Gardena

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 Spanish land grant, the Rancho San Pedro. Part of this land contained what became known as Gardena Valley. Japanese Americans settled in Gardena throughout its history. The only way Gardena could protect itself from a heavy county tax imposed on a planned project at a park site was to incorporate. As this Los Angeles suburb grew, many Japanese American families moved into the new tract homes being built.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , over 99% of which is land. A wetland preserve, the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, is located at the southeast corner of Gardena. This is a naturally occurring marshland where water seeps above-ground all year round. It hosts several species of trees and other vegetation. Gardena is bordered by the unincorporated community of Athens on the north, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Harbor Gateway on the east and south, Torrance on the southwest, Alondra Park on the west, and Hawthorne on the northwest. Neighborhoods in Gardena include: *Hermosillo *Moneta *Strawberry Park

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Bladder kelp

  Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C.Agardh · Phaeophyceae
  100,672
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  48,587
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  46,034
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  45,026
• Allen's Hummingbird

  Selasphorus sasin (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  39,171
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  36,261
• Western Gull

  Larus occidentalis Audubon, 1839 · Aves
  33,492
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  31,030

Largest nearby schools

• Paramount High
  High · Paramount · 3,737 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• Redondo Union High
  High · Redondo Beach · 3,005 students · 26.8:1 ratio
• Mira Costa High
  High · Manhattan Beach · 2,497 students · 23.3:1 ratio
• Phineas Banning Senior High
  High · Wilmington · 2,486 students · 19.9:1 ratio
• Bell Senior High
  High · Bell · 2,351 students · 22:1 ratio
• Palos Verdes Peninsula High
  High · Rolling Hills Estates · 2,290 students · 24.1:1 ratio
• Jordan High
  High · Long Beach · 2,241 students · 21.5:1 ratio
• Culver City High
  High · Culver City · 2,155 students · 22.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.16 — 2026-10-09
  2 km SW of Signal Hill, CA
• M 2.7 — 2026-10-08
  2 km WNW of Fontana, CA
• M 2.51 — 2026-10-05
  31 km SW of Dana Point, CA
• M 2.81 — 2026-10-05
  32 km SW of Dana Point, CA
• M 3.48 — 2026-10-05
  31 km SW of Dana Point, CA
• M 3.81008714964485 — 2026-09-30
  4 km SE of Piru, CA