Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 102,773 at the 2020 census.

Founded in the late 19th century, Norwalk was incorporated as a city in 1957. It is located southeast of downtown Los Angeles and is part of the Greater Los Angeles area.

Norwalk is a member of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments. Norwalk's sister cities are Morelia in the Mexican state of Michoacán, and Hermosillo, in the Mexican state of Sonora.

History

The area known as "Norwalk" was first home to the Shoshonean Native American tribe. They survived primarily on honey, an array of berries, acorns, sage, squirrels, rabbits and birds. Their huts were part of the Sejat Indian village.General Info & Statistics | City of Norwalk, CA

In the late 1760s, settlers and missions flourished under Spanish rule with the famous El Camino Real trail traversing the area. Manuel Nieto, a Spanish soldier, received a Spanish land grant (Rancho Los Nietos) in 1784 that included Norwalk.

After the Mexican–American War in 1848, the Rancho and mining days ended. Portions of the land were subdivided and made available for sale when California was admitted into the union of the United States. Word of this land development reached the Sproul Brothers in Oregon. They recalled the fertile land and huge sycamore trees they saw during an earlier visit to the Southern California area. In 1869, Atwood Sproul, on behalf of his brother, Gilbert, purchased of land at $11 an acre ($2,700/km2) in an area known as Corazón de los Valles, or "Heart of the Valleys".Long Beach Press-Telegram, December 23, 1923, Page 44

By 1873, railroads were being built in the area and the Sprouls deeded , stipulating a "passenger stop" clause in the deed. Three days after the Anaheim Branch Railroad crossed the "North-walk" for the first time, Gilbert Sproul surveyed a town site. In 1874, the name was recorded officially as Norwalk. While a majority of the Norwalk countryside remained undeveloped during the 1880s, the Norwalk Station allowed potential residents the opportunity to visit the "country" from across the nation.McGroarty, J. S. (1923). History of Los Angeles County. United States: American Historical Society, Incorporated. p.544 " in the winter of 1868 he and his brother Gilbert H. bought 457 acres of unimproved land at what is now Norwalk, the original portion of the Sproul ranch costing only eleven dollars an acre. The village of Norwalk stands on this ranch. Immediately after locating on the property, Atwood Sproul built a livery barn and began buying, selling and training horses. A number of splendid horses were kept there. One of them was Conveth, a chestnut horse that sold for $ 10,000 as a yearling . The Sproul Brothers gave the right of way and depot grounds, altogether twenty-three acres, to the railroad . In the deed conveying this property was a clause compelling maintenance of daily train service for the station at Norwalk. This clause proved very valuable to the citizens of the community. At one time the railroad declined to stop for passengers. "

The families referred to as the "first families" of Norwalk (including the Sprouls, the Dewitts, the Settles, and the Orrs) settled in the area in the years before 1900. D.D. Johnston pioneered the first school system in Norwalk in 1880. Johnston was also responsible for the first real industry in town, a cheese factory, by furnishing Tom Lumbard with the money in 1882. Norwalk's prosperity was evident in the 1890s with the construction of a number of fine homes that were located in the middle of orchards, farms and dairies. Headstones for these families can be found at Little Lake Cemetery, which was founded in 1843 on the border between Norwalk and Santa Fe Springs at Lakeland Road.

At the turn of the 19th century, Norwalk had become established as a dairy center. Of the 50 local families reported in the 1900 census, most were associated with farming or with the dairy industry. Norwalk was also the home of some of the largest sugar beet farms in all of Southern California during this era. Many of the dairy farmers who settled in Norwalk during the early part of the 20th century were Dutch.

After the 1950s, the Hispanic population in Norwalk grew significantly as the area became increasingly residential.

In February 1958, two military aircraft, a Douglas C-118A military transport and a U.S. Navy P2V-5F Neptune patrol bomber, collided over Norwalk at night. Forty-seven servicemen were killed, as was a civilian 23-year-old woman on the ground who was hit by falling debris. A plaque commemorating the disaster and erected by the American Legion in 1961 marks the spot of the accident, today a mini-mall at the corner of Firestone Boulevard and Pioneer Boulevard.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.40%) is water.

Neighborhoods Carmenita (South Norwalk) Civic Center (Central Norwalk) Norwalk Hills (North Norwalk) South Norwalk Studebaker (North Norwalk) Norwalk Manor (South East Norwalk) (not to be confused with Norwalk Manor, a major subdivision built in 1947 to 1949)

Demographics

Norwalk first appeared as a city in the 1960 U.S. census as part of the Downey-Norwalk census county division (pop. 272,729 in 1960).

+Norwalk city, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)44,96434,63319,57413,0078,91952.72%36.73%18.95%12.32%8.68%Black or African American alone (NH)1,3722,8464,5294,1353,8491.61%3.02%4.38%3.92%3.75%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)7715104632812940.90%0.54%0.45%0.27%0.29%Asian alone (NH)3,75210,93111,72412,38713,6804.40%11.59%11.35%11.74%13.31%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)3363663700.33%0.35%0.36%Other Race alone (NH)2132411381914860.25%0.26%0.13%0.18%0.47%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xx1,5691,1411,627xx1.52%1.08%1.58%Hispanic or Latino (any race)34,21445,11864,96574,04173,54840.12%47.86%62.89%70.15%71.56%Total85,28694,279103,298105,549102,773100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 The 2020 United States census reported that Norwalk had a population of 102,773. The population density was . The racial makeup of Norwalk was 20.1% White, 4.1% African American, 2.4% Native American, 13.7% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 38.3% from other races, and 21.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 71.6% of the population.

The census reported that 98.8% of the population lived in households, 0.7% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized.

There were 27,835 households, out of which 42.6% included children under the age of 18, 52.7% were married-couple households, 6.8% were cohabiting couple households, 25.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.8% had a male householder with no partner present. 13.1% of households were one person, and 6.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.65. There were 22,894 families (82.2% of all households).

The age distribution was 22.0% under the age of 18, 10.4% aged 18 to 24, 28.6% aged 25 to 44, 25.2% aged 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 36.6years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males.

There were 28,455 housing units at an average density of , of which 27,835 (97.8%) were occupied. Of these, 64.6% were owner-occupied, and 35.4% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $98,709, and the per capita income was $31,989. About 7.3% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 The 2010 United States census reported that Norwalk had a population of 105,549. The population density was . The racial makeup of Norwalk was 52,089 (49.4%) White (12.3% Non-Hispanic White), 4,593 (4.4%) African American, 1,213 (1.1%) Native American, 12,700 (12.0%) Asian (5.3% Filipino, 2.5% Korean, 0.9% Chinese, 0.8% Indian, 0.8% Vietnamese, 0.6% Cambodian, 0.3% Thai, 0.3% Japanese), 431 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 29,954 (28.4%) from other races, and 4,569 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 74,041 persons (70.1%)

The Census reported that 103,934 people (98.5% of the population) lived in households, 315 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,300 (1.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 27,130 households, out of which 13,678 (50.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15,190 (56.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 5,045 (18.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,348 (8.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,712 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 178 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,417 households (12.6%) were made up of individuals, and 1,631 (6.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.83. There were 22,583 families (83.2% of all households); the average family size was 4.10.

The population was spread out, with 29,164 people (27.6%) under the age of 18, 12,026 people (11.4%) aged 18 to 24, 30,138 people (28.6%) aged 25 to 44, 23,790 people (22.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 10,431 people (9.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.

There were 28,083 housing units at an average density of , of which 17,671 (65.1%) were owner-occupied, and 9,459 (34.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 70,180 people (66.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 33,754 people (32.0%) lived in rental housing units.

During 2009–2013, Norwalk had a median household income of $60,770, with 12.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Mapping L.A. Mapping L.A. reported that in 2000, Mexican (50.7%) and Filipino (4.3%) were the most common ancestries. Mexico (58.8%) and the Philippines (9.2%) were the most common foreign places of birth.

Economy Top employers According to the city's 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees 1Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District2,0572Cerritos College1,5703Los Angeles County Registrar/Recorder1,5644Metropolitan State Hospital1,4665Target4426City of Norwalk4097Costco3178Doty Brother's Construction3009Coast Plaza Hospital29510Los Angeles Community Hospital25011Little Lake School District24212Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department 24013Walmart23814Kerber Brothers Inc20015Southland Care Center18016Double Tree Hotel16917McDonald's16818Keystone Collision Center15019Prudential California Realty15020US Post Office 130

Arts and culture

Historic homes include: Hargitt House, built in 1891 by the D.D. Johnston family, in the Victorian Eastlake style. The Hargitt House Museum is located here. The Sproul House, a Stick Style-influenced, Victorian farm house built in 1870 by the founder of Norwalk, Gilbert Sproul.Burt, Tim (Jul 3, 1977) "Early Norwalk Lives at Sproul Museum"