Japanese Farming, Urban Sprawl, and Changing Land Use in Gardena and Torrance of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

Abstract

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area is typified by such geographic features as rapid urbanization, a high population concentration, dynamic industrial development, and ethnic-cultural diversity. It is also the home of many Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans, who have participated in the growth of the metropolis and have contributed to the formation of its regional character. With respect to the areas known as Gardena and Torrance, which are characterized by urban sprawl, the existence of a large Japanese population, and Japanese engagement in farming, land use changes were examined from the beginning of the twentieth century through to approximately 2007. The Japanese began cultivating strawberries in Gardena by initially leasing small tracts of farmland without competing with local Caucasian farmers who specialized in other crops. Strawberries therefore existed as a niche crop for Japanese immigrants up until the end of the 1910s. Due to the fact that Japanese farmers were successful at cultivating vegetables up to the outbreak of the Japan-US war, the kinds of farming practiced therefore underwent diversification. Following the end of the war, vegetable production declined, however, whereas the nursery and gardening industries prospered in response to increasing urban development. At the same time, the Japanese population rose dramatically in Gardena due to the suburbanization of the Japanese population. Following the 1980s, the number of nurseries began to decline; yet, direct investment by the Japanese increased, leading to changes to both the local Japanese economy and the communities of Gardena and Torrance. The process by which these changes occurred was documented and the consequent pattern of land use was analyzed using aerial photographs and field observations. At present, Japanese farming can only be found in small scattered nurseries including those located beneath high voltage power transmission lines and at the site of the Torrance Municipal Airport. The Japanese farming landscape that survives today is clearly a leftover from a successful past, whereas more recent Japanese involvement has provided a new distinctiveness to the Gardena and Torrance areas.