Wilmington, Los Angeles

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Wilmington
—  Neighborhood of Los Angeles  —
Banning House
Wilmington is connected to the rest of Los Angeles by a thin strip of land called the "Harbor Gateway" which roughly follows the 110 freeway
Wilmington is located in Los Angeles
Wilmington
Location within Southern Los Angeles
Coordinates: 33°46′48″N 118°15′42″W / 33.78°N 118.26167°W / 33.78; -118.26167
Country United States
State California
County Los Angeles
City Los Angeles
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code 90744 and 90748

Wilmington is a district of Los Angeles, with industry as its primary economic activity. It lies adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Harbor City. Wilmington is the site of Banning House and Drum Barracks, or Camp Drum, the only major American Civil War landmark in California. The ZIP Codes for Wilmington are 90744, and 90748 for P.O. boxes only.

The Port of Los Angeles district of Wilmington was included in the 1784 Spanish land grant of Rancho San Pedro and was known as New San Pedro from 1858 to 1863, when it became the city of Wilmington. It was named by “Father of the Harbor” Phineas Banning after his Delaware birthplace. The City of 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. Wilson College, precursor to the University of Southern California, opened here in 1874 as the first coeducational college west of the Mississippi. Entrepreneur and sportsman William Wrigley built innovative housing in Wilmington that was dubbed the “Court of Nations.” From the Union Army’s Drum Barracks headquarters of the Southwest in the Civil War to the port’s myriad maritime activities during World War II, Wilmington has long-standing ties to the U.S. military.

Contents

[edit] Points of interest

  • Drum Barracks Civil War Museum – U.S. Army headquarters for Southern California and the Arizona territory during the Civil War era, located at 1052 N Banning Blvd.
  • The bright green "THE DON" neon sign atop the brick building once welcomed visitors entering the city. Supporters of urban renewal have proposed the site for condo development.
  • Wienerschnitzel (located on Pacific Coast Highway, east of Figueroa St.) - The first Der Wienerschnitzel hot dog restaurant.
  • Overlay area features historic homes built in Spanish, Dutch, and American Colonial revival styles. Most of the homes were constructed during the 1930s and 1940s and developed by Sid Spearing. The site was originally purchased by William Wrigley Jr. in 1927.
  • The ConocoPhillips refinery in Wilmington is also home to the "world's largest jack-o'-lantern", which in fact is a 3 million gallon storage tank decorated every year for Halloween. Decorated annually since 1952 (back when it was owned by Union Oil), the jack-o'-lantern draws 30,000 visitors annually.[1][2]

[edit] Government and infrastructure

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Torrance Health Center in Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles, near Torrance and serving Wilmington.[3]

The United States Postal Service Wilmington Post Office is located at 1008 North Avalon Boulevard.[4]

[edit] Education

Wilmington is zoned to schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The area is within Board District 7.[5] As of September 2009, the leadership of District 7 is under Interim Superintendent Dr. George McKenna.[6]

Primary schools (Grades 1-5).
Secondary schools (Grades 6-12)
Private schools
Continuation schools
  • Banning-Marine Ave Adult Center
  • Harbor Occupational-Skill Center
  • Avalon High School
Colleges and universities

[edit] Public libraries

Wilmington Branch Library

Los Angeles Public Library operates the Wilmington Branch.[7]

[edit] Parks and recreation

The Banning Recreation Center is in Wilmington. The park includes an auditorium, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted indoor basketball courts, unlighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, picnic tables, and lighted tennis courts. Also Wilmington Recreation Center also known as will hall park and the new Water Front Park.[8]

[edit] Port of Los Angeles

Main article: Port of Los Angeles

San Pedro and Wilmington are the locations of the Port of Los Angeles.

[edit] Movies and television shows filmed in Wilmington

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] Arts

[edit] Sports

[edit] Politics

[edit] Media

[edit] See also

Portal icon Los Angeles portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ Virtual Globetrotting: "World's Largest Jack-O-Lantern"
  2. ^ Convenience Store News: "The Great Pumpkin Returns to ConocoPhillips' Wilmington Refinery", October 14, 2005.
  3. ^ "Torrance Health Center." Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Retrieved on March 18, 2010.
  4. ^ "Post Office Location - WILMINGTON." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
  5. ^ Board District 7 Map. Los Angeles Unified School District. Retrieved on November 24, 2008.
  6. ^ "[1]." Los Angeles Unified School District. Retrieved on March 1, 2009.
  7. ^ "Wilmington Branch Library." Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved on March 23, 2010.
  8. ^ "Banning Recreation Center." City of Los Angeles. Retrieved on March 23, 2010.

[edit] Further reading

  • Cueva-Fernandez, Olivia (2011). Mexican Americans in Wilmington. Charleston, S.C.. ISBN 9780738581743. 

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 33°46′48″N 118°15′42″W / 33.78°N 118.26167°W / 33.78; -118.26167
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