Wilmington, Los Angeles, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wilmington, California is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, with industry as its primary economical activity. It lies adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Harbor City.
The ZIP Codes for Wilmington are 90744, and 90748 for P.O. boxes only.
Wilmington is the site of Drum Barracks, or Camp Drum, the only major American Civil War landmark in California.
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[edit] History of Wilmington
The land was originally part of the 1784 Spanish land grant of Rancho San Pedro. It was known as New San Pedro when the town was founded in September 1858. It was located at the site of a wharf, known as Banning's Landing, built by Phineas Banning. The name was changed in 1863 in honor of Wilmington, Delaware, Banning's birthplace. The post office, which opened in 1864, was the second in Los Angeles County.
The Roman Catholic church of SS. Peter and Paul was founded in 1865 and is now the second oldest parish in the archdiocese of Los Angeles. During the Jubilee Year 2000, it was proclaimed as a Pilgrimage Church and now it is called the Historic Faith Center of the San Pedro Pastoral Region.
The first railroad in Southern California was built in 1869, and ran from Banning's Landing up to the city of Los Angeles. Following the choice of San Pedro as the official location for the Port of Los Angeles in the 1890s, the town continued to grow with increased federal spending in the area. The city was annexed by the city of Los Angeles in 1909.
[edit] Points of interest
- Wienerschnitzel (located on Pacific Coast Highway, East of Figueroa St.)
- The first Der Wienerschnitzel hot dog restaurant opened in 1961 in Wilmington and is still open for business.
- 1111 Figueroa Place--One of two community colleges serving the South Bay region of Los Angeles.
- Drum Barracks Civil War Museum
- 1052 N Banning Blvd--U.S. Army headquarters during the Civil War era.
- Banning's Landing
- 100 E Water St--One of a kind community center inspired by Wilmington's maritime traditions. The building was designed by Ted Tanaka.
- Phineas Banning Residence Museum
- 401 E "M" St--Most famous structure in Wilmington and former home of the Banning family. The historic landmark was designed in Greek Revival style.
- The Banning Park Neighborhood:
- The 1200 blocks of Lakme Ave, Cary Ave, and Banning Blvd (Between East "L" and "M" streets). This area features historic homes built in Spanish, Dutch, and American Colonial revival styles. Most of the homes were constructed during the 1930s and 1940s and developed by Sid Spearing. The site was originally purchased by William Wrigley Jr. in 1927.
[edit] Education
Wilmington is zoned to schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Elementary schools that serve Wilmington include:
- Banning New Elementary School #1 (final name pending)
- Broad Avenue Elementary School
- Fries Avenue Elementary School
- Gulf Avenue Elementary School
- Hawaiian Avenue Elementary School
- Wilmington Park Elementary School
Wilmington Middle School and Banning High School serve Wilmington. Some portions are jointly zoned to Wilmington and Dodson middle schools.
[edit] Port of Los Angeles
Main article: Port of Los Angeles.
San Pedro and Wilmington are the locations of the Port of Los Angeles.
[edit] Movies and TV shows filmed in Wilmington
- To Live and Die In L.A.
- When Harry Met Sally...
- Primary Colors
- Fight Club
- A Man Apart
- The Fast and The Furious
- Back to the Future Part II
- Alien Nation
- The Last Shot
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- The Rose
- We Jam Econo - concert footage
[edit] Trivia
- Members of the popular punk band Left Alone are from Wilmington.
- Ex-Banning High School alumni Vince Ferragamo quarterbacked the 1979-1980 Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers where they almost pulled a stunning upset before succumbing on late 4th quarter Terry Bradshaw bomb for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.
- Ex-Banning High School alumni Bob Whitfield was a starting NFL left tackle for the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants for 15 seasons before retiring after the 2007 season.
- Apollonia, who co-starred with Prince in his movie Purple Rain was raised in Wilmington.
- UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero is from Wilmington.
[edit] External links
- Wilmington Historical Society
- Chamber of Commerce
- General Phineas Banning Residence Museum
- List of Historical cnd Cultural Monuments in Wilmington and Harbor City
- Wilmington Neighborhood Council
- Phineas Banning High School
- Los Angeles Harbor College
- 2006 Waterfront Development Plan
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
