Welcome to the City of Torrance, a community that is steeped in tradition and coined as "a City with a Hometown Feel." The Community The City of Torrance, located in Los Angeles County’s South Bay, borders the Pacific Ocean and beach communities to the west and the Palos Verdes Peninsula to the south. It is ideally situated near the 405 (San Diego) freeway and is twenty minutes from the Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated in 1921 and chartered in 1947, Torrance has a population of 147,405 and is the 8th largest city within Los Angeles County California. Due to its large employment base, the community’s daytime population is significantly higher than the permanent population peaking at 200,000. The area enjoys a pleasant year-round climate with moderate temperatures, gentle sea breezes. and low humidity. The City boasts 31 parks on 350 acres of parklands and open space. The 500 seat James Armstrong Theatre and the “theatre-in-the- round” Nakano Theatre within the Torrance Cultural Arts Center Complex are excellent venues for both professional and local productions. Helping to round out the community’s cultural offerings is the nearby El Camino Community College campus that houses an art gallery, planetarium, and a 2000 seat theatre. The community’s population is culturally diverse as shown by the school district’s estimate that its students speak over 80 languages. Contributing to this diversity are world-class international companies such as American Honda Motor Company, Robinson Helicopter, and Panasonic which call Torrance home. Four major shopping centers are located in Torrance, including the Del Amo Fashion Center, one of the largest shopping centers in the world. Overall, Torrance is a quality of life oriented community that offers a wide variety of entertainment, recreation, cultural, and volunteer opportunities.
