Compton is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. It is home to almost 100,000 citizens. Known as the “Hub City” because of its unique position in almost the exact geographical center of Los Angeles County, Compton is strategically located along the Alameda Corridor, a passageway of 25 percent of all U.S. waterborne international trade. Compton is rapidly emerging as a large industrial center in Los Angeles County for transit and distribution, business services, high technology, home and lifestyle products, metals, financial services, and textile manufacturing. This is an exciting time for Compton. The City is developing a wide range of economic and cultural opportunities that will help to make Compton a prime destination for residents and businesses.
Known as the Hub City because of its location in nearly the exact geographical center of Los Angeles County, the City of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and the eighth to incorporate. The territory was settled in 1867 by a band of 30 pioneering families, who were led to the area by Griffith Dickenson Compton. These families had wagon-trained south from Stockton, California in search of ways to earn a living other than in the rapidly depleting gold fields.
Cold, heavy rains greeted the settlers soon after their arrival, and a devastating flood threatened to wipe out the community before it even got started. The rising waters forced the Compton party to take to high ground. Confronted with such powerful forces of nature, many in the Compton party considered trying to find a more suitable location to set down roots. In the end, however, the families decided to stay, and they immediately began to purchase blocks of land in the Temple and Gibson Tract. The 4,600 acres of land that they purchased from F.P.F. Temple and F.W. Gibson for five dollars an acre had originally been the northeast portion of the territory known as Rancho San Pedro, which was granted to Juan Jose Dominguez by the Spanish Crown.
Compton’s early settlers faced severe hardship as they tilled the earth to scratch out a meager existence. The weather was cold and wet, and fuel was scarce. Gathering firewood required a three day-trip to the mountains near Pasadena. Also, in the early years there were only two general stores in the area: one in the pueblo of Los Angeles, the other in Wilmington. Both were miles away and required a lengthy trek either by foot or horseback.
Despite hardships, by the end of 1868 the settlers began to look to the future. They built a schoolhouse, which also served as a church and a center for civic gatherings. The settlement became known as Compton in 1869. Originally named Gibsonville, after one of the tract owners, it was later called Comptonville. However, to avoid confusion with the Comptonville located in Yuba County, the name was shortened to Compton.
By 1887, the settlers felt the need for improved local government. They held a series of town meetings to discuss the possibility of incorporation. In January 1888, they forwarded a petition supporting the incorporation of Compton to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, who in turn forwarded the petition to the State Legislature.
The petition named Thomas R. Dowles, William H. Carpenter, James J. Harsman, George H. Palmer and Randolph Sherer as members of the first City Council.The area to be incorporated included all the land one mile east and west of Wilmington Avenue (now Willowbrook Avenue), and from Greenleaf on the south to a quarter mile north of Rosecrans.
The City of Compton was officially incorporated on May 11, 1888. The new city, with a population of 500 people, held its first City Council meeting on May 14, 1888 in the home of William H. Carpenter.
Learn more about this city.
City of Compton, CA official site
City of Compton, CA Chamber of Commerce
City of Compton, CA newspaper
County of Compton, CA official site
State of California official site