Torrance, CA

Torrance is a city located in the "South Bay" (southwestern) region of Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 137,946; in 2005 the population was estimated to be 142,384.
Torrance is a very lagre city that takes in a large variety of lifestyles. You can live near the beach in South Torrance which by the way have wonderful schools or you can live in an affordable housing tract in North Torrance that is close to the 405 and 110 Freeways depending upon your b…

Torrance is a city located in the "South Bay" (southwestern) region of Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 137,946; in 2005 the population was estimated to be 142,384.
Torrance is a very lagre city that takes in a large variety of lifestyles. You can live near the beach in South Torrance which by the way have wonderful schools or you can live in an affordable housing tract in North Torrance that is close to the 405 and 110 Freeways depending upon your bduget and preference.
Herea are some more facts taken from wkikpedai to help with your Torrance Relocation Information.

"Torrance is the sixth largest city in Los Angeles County and the 34th largest in the state of California.
Torrance Beach is bordered by Redondo and RAT (right after Torrance) beaches. It is roughly bounded by Redondo Beach Blvd (the cities of Lawndale and Gardena) to the north, Western Avenue (Harbor Gateway, a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles) to the east, the cities of Lomita, Rolling Hills Estates and Palos Verdes Estates to the south, and the Pacific Ocean and the city of Redondo Beach to the west. Residents of an unincorporated area to the east of Harbor Gateway abutting the city of Carson are allowed to use "Torrance" in their addresses by the USPS.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 53.2 km² (20.5 mi²), all land.

Torrance was originally part of the 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant, issued to Juan Jose Dominguez, signed by King Carlos III of the Spanish Empire.

In the early 1900s, real estate developer Jared Sidney Torrance and other investors saw the value of creating a mixed industrial-residential community south of Los Angeles. They purchased part of an old Spanish land grant and hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to design a new planned community. [2] The resulting town was founded in October 1912 and named after Torrance; the city of Torrance was formally incorporated in May 1921. [3] The first residential avenue created in Torrance was Gramercy and the second avenue was Andreo. Both are located in the area referred to as Old Town Torrance. This section of Torrance is under review to be classified as a historical district.

Transportation
Highways and freeways in the region include I-110, I-405, SR 91, SR 107, and SR 1. There is the harbor subdivision railroad which carries Union Pacific and BNSF lines. The city also has Torrance Transit and LACMTA Metro bus services.

Geography

Area attractions

Del Amo Fashion Center, one of the largest malls in the United StatesDel Amo Fashion Center, at 2.5 million square feet (232,000 m²), is one of the largest malls in the United States. Estimates vary between the second largest (after the Mall of America) and the fourth largest, depending on the measurements used. The current mall was created when Del Amo Center, built in 1958, merged with Del Amo Fashion Square, built in 1970. Once located on opposite sides of Carson Street, a gigantic expansion of the mall spanning Carson Street joined the two centers by 1982, making it the longest mall in the world at the time. Del Amo Fashion Center has been used as a location for several motion pictures, including Jackie Brown and Bad Santa. In 2005, the east end of the original mall north of Carson Street was demolished to make way for a new open-air shopping center, opened in mid-September, 2006. The new center features upscale clothiers Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters as well as the restaurant PF Chang's. The housewares retail giant Crate & Barrel opened in Spring 2007. Torrance also borders the South Bay Galleria, which resides in Redondo Beach.

Madrona Marsh, a nature preserve, is located centrally in the city.One of the country's few urban wetlands can be found in Torrance. Madrona Marsh is a nature preserve on undeveloped land once set aside for oil production. Torrance was also a filming location for the movie Volcano (film) in 1997.

Torrance Beach lies between Redondo Beach and Malaga Cove.[3] The region shared by Torrance and Redondo Beaches are often called "Rat Beach" (short for "Right After Torrance" Beach or "Redondo and Torrance Beach").[1]

A USMC unit in the Armed Forces Day ParadeThe Armed Forces Day Parade in Torrance, which was first produced in 1960, is the longest running military parade sponsored by a city. It is held annually on Armed Forces Day, and runs down Torrance Boulevard. The parade features military vehicles, school bands, and prominent community members.[4]

The city has been subject of a number of cultural references. Mark Wahlberg is involved in two, in Boogie Nights his character Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler is from Torrance, and in Three Kings his character Sfc. Troy Barlow in the epilogue is revealed to go on to manage a carpet store in Torrance California. Coincidently Three Kings co-star Spike Jonze directed a mocumentary chronicling the fictional Torrance Community Dance Group (from Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" video, also directed by Jonze) on their road to the MTV Video Music Awards. Torrance is also mentioned in the South Park episode Freak Strike.

Alpine Village, although not within the city boundaries but having a Torrance mailing address, is a European-themed restaurant, market and shop complex that hosts a locally popular version of the Oktoberfest celebrations every weekend during September and October for 35 years, featuring a beer brewed on site.

A scene in the movie Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle was filmed at the Foster's Freeze Drive-thru located in downtown Torrance
Commerce and industry

Torrance houses several refineries of companies like Mobil.As a major oil-producing region, Torrance was once dotted with thousands of oil wells and oil derricks. Though the oil wells are not as common as they once were, the ExxonMobil refinery in the north end of the city is responsible for much of Southern California's gasoline supply. In fact, much of Southern California's gasoline supply is refined within a few miles of Torrance. ARCO produces gasoline in Carson; Texaco has a refinery a bit further east in Wilmington; Unocal is in San Pedro while one of the oldest refineries in the state is the Chevron plant in El Segundo. Torrance was also an important hub and shop site of the Pacific Electric Railway.

Torrance has a busy general aviation airport, originally named simply "Torrance Airport" and since renamed Zamperini Field after local track star, World War II hero and Torrance High graduate Louis Zamperini. The airport handles approximately 175,000 annual take-offs and landings (473 per day [5]), down from the 1974 record of 428,000 operations. Airport noise abatement is a major local issue. In 2007 the Western Museum of Flight moved to Zamperini Field.

Torrance is home to the U.S. headquarters of two of the three largest Japanese automakers, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. and American Honda Motor Company. Robinson Helicopters are designed and built in Torrance as are Garrett Systems turbochargers, used on automobile engines worldwide. California's aerospace industry began in Torrance and surrounding communities.

Torrance is also home to the world headquarters of Sunrider International, as well as the U.S. Headquarters of numerous leading automotive aftermarket companies, including: Alpine Electronics, Speed Star Racing Wheels, Tanabe Racing Development, Koyo radiators, Stoptech brakes, Cosworth, and Edelbrock.

Torrance is also home to the main bakery facility for King's Hawaiian, the dominant brand of Hawaiian bread in North America.

The footwear companies Lakai and Globe also have headquarters in Torrance. Electronics manufacturer Panasonic has a plant manufacturing DVD-RAM and Blu-Ray media in Torrance. The United States division of Japanese videogame company Tecmo is also headquartered in Torrance. TabletKiosk, manufacturer of Tablet PCs, UMPCs and Mobile Computing Accessories is headquartered in Torrance.

[edit] Education

[edit] Primary and secondary schools

[edit] Public schools

Torrance High School is notable for its feature in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.The Torrance Unified School District encompasses five high schools (Torrance High, North High, South High, West High, and Shery High) and their feeder schools. Area districts have created the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SCROC) to teach technical classes to their students and to local adults. TUSD is a participant feeder district of the California Academy of Mathematics and Science or CAMS, a mathematics and science magnet high school, administered by the Long Beach Unified School District.

Torrance High School is one of the oldest high schools in California. Its facade is familiar to television viewers as the setting for Beverly Hills 90210 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and to moviegoers for its appearances in She's All That, Not Another Teen Movie and The Wild Life.

South High School, near the southern border of Torrance, was used as a location for the 1999 filming of the movie American Beauty.

[edit] Private schools
Two private high schools are also located in Torrance: Bishop Montgomery High School (administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles) and Pacific Lutheran High School.

[edit] Colleges and universities
Torrance lies within the El Camino Community College District and El Camino College uses a Torrance mailing address, but the campus is actually located just outside the city limits in the unincorporated Los Angeles county area known as El Camino Village.

Public libraries
The City of Torrance operates a main library facility (named after former mayor Katy Geissert) in the city Civic Center, plus five branches at locations throughout the city.
Health Care
Two major hospitals are located within the city -- Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Little Company of Mary Hospital. A third hospital, Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, lies just outside the city limits (in the unincorporated Los Angeles County community of West Carson) but also has a Torrance address.
Torrance Fire Department staffs five paramedic rescue squads at Fire Station 1 (Headquarters), Fire Station 3, Fire Station 4, A new one at Fire Station 5 as of February, 2008, and Fire Station 6. Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Little Company of Mary Hospital, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Kaiser Hospital-South Bay, and Memorial Hospital of Gardena are receiving hospitals for residents in Torrance who call 911 for medical assistance. Ambulance transportation is provided through Gerber Ambulance Service.

Parks

Wilson Park Torrance has 24 city parks; the focal point is 44-acre Wilson Park which has extensive picnic and sports facilities, including a modern gymnasium, skatepark [7], and roller-hockey rink. Wilson Park also hosts the Torrance Farmer's Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and is the site of the city's annual Fourth of July fireworks display."