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1934 Map of Torrance

Name: 1934 Topographic Map of Torrance
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1934
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1934

About this map

Industrial expansion and coastal development define the South Bay landscape in this mid-1930s survey. The city of Torrance appears as a major manufacturing hub, dominated by large-scale facilities such as the Columbia Steel Corporation, the Union Tool Co, and the General Petroleum Tank Farm. This industrial core is connected to the Pacific coast by the extensive Pacific Electric railway network, which links inland settlements like Lomita and Gardena to the shoreline.

Along the Santa Monica Bay, the beach towns of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach show established street grids and landmarks such as the Edison Intake Pier. To the south, the terrain rises into the Los Palos Verdes hills, where Palos Verdes Estates and Malaga Cove mark the transition from the industrial plains to the coastal bluffs. Local civic life is evidenced by scattered rural schools, including Grant School and Manhattan Beach School, and small rail stops like La Fresa and El Nido.