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BHistory
History · Inglewood

Inglewood dates to 1888, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #111 of 847 in California. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Centinela Adobe, the Fox Theatre Inglewood and the Forum. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1910.

1888founded
3on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
46famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Inglewood’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Inglewood began

When was Inglewood founded?

1888

Inglewood dates its founding to 1888 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 1,536 in 19102020 census: 107,762138 years

How historic is Inglewood?

B

More historic than 58% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1889.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Inglewood’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Inglewood is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #111 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Inglewood’s overall grade.
Founding era1888, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194016.1% of homes (±1.4) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register3 listings, 0.3 per 10,000 residents · typical CA town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 58%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 87%

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Inglewood ranks #215 on History.

Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Inglewood’s 0.3 sits above most of its state (67% of California towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1888.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Inglewood’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

On the map since 18968 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1981. Watch Inglewood change.A town in old photos18 old photos, postcards and papers, 1888–1939.Famous sons and daughtersTyra Banks, Esther Williams and 44 more were born here.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1892 to 1912, drew every building in Inglewood.
★ What stands out · On the map

Inglewood on the map, 1896 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Inglewood. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Inglewood on the 1896 USGS mapInglewood on the 1924 USGS mapInglewood on the 1930 USGS mapInglewood on the 1948 USGS mapInglewood on the 1950 USGS mapInglewood on the 1964 USGS mapInglewood on the 1972 USGS mapInglewood on the 1981 USGS map1896Redondo sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Inglewood.

By decade

Inglewood, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1900s9 items
California State Library copy Centinela-Inglewood Land Company 18881888California State Library copy Centinela-Inglewood Lan…Bean threshing on the Centinela Ranch (CHS-2143)c. 1900Bean threshing on the Centinela Ranch (CHS-2143)Map of the Los Angeles-Pacific R.R (uclamss 294 b96 1)c. 1900Map of the Los Angeles-Pacific R.R (uclamss 294 b96 1)MapMap of the Venice-Inglewoodc. 1900Map of the Venice-InglewoodMapSteam threshing beans on the Centinela Ranch (CHS-2142)c. 1900Steam threshing beans on the Centinela Ranch (CHS-214…Parachute for airplanes, new invention tried out with success1900Parachute for airplanes, new invention tried out with…Bean threshing on the Centinela Ranch (later Inglewood) (CHS-2270)c. 1903Bean threshing on the Centinela Ranch (later Inglewoo…Bean threshing operation on the Centinela Ranch (later Inglewood), 1903 (CHS-2272)1903Bean threshing operation on the Centinela Ranch (late…Bean threshing operation on the Centinela Ranch, 1903 (CHS-2271)c. 1903Bean threshing operation on the Centinela Ranch, 1903…
1910s–1930s9 items
Inglewood-1910c. 1910Inglewood-1910Earthquake damage in Inglewood, showing row of decimated structures, June 1920 (CHS-44963)1920Earthquake damage in Inglewood, showing row of decima…Los Angeles Earthquake1920Los Angeles EarthquakeLos Angeles Earthquake1920Los Angeles EarthquakeUntitled photo, possibly related to: North American Aviation, Incorporated1935Untitled photo, possibly related to: North American A…View of the B-25 final assembly line at North American Aviation's Inglewood, California, plant1939View of the B-25 final assembly line at North America…North American Aviation's B-25 medium bomber1939North American Aviation's B-25 medium bomberEmployees at North American Aviation, Incorporated, assembling the cowling on Allison motors for the P-51 fighter planes1939Employees at North American Aviation, Incorporated, a…On North American's outdoor assembly line, employees rush a B-25 to completion, N[orth] A[merican] Aviation1939On North American's outdoor assembly line, employees …
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Famous people

46 famous people were born in Inglewood

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Tyra BanksAmerican television personality, producer, and … · b. 1973
Esther WilliamsAmerican swimmer, actress and singer · b. 1921
Becky GAmerican singer · b. 1997
Joseph M. AcabaAstronaut, Hydrogeologist, science teacher · b. 1967
Brittney ReeseAmerican female Olympic athlete · b. 1986
OmarionAmerican R&B singer · b. 1984
The story

How Inglewood came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Inglewood.

Read it all →

The earliest residents of what is now Inglewood were Native Americans who used the Aguaje de Centinela natural springs in today's Edward Vincent Sr. Park (known for most of its history as Centinela Park). Local historian Gladys Waddingham wrote that these springs took the name Centinela from the hills that rose gradually around them, and which allowed ranchers to watch over their herds," (thus the name centinelas or sentinels).

ChaptersSpanish eraMexican eraAmerican eraReligious historyTrash-hauling pact

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Inglewood, 1888 to 1997

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888
    FoundingInglewood is established
  3. 1888In the archiveCalifornia State Library copy Centinela-Inglewood Land Company 1888
  4. 1889Post officeThe Centinela post office opens
  5. 1895Post officeThe Centinela post office closes
  6. 1895Post officeThe Inglewood post office opens
  7. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900In the archiveBean threshing on the Centinela Ranch (CHS-2143)
  10. 1910In the archiveInglewood-1910
  11. 1920In the archiveEarthquake damage in Inglewood, showing row of decimated structures, June 1920 (CHS-44963)
  12. 1921Born hereEsther Williams is born here
  13. 1935In the archiveUntitled photo, possibly related to: North American Aviation, Incorporated
  14. 1948BuiltFox Theatre Inglewood is built
  15. 1967Born hereJoseph M. Acaba is born here
  16. 1973Born hereTyra Banks is born here
  17. 1997Born hereBecky G is born here
Every building

Inglewood, building by building, 1892–1912

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Inglewood fire insurance map, 1892, sheet 11892Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

California State Library copy Centinela-Inglewood Land Company 1888
Retake this viewCalifornia State Library copy Centinela-Inglewood Land Company 1888, 1888

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Inglewood’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Inglewood

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Centinela Adobe
Centinela AdobeFox Theatre Inglewood, built 1948Forum
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Streamline Moderne1
Centinela AdobeBuilding
Fox Theatre InglewoodStreamline Moderne · Built 1948
ForumBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Inglewood, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,000100,000120,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 112,580

Between 1,536 and 112,580 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Inglewood’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Inglewood’s post office has been open since 1895. Another post office, Centinela, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Centinela
1889–1895
Inglewood
1895–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Morningside Park
Gone or out of use
Oak SchoolschoolPotrero Country Clublocale
1cemetery inside Inglewood
Inglewood Park

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Inglewood’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCalifornia State Library copy Centinela…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

LennoxIts storyC−Los Angeles284 historic placesAHawthorne1 historic placeC−Ladera HeightsIts storyC−WestmontIts storyB−

Questions about Inglewood’s history

What year was Inglewood founded?

In 1888, according to Wikidata. Inglewood’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1910 counted 1,536 people here.

How does Inglewood rank for history?

Inglewood is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #111 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Inglewood?

Three places: the Centinela Adobe (listed 1974), the Fox Theatre Inglewood (2013) and the Forum (2014).

How old are the homes in Inglewood?

16% of Inglewood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1960.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the Library of Congress (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.