Guide to Torrance

Part of Los Angeles County's South Bay area, the city of Torrance was founded on May 31st, 1911 by the noted real estate developer one Jared Sidney Torrance.… Today, Torrance is one of the largest cities in the county and home to one of the United State's largest mall complexes in the form of the Del Amo Fashion Center. This massive structure houses over three hundred retail options to satiate any consumer fancy. It has opened it's doors for films such as Jackie Brown and the increasingly popular cult favorite Bad Santa to be set within its walls. Of note to nineties teen drama fans is Torrance High School, whose frontage served as the celluloid representative for West Beverly High in Beverly Hills 90210. It has also been shot to represent various other fictional American high schools in other television shows and films as well. Close to Redondo, Manhattan and Hermosa beaches, Torrance boasts hundreds of acres of prime park and recreational facilities. Apartment and home seekers alike duke it out for the best spots available here in the home of "Rat Beach", a stretch of beachfront shared with neighboring Redondo Beach. Serving as the U.S. corporate headquarters of Honda and Toyota, the area is also well known as a significant oil-producing region. Torrance also gains considerable distinction in that it contains one of the nation's few remaining urban wetlands in Madrona Marsh now a natural reserve. It is also the home to annual ethnic festivals and an Armed Forces Parade. Couple that with its many museums and art centers, and diverse citizenry, and you have a community that lives up to its stated goal of being a balanced city. Many restaurants in the area are also noted for their diversity of choices and taste-bud-pleasing dishes. More