Lakewood

History

Lakewood is a post-World War II planned community. Developers Louis Boyar, Mark Taper and Ben Weingart are credited with "altering forever the map of Southern California." The monthly cost was $44 to $56, including principal, interest and insurance. The building of Lakewood broke records. Empty fields became 17,500 houses in less than three years. A new house was completed every minutes, 40 to 60 houses per day, with a record 110 completed in a single day. Lakewood's primary thoroughfares are mostly boulevards with landscaped medians, with frontage roads on either side in residential districts. Unlike in most similar configurations, however, access to the main road from the frontage road is only possible from infrequently spaced collector streets. This arrangement, hailed by urban planners of the day, is a compromise between the traditional urban grid and the arrangement of winding "drives" and cul-de-sac that dominates contemporary suburban and exurban design. As the unincorporated Lakewood grew to a community of more than 70,000 residents, so grew its municipal needs. Lakewood in 1953 had three choices: be annexed to nearby Long Beach, remain unincorporated and continue to receive county services, or incorporate as a city under a novel plan that continued county services under contract. In 1954, residents in the northern and eastern sections chose the latter option and voted to incorporate as a city, the largest community in the country ever to do so and the first city in Los Angeles County to incorporate since 1939. The portion of Lakewood that was annexed to Long Beach is now known as Lakewood Village. Lakewood is credited as a pioneer among California cities in service provision. Although it is an incorporated city, Lakewood still contracts for most municipal…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.54%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Downey High
  High · Downey · 4,063 students · 23.4:1 ratio
• Polytechnic High
  High · Long Beach · 3,952 students · 23.7:1 ratio
• Paramount High
  High · Paramount · 3,737 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• Wilson High
  High · Long Beach · 3,515 students · 23.8:1 ratio
• Warren (Earl) High
  High · Downey · 3,437 students · 23.7:1 ratio
• Millikan High
  High · Long Beach · 3,311 students · 24:1 ratio
• Lakewood High
  High · Lakewood · 2,761 students · 22.3:1 ratio
• Mayfair High
  High · Lakewood · 2,578 students · 22.6:1 ratio