Torrance is a city located in the southwestern or "South Bay" 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 the sixth largest city in Los Angeles County and the 34th largest in the state of California Torrance Beach lies between Redondo Beach and Malaga Cove. The region shared by Torrance and Redondo Beaches are often called "Rat Beach" (short for "Right After Torrance" Beach). 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, and roller-hockey rink. Wilson Park also hosts a Farmer's Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and is the site of the city's annual Fourth of July fireworks display. Torrance is well-known for its annual Armed Forces Parade on Armed Forces Day in mid-May every year down Torrance Bvld. The parade features many military vehicles from the different branches of the Armed Forces. After the parade, the military vehicles are put on display at the parking lot of the Del Amo Fashion Center through the following day.
Primary and secondary schools: The Torrance Unified School District encompasses five high schools (Torrance High, North High, South High, West High, and Shery High) and their feeder schools, and the district's students consistently score well above average on standardized tests. Area districts have created the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SCROC) to teach technical classes to their students and to local adults. A Roman Catholic high school (Bishop Montgomery High School) is also located within the city.
Torrance Unified School District is a participant feeder district of the California Academy of Mathematics and Science or CAMS, a math and science magnet high school, administered by the Long Beach Unified School District. As of the census of 2000, there were 137,946 people, 54,542 households, and 36,270 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 59.16% White, 28.61% Asian, 4.72% from two or more races, 4.57% from other races, 2.19% African American, 0.41% Native American and 0.35% Pacific Islander. 12.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Because of the large Japanese commercial and industrial presence in Torrance, the city has one of the highest concentrations of Japanese expatriates and Japanese Americans in the United States. Among Los Angeles citizens, Torrance is known for its large Asian American population. There were 54,542 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.10. The median income for a household in the city was $56,489, and the median income for a family was $67,098. Males had a median income of $51,472 versus $37,114 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,144. About 4.5% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over. |