Western Avenue
Mo-Th 11:00-15:00, 17:00-17:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-02:00; Su 12:00-00:00
El Nuevo San Miguel
Restaurant · Salvadoran, Mexican · 0.7 mi
1314 Rosecrans Avenue, Gardena
Mo-Su 08:00-20:30
Heng Heng Chicken Rice
Restaurant · Chicken, Thai · 1.4 mi
3255 West Rosecrans Avenue
We-Th 11:00-15:00, 16:00-20:00; Fr 11:00-20:00; Sa-Su 11:30-15:00,...
Kanpachi Sushi And Saki
Restaurant · Sushi, Japanese · 2.0 mi
18220 South Western Avenue
Mo off; Tu-Fr 11:30-14:00,17:30-21:00; Sa-Su 17:00-21:00
Kings Hawaiian Bakery Local Place
Restaurant · Asian, Breakfast, Hawaiian · 2.3 mi
18605 South Western Avenue
Mo-Su 07:00-21:00
NAM Kitchen
Restaurant · Vietnamese · 1.5 mi
1530
Su-Mo, We-Th 11:00-21:00; Tu 11:00-15:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-21:30
Pho Hoan Pasteur Gardena
Restaurant · Vietnamese, Pho · 0.5 mi
1420 West Redondo Beach Boulevard, Gardena
Mo-Su 10:00-20:30
Pizza Hut
Restaurant · Pizza · 1.6 mi
2208 Artesia Boulevard, Torrance
Su-Th 10:00-23:00, Fr,Sa 10:00-24:00
179 more on the map.
History
Based on archaeological findings, the Tongva people hunted and fished in the area of today's Gardena.
In 1784, three years after the foundation of Los Angeles, Juan Jose Dominguez (1736–1809), a Spanish soldier who arrived in San Diego, California in 1769 with Fernando Rivera y Moncada, in recognition of his military service, received the roughly 43,000-acre (170 km2) Spanish land grant, the Rancho San Pedro. Part of this land contained what became known as Gardena Valley. After the American Civil War veterans bought parts of the land, and soon ranchers and farmers followed suit.
In 1869, Union Army Major General William Starke Rosecrans bought 16,000 acres (65 km2). The "Rosecrans Rancho" was bordered by what later was Florence Avenue on the north, Redondo Beach Boulevard on the south, Central Avenue on the east, and Arlington Avenue on the west. The Rosecrans property was subdivided and sold in the early 1870s. One of those became the 650-acre (2.6 km2) Amestoy Ranch. Gardena proper began in 1887 when the Pomeroy & Harrison real estate developers subdivided the ranch, anticipating the coming of the Los Angeles and Redondo Railway. Civil War veteran Spencer Roane Thorpe is credited with starting the first settlement in Gardena in 1887. Railroads put Gardena on the map following a 1880s Southern California real estate boom.
From the History section of Gardena, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay11
Rodeway Inn Gardena Los Angeles South
Motel and hotel · 0.6 mi
15607 South Normandie Avenue, Gardena
Churches and places of worship40
Shopping33
Gas and EV charging21
Schools, colleges and libraries101
Gardena Mayme Dear Memorial Library
Library · 0.8 mi
1731 West Gardena Boulevard, Gardena
Healthcare6
DaVita Hawthorne Dialysis
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.1 mi
14204 Prairie Avenue, Hawthorne
Map of Gardena
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67°F | 49°F | 2.7 in |
| Feb | 67°F | 51°F | 3.0 in |
| Mar | 68°F | 53°F | 1.7 in |
| Apr | 70°F | 55°F | 0.6 in |
| May | 71°F | 58°F | 0.3 in |
| Jun | 73°F | 62°F | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 77°F | 65°F | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 79°F | 65°F | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 78°F | 64°F | 0.2 in |
| Oct | 76°F | 60°F | 0.5 in |
| Nov | 72°F | 54°F | 0.7 in |
| Dec | 66°F | 49°F | 2.2 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Hawthorne Muni Ap (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Los Angeles County has had 67 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2025-08-08: Canyon Fire (Fire)
- 2025-01-08: Wildfires And Straight-Line Winds (Fire)
- 2025-01-08: Eaton Fire (Fire)
- 2025-01-08: Hurst Fire (Fire)
- 2025-01-07: Palisades Fire (Fire)
- 2024-12-10: Franklin Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- West Rancho Dominguez 2 mi east, about 4 min by car
- Hawthorne 3 mi northwest, about 4 min by car
- Lawndale 3 mi west, about 4 min by car
- Westmont 3 mi north, about 5 min by car
- Del Aire 4 mi northwest, about 6 min by car
- Lennox 4 mi northwest, about 7 min by car
- Willowbrook 4 mi northeast, about 7 min by car
- Compton 5 mi east, about 7 min by car
- Inglewood 5 mi northwest, about 8 min by car
- Carson 5 mi southeast, about 8 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Rosecrans Avenue, Gardena, California (6027121998), Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Donut King II in Gardena big donut of California, Jengod, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rosecrans and Normandie Avenue, Gardena, California (6026567839), Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Target Gardena 4 2019-05-05, F ASTILY, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Target Gardena 2 2019-05-05, F ASTILY, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Target Gardena 1 2019-05-05, F ASTILY, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Target Gardena 3 2019-05-05, F ASTILY, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge (Torrance), Los Angeles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Brisket, bulgogi, pork jowl, short rib (31273774214), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Budae Jjigae (31739704080), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Octopus (24536267673), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Brisket, bulgogi, pork jowl, short rib (31966552512), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Doenjang Guk (25163114145), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Samgyetang (25069772041), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Octopus (24867479180), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Octopus (25044846612), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Octopus (24532405074), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Brisket (24536258913), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Brisket, short rib, octopus (24795383519), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Banchan (25069763321), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Marinated octopus (31273723674), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Brisket, short rib, octopus (25069827621), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Brisket, bulgogi, pork jowl, short rib (31996845081), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- ISS066-E-51318 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS027-E-31033 - View of California, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS040-E-91206 - View of California, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS061-E-28692 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS066-E-46402 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS066-E-46401 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS066-E-50288 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-219357 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS066-E-50287 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-422121 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS065-E-84457 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-422120 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-219356 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS066-E-51317 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- STS133-E-7970 - View of California, NASA, Public domain
- Uni, yellow tail, sake (24536555373), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
- Uni, yellow tail, sake (25163388535), T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0
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