Lakewood, California
| Lakewood, California | ||
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| General law city | ||
| City of Lakewood | ||
Lakewood City Hall
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| Motto: Good Ideas Last for Generations | ||
 Location of Lakewood in Los Angeles County, California |
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 Lakewood, California
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| Coordinates: 33°50′51″N 118°7′12″W / 33.84750°N 118.12000°WCoordinates: 33°50′51″N 118°7′12″W / 33.84750°N 118.12000°W | ||
| Country |  United States of America |
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| State |
 California
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| County |
 Los Angeles
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| Incorporated | April 16, 1954 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Ron Piazza | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 9.466 sq mi (24.517 km2) | |
| • Land | 9.415 sq mi (24.384 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.051 sq mi (0.133 km2) 0.54% | |
| Elevation | 46 ft (14 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 80,048 | |
| • Density | 8,500/sq mi (3,300/km2) | |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) | |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) | |
| ZIP codes | 90711–90716, 90805 | |
| Area code | 562 | |
| FIPS code | 06-39892 | |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1660883,2411613 | |
| Website | www |
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Lakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 80,048 at the 2010 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west and south, Bellflower on the north, Cerritos on the northeast, Cypress on the east, and Hawaiian Gardens on the southeast. Major thoroughfares include Lakewood (SR 19), Bellflower, and Del Amo Boulevards and Carson and South Streets. The San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605) runs through the city's eastern regions.
Sometimes called "an instant city" because of its origins, going from lima bean fields in 1950 to a well-developed city by 1960, Lakewood is a classic example of a post–World War II American suburb.
Lakewood is a planned, post-World War II community. Developers Louis Boyar, Mark Taper and Ben Weingart are credited with "altering forever the map of Southern California." Begun in late 1949, the completion of the developers' plan in 1953 helped in the transformation of mass-produced housing from its early phases in the 1930s and 1940s to the reality of the 1950s.
WWII veterans could get home loans with no down payment and a 30-year mortgage at only 4 percent interest. On the first day of sales, on March 24, 1950, an estimated 30,000 people lined up to walk through a row of seven model houses. By the end of April, more than 200,000 people had flocked to the Lakewood Park sales office and more than 1,000 families had purchased homes (30-a-day on average). Once, 107 homes sold in just one hour. The monthly cost was only $44 to $56, including principal, interest and insurance.
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