Carving an identity in the shadow of the airport

Inglewood, east of Los Angeles International Airport, is a major gateway to commercial centers. Its motto, “City of Champions,” emerged when three Inglewood High School alumni won medals in the 1932 Olympic Games. The motto still reflects the city’s can-do attitude. Last month, voters rejected Wal-Mart’s controversial bid to open a store.

Inglewood was the first settlement carved out of the 25,000-acre Centinela Ranch, not long after a railroad was built in 1888. Locals decided that same year to open their first school, with 33 children enrolled. A livery stable was used until a schoolhouse could be built. The city of Inglewood, incorporated in 1908, is now home to more than 369,000 residents and covers about nine square miles.

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Hot spots

Locals and visitors alike flock to the Hollywood Park Racetrack, which recently celebrated 50 years of thoroughbred horseracing, and adjoining casino. Next door is the Forum, built in the late 1960s as home of the Lakers basketball and Kings hockey teams. Concerts, events and church services are held there today.

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Civic pride

Redevelopment is dramatically changing Inglewood, bringing businesses and jobs to the city through a 42-acre project along Century Boulevard. Nearly completed, the project has been dubbed “The Market Place at Hollywood Park.” Another 97 acres have been set aside for residential development. Further economic growth is anticipated after the completion of an AutoMall Superstore near the intersection of Manchester Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.

Inglewood Neighborhood Housing Services Inc., a nonprofit corporation, develops civic pride through homeownership and community services, such as their teen leadership program. INHS provides services from senior citizen “help outs” to first-time-buyer seminars and lending advice.

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Drawing card

Located within minutes of the 405 and 105 freeways and the airport, Inglewood’s tidy homes are attracting first-time home buyers. The average listing price in April was about $410,000, according to Maria Louisa Torres, a longtime resident and local Realtor.

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Good news, bad news

Ongoing development, commercial and residential, has given Inglewood a much-needed economic lift. As a result, however, residents are feeling the pinch of heightened traffic and rising housing prices.

This will never be a quiet place to live, but regulations have been imposed increasingly in the last decade by both the FAA and LAX regarding noise, hours of operation and aircraft type allowed to land at the airport.

Although homicides decreased between 2002 and 2003, burglary and assault cases are on the rise.

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On the market

A 1,360-square-foot Spanish-style home was recently listed for $379,000 on Park Avenue, featuring three bedrooms, two baths and hardwood floors. Typical of area sales, a home listed for $459,000 sold for $500,000 in 10 days. Rapid sales have creating a bidding fury over new listings, with 42 homes sold since early 2004.

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Report card

Inglewood schools form their own district and include 13 elementary schools with scores ranging from 616 to 802 on the 2003 Academic Performance Index scale of 1,000. Middle schools Crozier and Monroe scored 577 and 589, respectively. Of the two high schools that serve the city, Inglewood High scored 521 and Morningside High 537.

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Historical values

Single-family detached resales:

Year...Median Price

1990...$165,000

1995...$144,000

2000...$165,000

2002...$220,000

2004*...$340,000

*Year to date

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Sources: DataQuick Information Systems; Inglewoodchamber.com; www.themls.com; Inglewood Neighborhood Housing Services, www.homeownership

center.com; api.cde.ca.gov.