Willowbrook, California

Long before the name "Willowbrook" was given, willows and a slow, shallow brook separated this portion of the Los Angeles plain from the rest of it. The original rancho boundary of the 1840s was a lone, streamside willow tree along the present intersection of 125th Street and Mona Boulevard. In the early days, springs were abundant in Willowbrook. Winter rains brought up fine ryegrass stands between gravelly ridges left by the long-ago floods of the Los Angeles River. Anastacio Avila was grazing cattle on the land as early as 1820. The Mexican governor had granted him acres by 1843. The grant was called Rancho La Tajauta, and it extended from the marshes along present Alameda Street westward to approximately the present line of the Harbor Freeway. Within the area covered by Rancho La Tajauta is all of present-day Willowbrook. In Willowbrook, lot purchasers expected to live a definitely suburban life. The deep lots, sometimes 300 feet or 91 meters in depth, attracted working-class families, especially newcomers to Southern California. The Big Red Cars offered fast and convenient transport to shops in downtown Los Angeles and jobs in port areas of Long Beach and San Pedro. During the Depression years, residents used the land behind their homes to cultivate fruits and vegetables, run hogs, and raise chickens. This use of land, along with the vacant lots filled with mustard plants, enhanced the rural appearance of the area. Increased suburban growth occurred in Willowbrook after the end of the Depression and World War II, but not so much that the agricultural character of the area was drastically modified. Even the Watts Riots of 1965 did not change that, although Willowbrook had a variety of buildings, including the community library of Willowbrook, damaged. The blend of agricultural and residential land use persisted at Willowbrook into the early 1980s, when a redevelopment plan drawn up by the Watts Labor Community Action Committee from 1965 to 1993 and funded by Los Angeles County caused the area to lose its rural character. acres of Willowbrook land were redeveloped under this plan to include new commercial and residential facilities. The appearance of present-day Willowbrook is similar to other communities in the South Central section of Los Angeles because of this. ==Geography==

Willowbrook is located at (33.917515, -118.252705). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , over 99% of it land. Before the 2020 census, part of the Willowbrook CDP was transferred to the West Rancho Dominguez CDP, reducing the area of Willowbrook by more than half. ==Demographics==

Willowbrook first appeared as an unincorporated place in the 1970 U.S. census as part of the Compton census county division; The median age was 30.8 years; 28.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 8.9% were 65 years of age or older. There were 96.1 males for every 100 females, and 93.7 males for every 100 females age 18 and over. There were 5,958 housing units at an average density of , of which 97.0% were occupied. Of the occupied units, 43.3% were owner-occupied and 56.7% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.8%. 12,387 (34.4%) African American, 273 (0.8%) Native American, 119 (0.3%) Asian, 49 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 13,858 (38.5%) from other races, and 1,052 (2.9%) from two or more races. There were 22,979 residents of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race (63.9%). The census reported that 35,577 people (98.9% of the population) lived in households, 116 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 290 (0.8%) were institutionalized. There were 8,721 households, 4,920 (56.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,626 (41.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,635 (30.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 859 (9.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 640 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 38 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,336 households (15.3%) were one person and 585 (6.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 4.08. There were 7,120 families (81.6% of households); the average family size was 4.38. The age distribution was 11,790 people (32.8%) under the age of 18, 4,500 people (12.5%) aged 18 to 24, 9,595 people (26.7%) aged 25 to 44, 7,200 people (20.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,898 people (8.1%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 28.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 89.2 males. There were 9,600 housing units at an average density of 2,546.3 per square mile, of the occupied units 4,525 (51.9%) were owner-occupied and 4,196 (48.1%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 19,021 people (52.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 16,556 people (46.0%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States Census, Willowbrook had a median household income of $34,005, with 31.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line. Mapping L.A. According to Mapping L.A., Mexican (43.8%) and Unspecified African (1.6%) were the most common ancestries in 2000. Mexico (85.1%) and El Salvador (6.9%) were the most common foreign places of birth. ==Government==

In the California State Legislature, Willowbrook is in , and in . In the United States House of Representatives, Willowbrook is in . ==Infrastructure==

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the Century Station in Lynwood, serving Willowbrook. The United States Postal Service Willowbrook Post Office is located at 2241 East El Segundo Boulevard in the CDP. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, replacing the King Drew Hospital − Martin Luther King, Jr. Multi-Service Ambulatory Care Center in 2015, is located in Willowbrook. As a major transfer station, Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station is also a major bus hub, serving many bus routes operated by LA Metro and other regional/municipal transit agencies. The station also has park and ride facilities, including 975 parking spaces and 4 bike lockers. To the east of the station is the Metro Rail Operations Center, which is the dispatch hub for all Metro Rail trains. Metro Bus routes The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) provides Metro Local bus services to and from the Willowbrook area. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works also operates two shuttle services that serve the Willowbrook area: • Hahn's Trolley and Shuttle Service • Rosewood Smart Shuttle. • Willowbrook Link ==Education==

Colleges and universities Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science is located in Willowbrook. Zoned elementary schools within the CDP include Anderson, Carver, Jefferson, King, and Lincoln. Cesar Chavez Continuation High School is in Willowbrook. ==Parks and recreation==

Los Angeles County operates area parks. The George Washington Carver Park (previously Willowbrook Neighborhood Park) has a lighted baseball field, an arts and crafts room, a "Nike GO" outdoor basketball court, a community room, a lighted softball field, a multipurpose field, a multipurpose room, picnic areas with barbecue pits, and a swimming pool. Earvin "Magic" Johnson County Recreation Area, a park, mostly in Willowbrook and partially in Los Angeles, has play areas for children, picnic areas with barbecue pits, soccer fields, toilet facilities, and walking paths. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a safe eating advisory for any fish caught in Magic Mike Lakes due to elevated levels of mercury and PCBs. Enterprise County Park, a park located in the Rosewood neighborhood in Willowbrook, has an athletic field, a lighted baseball/softball diamond, a community recreation room, a gymnasium, a multi-purpose field, picnic areas with barbecue pits, and a swimming pool. Athens Park, a park, within the Athens Village area and in Willowbrook, has two lighted baseball/softball diamonds, a basketball court, children's play areas, a community recreation multipurpose room, a computer lab, a gymnasium, a multi-purpose field, picnic areas with barbecue pits, a swimming pool, tennis courts, and toilet facilities. Mona County Park, an park, has a lighted baseball/softball diamond, an outdoor basketball court, a children's play area, a community room, a gymnasium, a shaded picnic shelter, a swimming pool, and the Tiny Tot Learning Center. ==See also==