Why Inglewood
Inglewood is a city spanning 9.1 square miles in the South Bay region of southwestern Los Angeles County, California. Situated within the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, the city lies directly east of Los Angeles International Airport, with its downtown district positioned just over four miles from the airport complex. Home to a diverse population, Inglewood is organized into ten distinct neighborhoods, including Morningside Park, Downtown Inglewood, Fairview Heights, North Inglewood, Crenshaw-Imperial, and Inglewood Knolls.
The area's recorded history began around the Aguaje de Centinela natural springs, located in present-day Edward Vincent Sr. Park. Native Americans originally utilized these springs, and during the Spanish and Mexican eras, the surrounding lands were used for livestock grazing across local ranchos. The historic Centinela Adobe, constructed in 1834 on a rise overlooking the present route of Interstate 405, now serves as the headquarters for the Centinela Valley Historical Society. Residential and civic growth accelerated after the Venice–Inglewood railway opened in 1887 alongside the establishment of the Centinela-Inglewood Land Company, leading to the city's official incorporation in 1908.
Throughout the twentieth century, Inglewood developed as a regional residential and commercial center. Key developments included the founding of Inglewood Park Cemetery in 1905 and the launch of California's first Fosters Freeze soft-serve ice cream location in 1946. Following significant demographic shifts and court-ordered school desegregation in the 1960s and 1970s, Inglewood elected its first African-American mayor in 1983 and became the first California city to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday. The city's Latino community also expanded significantly from the 1980s onward, and the city earned All-America City designations in 1989 and 2009.
Today, Inglewood is widely recognized as a prominent hub for professional sports and major live entertainment in Southern California. The Kia Forum, an indoor venue built in 1967 in Morningside Park, previously hosted professional basketball and hockey franchises before converting exclusively into a concert facility. Situated on the site of the former Hollywood Park horse racing track, SoFi Stadium opened in 2020 to host two National Football League teams, 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, and the opening ceremony of the 2028 Summer Olympics. Additionally, the Intuit Dome opened in 2024 to host professional basketball games.
Visitors to the city can explore several distinct commercial and cultural districts. Morningside Park contains major sports venues alongside retail developments such as The Village at Century. North Inglewood and Fairview Heights host a local arts community along East Hyde Park Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, accessible via the K Line transit rail.
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