Compton’s earliest settlers faced terrible hardships as they farmed the land in bleak weather and barely scraped by. The weather remained harsh, rainy, and cold, and fuel was difficult to find. To gather firewood, they had to travel to the mountains near Pasadena. The round trip took almost a week. Many in the Compton party wanted to relocate to a friendlier climate and settle down, but because two general stores were within traveling distance—one in the pueblo of Los Angeles and the other in Wilmington—they eventually decided to stay put.
Compton is a city in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, located south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, in May 1888, became the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporate. According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 95,740.
It is known as the “Hub City” because of its geographic centrality within Los Angeles County, though it is actually near the southern end of the county. Neighborhoods in Compton include Sunny Cove, Leland, downtown Compton, and Richland Farms.
History
The Battle of Dominguez Rancho, 1846
The Main Street of Compton, 1914
The Tongva Native Americans first lived in the area.
The Spanish Empire expanded into this area when the Viceroy of New Spain commissioned Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo to explore the Pacific Ocean in 1542–1543. In 1767, the area became part of the Province of the Californias (Spanish: Provincia de las Californias), and the Portolá expedition explored it in 1769–1770. In 1784, the Spanish Crown deeded Rancho San Pedro, a tract of over 75,000 acres (300 km2), to soldier Juan José Domínguez.
Domínguez’s descendants partitioned the land among family members, sold parcels to newly arriving settlers, and relinquished some when validating their legal claim with the Mexican government at 48,000 acres (190 km2) in 1828, and with the United States government through a patent validating 43,119 acres (174.50 km2) in 1858. The Domínguez family name is still used throughout the area, including the Dominguez Rancho Adobe historical landmark and the unincorporated community of Rancho Dominguez, located between the cities of Compton, Long Beach, and Carson. The tree that marked the rancho’s original northern boundary still stands at the corner of Poppy and Short streets.
In 1867, Griffith Dickenson Compton led a group of 30 pioneers to the area. These families traveled by wagon train from Stockton, California, south in search of ways to earn a living beyond the rapidly depleting gold fields. Originally named Gibsonville, after one of the tract owners, the settlement was later called Comptonville. To avoid confusion with the Camptonville in Yuba County, the name was shortened to Compton.
Compton’s earliest settlers faced terrible hardships as they farmed the land in bleak weather and barely scraped by. The weather remained harsh, rainy, and cold, and fuel was difficult to find. To gather firewood, they had to travel to the mountains near Pasadena. The round trip took almost a week. Many in the Compton party wanted to relocate to a friendlier climate and settle down, but because two general stores were within traveling distance—one in the pueblo of Los Angeles and the other in Wilmington—they eventually decided to stay put.
By 1887, the settlers realized it was time to improve local government. A series of town meetings were held to discuss incorporating their town. In 1889, Griffith D. Compton donated his land to incorporate and create the city of Compton, but he stipulated that a certain acreage be zoned solely for agriculture and named it Richland Farms. In January 1888, a petition supporting the incorporation of Compton was forwarded to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which in turn forwarded it to the State Legislature. On May 11, 1888, the city of Compton was incorporated with a population of 5000. The first City Council meeting was held on May 14, 1888.
In 1890, Compton residents held a series of votes to shed significant portions of the city. By the end of the year, Compton was down to only eighty acres of land, with five remaining voters residing within that territory. Because so few people could fill positions in city government, Compton effectively stopped functioning as a city. By 1906, lawyers Emmett Wilson and E.T. Sherer filed suits to nullify the 1890 elections, restoring Compton to 600 acres (240 ha). Compton was reborn, with elections held to fill open positions.
The ample residential lots of Richland Farms gave residents enough space to raise a family, grow food to feed them, build a barn, and care for livestock. The farms attracted black families who had begun migrating from the rural South in the 1950s, and there they found their ‘home away from home’. Compton could not support large-scale agricultural business, but it did give residents the opportunity to work the land for their families.
The 1920s saw the opening of Compton Airport. Compton Junior College was founded, and city officials moved to a new City Hall on Alameda Street. On March 10, 1933, a destructive earthquake caused many casualties: schools were destroyed, and the central business district sustained major damage. Although it would eventually be home to a large Black population, in 1930 there was only one Black resident.
From the 1920s through the early 1940s, the Compton area was home to a sizable Japanese American population, many of whom were farmers. Shortly after President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, Compton residents of Japanese descent were forcibly removed from their homes and interned for the duration of World War II. Most were initially detained at the Santa Anita Assembly Center and later transferred to Manzanar and other internment centers, known as “Relocation Centers.”
In the 1950s, middle-class black families began moving into the area, mostly on the west side. Compton grew quickly throughout the decade, partly because of its proximity to Watts, which had an established Black population. The eastern side of the city remained predominantly white until the 1970s. Despite being in a major metropolitan area, Compton still retains a small agricultural pocket from its earliest years, thanks to the legacy of Griffith D.
After the Supreme Court declared racially exclusive housing covenants (title deeds) unconstitutional in Shelley v. Kraemer, the first black families moved to the area in the 1950s and 1960s. Compton’s growing black population was still largely ignored and neglected by the city’s elected officials. Centennial High School was finally built to accommodate a burgeoning student population. A black man first ran for City Council in 1958, and the first black councilman was elected in 1961.
An aerial view of Compton, 1920
In 1969, Douglas Dollarhide became the first black man elected mayor of any metropolitan city in California. Two African Americans and one Mexican-American were also elected to the local school board. Four years later, in 1973, Doris A. Davis defeated Dollarhide in the re-election bid to become the first black female mayor of a metropolitan American city. By the early 1970s, the city had one of the largest concentrations of African Americans in the country, at over sixty-five percent. In 2013, Aja Brown, age 31, became the city’s youngest mayor; she was re-elected in 2017.
For many years, Compton was a much-sought-after suburb for Los Angeles’s black middle class. This past affluence is reflected in the area’s appearance: Compton’s streets are lined with spacious, attractive single-family houses. However, several factors have contributed to Compton’s gradual decline. One of the most significant was the steady erosion of its already sparse tax base because of a lack of commercial properties. In the late 1950s, middle-class whites fled to the newly incorporated cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Paramount, and Norwalk. These nearby cities remained largely white early on, despite integration. This white middle-class flight accelerated following the 1965 Watts Riots and the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
By the late 1960s, middle- and upper-middle-class African Americans found other areas more attractive. Some chose unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, such as Ladera Heights, View Park, and Windsor Hills, while others moved to cities such as Inglewood and Carson. Carson was particularly significant because it had successfully thwarted annexation attempts by neighboring Compton. The city opted instead for incorporation in 1968; notably, its black population was more affluent than its white population. As a newer city, it also offered more favorable tax rates and lower crime rates.
White supremacist gangs instilled fear and terrorized black and Hispanic communities across the region during the 1940s and 1950s, with The Spook Hunters being the most notorious among them. Nevertheless, white flight began in the 1950s, following a Supreme Court ruling in 1948 that invalidated discriminatory housing practices. Compton was also home to famous white residents, including the Bush family.
Geography and climate
Highway sign for Compton on State Route 91 Map of Compton, c. 2001
According to the United States Census Bureau’s 2020 data, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26 km2). Of that, 10.03 square miles (26.0 km2) is land, and 0.1 square mile (0.26 km2) (1.03%) is water.
Compton is bordered to the north and northwest by the unincorporated Willowbrook; to the west by the unincorporated West Compton; to the southwest by the city of Carson; to the south by the unincorporated Rancho Dominguez; to the southeast by the city of Long Beach; to the east by the city of Paramount and the unincorporated East Compton; and to the northeast by the city of Lynwood.
East Compton
East Compton, also known as East Rancho Dominguez, is a mostly industrial unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP). The 2010 Census recorded a population of 15,135. East Rancho Dominguez is an accepted city name according to the USPS and shares the 90221-ZIP Code with Compton. Its sphere of influence is the city of Compton, which has tried to annex East Rancho Dominguez, but local business and property owners have opposed the annexation.
By 1887, the settlers realized it was time to improve local government. A series of town meetings discussed incorporating the town. In 1889, Griffith D. Compton donated his land to incorporate and create the city of Compton, but he stipulated that a certain acreage be zoned solely for agriculture and named it Richland Farms. In January 1888, a petition supporting Compton’s incorporation was forwarded to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which in turn forwarded it to the State Legislature. On May 11, 1888, the city of Compton was incorporated with a population of 5000. The first City Council meeting was held on May 14, 1888.
In 1890, Compton residents held a series of votes to shed significant portions of the city. By the end of the year, Compton was down to only eighty acres of land, with five remaining voters residing within that territory. Because so few people could fill positions in city government, Compton effectively stopped functioning as a city. By 1906, lawyers Emmett Wilson and E.T. Sherer filed suits to nullify the 1890 elections, restoring Compton to 600 acres (240 ha). Compton was reborn, with elections held to fill open positions.
The ample residential lots of Richland Farms gave residents enough space to raise a family, grow food, build a barn, and care for livestock. The farms attracted black families who had begun migrating from the rural South in the 1950s, and there they found their ‘home away from home’. Compton could not support large-scale agricultural business, but it did give residents the opportunity to work the land for their families.
The 1920s saw the opening of Compton Airport. Compton Junior College was founded, and city officials moved to a new City Hall on Alameda Street. On March 10, 1933, a destructive earthquake caused many casualties: schools were destroyed, and the central business district sustained major damage. Although it would eventually be home to a large Black population, in 1930 there was only one Black resident.
From the 1920s through the early 1940s, the Compton area was home to a sizable Japanese American population, many of whom were farmers. Shortly after President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, Compton residents of Japanese descent were forcibly removed from their homes and interned for the duration of World War II. Most were initially detained at the Santa Anita Assembly Center and later transferred to Manzanar and other internment centers, known as “Relocation Centers.”
In the 1950s, middle-class black families began moving into the area, mostly on the west side. Compton grew quickly throughout the decade, partly because of its proximity to Watts, which had an established Black population. The eastern side of the city remained predominantly white until the 1970s. Despite being in a major metropolitan area, Compton still retains a small agricultural pocket from its earliest years, thanks to the legacy of Griffith D.
After the Supreme Court declared racially exclusive housing covenants (title deeds) unconstitutional in Shelley v. Kraemer, the first black families moved to the area in the 1950s and 1960s. Compton’s growing black population was still largely ignored and neglected by the city’s elected officials. Centennial High School was finally built to accommodate a burgeoning student population. A black man first ran for City Council in 1958, and the first black councilman was elected in 1961.
An aerial view of Compton, 1920
In 1969, Douglas Dollarhide became the first black man elected mayor of any metropolitan city in California. Two African Americans and one Mexican-American were also elected to the local school board. Four years later, in 1973, Doris A. Davis defeated Dollarhide in the re-election bid to become the first black female mayor of a metropolitan American city. By the early 1970s, the city had one of the largest concentrations of African Americans in the country, at over sixty-five percent. In 2013, Aja Brown, age 31, became the city’s youngest mayor; she was re-elected in 2017.
For many years, Compton was a much-sought-after suburb for Los Angeles’s black middle class. This past affluence is reflected in the area’s appearance: Compton’s streets are lined with spacious, attractive single-family houses. However, several factors have contributed to Compton’s gradual decline. One of the most significant was the steady erosion of its already sparse tax base, due to a lack of commercial properties. In the late 1950s, middle-class whites fled to the newly incorporated cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Paramount, and Norwalk. These nearby cities remained largely white early on, despite integration. This white middle-class flight accelerated following the 1965 Watts Riots and the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
By the late 1960s, middle- and upper-middle-class African Americans found other areas more attractive. Some chose unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, such as Ladera Heights, View Park, and Windsor Hills, while others moved to cities such as Inglewood and Carson. Carson was particularly significant because it had successfully thwarted annexation attempts by neighboring Compton. The city opted instead for incorporation in 1968; notably, its black population was more affluent than its white population. As a newer city, it also offered more favorable tax rates and lower crime rates.
White supremacist gangs instilled fear and terrorized black and Hispanic communities across the region during the 1940s and 1950s, with The Spook Hunters being the most notorious among them. Nevertheless, white flight began in the 1950s, following a Supreme Court ruling in 1948 that invalidated discriminatory housing practices. Compton was also home to famous white residents, including the Bush family.
Geography and climate
Highway sign for Compton on State Route 91. Map of Compton, c. 2001
According to the United States Census Bureau’s 2020 data, the city covers 10.1 square miles (26 km2). Of that, 10.03 square miles (26.0 km2) is land, and 0.1 square mile (0.26 km2) (1.03%) is water.
Compton is bordered to the north and northwest by the unincorporated Willowbrook; to the west by the unincorporated West Compton; to the southwest by the city of Carson; to the south by the unincorporated Rancho Dominguez; to the southeast by the city of Long Beach; to the east by the city of Paramount and the unincorporated East Compton; and to the northeast by the city of Lynwood.
East Compton
East Compton, also known as East Rancho Dominguez, is a mostly industrial unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP). The 2010 Census recorded a population of 15,135. East Rancho Dominguez is an accepted city name under the USPS and shares the 90221 ZIP Code with Compton. Its sphere of influence is the city of Compton, which has tried to annex East Rancho Dominguez, but local business and property owners have opposed the annexation.