Where Big Things Happen
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles Country, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. Incorporated in 1908, the city has grown to become a thriving suburb of Los Angeles.
As an entryway to major commercial centers both in the United States and internationally, Inglewood is in a unique position on the shore of the Pacific Rim. With direct access to Los Angeles International Airport through Inglewood’s Century Boulevard, the city is in an exceptional position to provide accessibility and mobility to all of its residents. Proximity to LAX, Los Angeles, four major freeways and several important harbors facilitate both domestic and international trade.
Centrally located in Southern California, Inglewood is accessible to all major transportation resources. This has been of great value to the city’s 110,000 residents who have the ability to work in Inglewood, LA or any of its surrounding cities or suburbs.
A Rich History
Though the history of the city dates back to 1834, it was in 1908 that Inglewood was incorporated as a city. From 1920 to 1925, Inglewood was considered one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.
Until World War II, Inglewood had been the heart of an agricultural area with the Inglewood High School Farm at Kelso and Inglewood Avenue an important part of the curriculum. Defense industries transformed it into an urban community when industrial activity, stimulated by the war, brought new laborers and their families to the city.
During the 1960s and ’70s, Inglewood continued to grow and develop, taking on a more “metropolitan” look.
Inglewood was now also the home of Hollywood Park Racetrack, recently celebrating 50 years of championship horseracing, and the Forum, constructed in the late ’60s to become the home of the World Champion Lakers basketball team and the Kings hockey team.
Continuously Evolving
It was during the 70’s that Inglewood’s skyline changed to include the high-rise buildings that are present today. The first of those high-rise buildings was the current City Hall and Civic Center complex, constructed as a joint effort by the City and County of Los Angeles and dedicated in 1973. The Civic Center contains the City Hall, Police, the main library, County Courts and Health facilities.
The City’s reputation and its accessibility to major freeways and Los Angeles International Airport made it an attractive business investment and an ideal location for the rapidly expanding airfreight business. High-rise office buildings began to go up, with the newest being the 14-story, $50 million Trizec building on La Cienega near Century Boulevard
A Thriving Community
Inglewood, with its visionary Mayor, James Butts, Jr., has a proven track record as a business-friendly community where opportunity is in abundance. Inglewood has what Southern California businesses want most – world-renowned transportation resources, entertainment, and a business friendly environment in a location with competitive land and lease rates.
Residents also `have the option to choose from a variety of industrial and retail sites for their businesses providing an impressive backdrop for any new or established business. Potential new residents will have the opportunity to move into the exclusive Hollywood Park Tomorrow Development which will be home to more than three thousand residential units, a hotel, and a lively atmosphere of shops and restaurants.
Inglewood offers a wide array of entertainment choices too – from concerts and events at the newly renovated, world-renowned Forum to local events including a farmers market and gourmet food truck events. The city is positioned to offer the best of what makes Southern California’s lifestyle desirable. Inglewood is close to the beaches and major attractions like Disneyland, Universal Studios and Hollywood.
The ability to choose extends into education with the city’s offerings of primary and post-secondary institutions – from Inglewood’s own West Los Angeles Law School to Loyola Marymount, University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, and California State Universities at Long Beach, Dominguez Hills all within a half hour drive.
Public Works Projects
Louis Atwell joined the City of Inglewood as Public Works Director in late 2012. Since joining, he and his team have put an emphasis on increasing both development and rehabilitation in the city. With a nearly $40 million Capital Improvement budget to spend on projects, the team faces unique challenges in order to add or enhance the infrastructure of a nearly fully developed city.
The current mayor and city council have a 5-year plan in place that earmarks $192 million of capital projects, with 19 projects expected in 2014. With a number of road rehabilitation projects in the works, the most important is currently in the design stage and involves the restoration of Century Boulevard, the bustling road that connects the city to LAX as well as a number of important areas in the local area.
A light rail project is another major development for Inglewood, which is expected to connect expo lines to the green lines, and give people the ability to travel to LAX.
An Exciting Future
When the owner of the NFL team the LA Rams purchased 60 acres of land near the Hollywood development park, rumors have been racing in the city of a potential new home and stadium for the Rams to be coming up in the near future. This means an increase in traffic, which the city is well equipped for due to its sophisticated ITS traffic system, major roadways which have the capacity to carry large volumes of traffic, experience in hosting significantly large events at the former Hollywood Park Racetrack and the Forum, along with an influx of residents and visitors annually.
