City of Huntington Park

6550 Miles Avenue

323-582-6161

History

In 1902 to entice Henry Huntington to extend a line of his Pacific Electric Railway to and through their development, they granted Huntington a right-of-way for his railway along what is now Randolph Street and they changed the name to Huntington Park. However, the name La Park stuck and the Post Office did not change the name until the city was incorporated.

Burbank and Baker were prominent names in the city, but they had no intention of building a city. Their vision of Huntington Park was for a commercial center and way station for all the transport of goods between Los Angeles and San Diego.

It took a group of early residents to become the city founders. They were: George A. Garlow, who built the first large townhouse in 1903 (at 6610 Malabar); Dr. Louis Weber and Dr. Clinton W. Hubbard, the first two medical doctors; A. E. Walters, he built the first bank in town; O. G. Jones, A.A. Weber, D.B. Lyons, William Linsey and Frank Tate. These men of true pioneer spirit and foresight formed the Huntington Park Improvement Association and things began to happen. They established the first School District in the area, and regular train stops in Huntington Park. They formed the Incorporation Committee in 1904 and submitted the first city incorporation petition, over the strenuous opposition of Burbank and Baker. The petition was denied in 1905, on the grounds that too much territory was included. The second petition was denied, because boundary lines were imperfectly described. During the spring and summer of 1906 Weber and Garlow, backed by a score of local citizens pressed their demands for city hood.

In June of that year the final petition which could withstand every legal and technical challenge was filed, and although the Board of Supervisors delayed action for the maximum 60 days allowed by law, the petition had to be approved. But not before the Board of Supervisors, at the urging of Burbank and Baker, redrew the boundaries, cutting out of the city limits some areas of high property value.

City of Huntington Park

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