 |
Find Your Home Today! 
|
|
History of the South BayHistory of Hermosa Beach Hermosa Beach began in the form of a land grant from the King of Spain in 1822 to his loyal subject Antonio Ygnacio Avila. The ranch that he created in present day Hermosa was called Rancho Sausal Redondo--the ranch of the round grove of willows. After Avila's death, his heirs sold the rancho to a wealthy Scotsman, Sir Robert Burnett. Sir Burnett arrived in Southern California just before the Civil War with intentions of buying land to raise sheep and cattle. In 1855 Burnett sold the land to another Scot, Daniel Freeman. In 1900 E. B. Pomroy owned the greater part of the original ranch. The sameyear, two railroad men and developers named Moses Sherman and Eli Clark purchased a 1500 acre tract of Pomroy's land. The two had built an empire of electric railroads and intended to extend one of them, the Los Angeles Pacific, down to the booming port of Redondo Beach. Since railroads needed passengers and freight, they decided to develop their tract and sell off land for homes and factories. The City of Hermosa Beach was laid out with the developers' railroad running down the center of Hermosa Avenue and terminating at Redondo Pier. Hermosa was first intended to be a resort town for summer visitors from downtown Los Angeles. Hermosa Beach incorporated in 1907 as the 19th city in the Los Angeles County. The roaring 1920's brought in factories, business and small industry including a a glass factory, silk mill, and a large tile plant. The product of the tile factory was Hermosa Tile, and is still in demand among tile collectors. After the World War II, Hermosa Beach experienced another rapid boom in population resulting from being connected by roads to the greater L.A. area. |
