Torrance

Torrance is a city in the South Bay of Los Angeles County, California, on the Pacific coast south of Los Angeles. Jared Sidney Torrance founded it in 1912 as a planned industrial town, and its plan was drawn by the Olmsted Brothers.

The Olmsted plan separated the factories from the homes with a green belt, and Irving Gill designed its first buildings, among them the arched bridge of the Pacific Electric railway. Torrance was incorporated in 1921 and grew after the 1950s as tract houses replaced bean fields and oil fields. Louis Zamperini, the Olympic runner known as the Torrance Tornado, grew up in the city, and its airport carries his name.

American Honda Motor Co. runs its sales of Honda and Acura cars in the United States from its head office in Torrance. Robinson Helicopter Company builds light helicopters for flight schools, police and ranchers at its plant next to the airport. Pelican Products, also based in the city, makes waterproof cases and flashlights.

Torrance Beach, at the northern end of the Palos Verdes coast, is a quiet sand beach below the bluffs. Madrona Marsh Preserve keeps a seasonal wetland with native plants and birds among the houses. Del Amo Fashion Center, opened in the 1960s, is a large shopping mall in the center of the city. Torrance High School, with its brick buildings of the 1910s, has been used as a filming location for television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer.