Hawthorne, CA

Hawthorne is the South Bay's aerospace town. The Beach Boys grew up here as well, and a state historic landmark on 119th Street marks the spot where the Wilson family home stood before the Century Freeway came through. Across its six square miles the feel shifts from block to block. The west side near Hollyglen Park has quiet single-story streets that blend into Lawndale and El Segundo, while the blocks around the 105 and Imperial Highway are packed with apartment buildings and small storefronts. Housing is mostly compact stucco houses from the years after World War II plus a deep supply of rentals, from courtyard buildings to more recent townhomes. Hollyglen Park anchors the west side, Bicentennial Park sits on Doty Avenue, and the Hawthorne Memorial Center on El Segundo Boulevard runs the city's recreation programs and community events. Eating out follows the long commercial corridors, where Salvadoran pupuserias, Mexican seafood counters and Pakistani grills sit next to donut shops. Los Angeles Ale Works pours its beer in an all-ages taproom on Cerise Avenue with food trucks outside, and Urth Caffe South Bay handles coffee, with organic espresso and breakfast served into the afternoon. The honest drawback is the lack of a real downtown. Hawthorne Plaza, the enclosed mall at the center of the main boulevard, closed years ago and still sits empty, so shopping happens in strip centers and big-box lots reached by car. The 405 and 105 freeways and the Metro C Line help make up for it. A week here means short drives to the beach cities, the airport and a big share of the region's aerospace jobs, from a city that still builds things.