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About Lakewood

The City of Lakewood is located in southern Los Angeles County, 23 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The area of the city is 9.5 square miles.

Lakewood incorporated on April 16, 1954.

Lakewood’s population was estimated by the State Department of Finance to be 80,952 on January 1, 2000. Get addtional demographic information here from this Federal Government search tool: Lakewood, Ca. Demographics

The economic base of the city is primarily commercial/ retail. Almost 3,000 businesses are located in Lakewood.

Contract services represent about 40 percent of the city’s operating budget. Lakewood contracts with private firms for trash collection, signal maintenance, and street sweeping. By contract, Los Angeles County provides law enforcement, road repair, building inspection, and street light maintenance. Parks, recreation and cultural activities, community development programs, parkways, medians and tree maintenance, the water utility and general administrative services are provided directly by the city.

Lakewood is a general law city. The five city council members are elected for overlapping four-year terms. The mayor is selected by the council from among its members and serves for a one-year term. The city council appoints a city manager and a city attorney. In addition, the council appoints the Community Safety Commission, the Planning Environment Commission, and the Recreation and Community Services Commission. The city council also sits as the Board of Directors of the Lakewood Redevelopment Agency and the Lakewood Housing Authority.

Lakewood is predominantly owner-occupied (about 65 percent in 2000). In Los Angeles County, less than half of the total housing units were owner-occupied in 2000. Lakewood is predominantly a single-family community with 85 percent of its housing units being single-family detached structures.

Lakewood has about 150 miles of streets and 300 miles of sidewalks. More than 36,000 trees line city streets and shade city parks. About 150 acres of the city are devoted to parks and other landscaped open space.
Volunteering is a key Lakewood value, many opportunities available
News Image For years, Lakewood residents have heeded the call to help others. They show their concern for the community and neighbors by volunteering. Lakewood has been the recipient of awards for community involvement in volunteer activities and there are a variety of opportunities to help and give back to the community. Click for volunteering brochure: Opportunities and contact information
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Lakewood values community
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Lakewood residents are emphatically positive about their city’s capacity to be a good place to raise a family, enjoy recreation programs, shop, and work. More than four-fifths of residents in a recent community survey graded their city B+ for preventing neighborhood blight (81%), keeping city streets in repair (83%), providing effective public safety (87%), preserving the pleasant appearance of Lakewood neighborhoods (88%), and providing recreational opportunities (89%).

 

Their high level of satisfaction with city programs and services may stem from another significant indicator: Lakewood residents truly believe in their community. Nearly nine out of ten residents grade Lakewood B+ (or better) for preserving the community’s positive qualities (83%), sustaining their sense of community over the years (86%), and providing a good place to raise a family (88%).

 

Residents value their sense of community highly (93%) and believe they have found it in their own neighborhood (86%).
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The new look of Lakewood Online, feedback welcome
News Image The new look of Lakewood Online isn’t just another pretty digital face. Beneath the skin lies a whole new way of getting and using city information. The city would welcome constructive feedback as visitors become more familiar with the new design.
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