The city was incorporated in 1960 to prevent neighboring cities such as Vernon and Los Angeles from annexing industrial land for tax revenue and elected its first city mayor, Maurice Quigley. In the 1970s and 1980s, Commerce successfully negotiated the turbulent period of deindustrialization that hammered nearby cities such as South Gate and Norwalk, maintaining much of its manufacturing and goods-distribution base and successfully converting former industrial land to lucrative commercial uses. The most notable example of this phenomenon is the Citadel Outlets mall, which occupies the site of a former tire factory. The owner of the Citadel, Steve Craig, hosts an annual Clean Up Commerce Day and enlists other businesses to work with the city and volunteers in beautifying a specific area of the city.[6] With a major rail yard within its borders, Commerce has also benefited greatly from the huge expansion in international trade traffic through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, albeit at the expense of severe air pollution caused by truck congestion on the Long Beach Freeway.
Chrysler had an assembly plant in Commerce from 1930 through July 1971 located at 5800 S. Eastern Avenue and Slauson Avenue, called Los Angeles (Maywood) Assembly. It was closed at the end of the 1971 model year, as Chrysler decided to triple-stack its transport trains for the 1972 model year; its Los Angeles facility couldn't accommodate this change.[7]
Commerce is also the site of Williams Ranch, on which is the swimming hole that the Sleepy Lagoon Murder of José Díaz took place in 1942. The Sleepy Lagoon swimming hole was located near Slauson and Eastern Ave.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.5 square miles (17 km2), over 99% of it land.
At the 2010 census Commerce had a population of 12,823. The population density was 1,961.4 inhabitants per square mile (757.3/km2). The racial makeup of Commerce was 6,930 (54.0%) White (3.1% Non-Hispanic White),[9] 96 (0.7%) African American, 161 (1.3%) Native American, 140 (1.1%) Asian, 9 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 4,886 (38.1%) from other races, and 601 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12,114 persons (94.5%).[10]
The census reported that 12,753 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 2 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 68 (0.5%) were institutionalized.
There were 3,382 households, 1,751 (51.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,693 (50.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 708 (20.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 308 (9.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 248 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 23 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships; 559 households (16.5%) were one person and 326 (9.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.77. There were 2,709 families (80.1% of households); the average family size was 4.17.
The age distribution was 3,824 people (29.8%) under the age of 18, 1,458 people (11.4%) aged 18 to 24, 3,581 people (27.9%) aged 25 to 44, 2,590 people (20.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,370 people (10.7%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 31.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
There were 3,470 housing units at an average density of 530.8 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,619 (47.9%) were owner-occupied and 1,763 (52.1%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 1.8%. 6,631 people (51.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 6,122 people (47.7%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Commerce had a median household income of $48,729, with 16.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[9]
2000
At the 2000 census there were 12,568 people in 3,284 households, including 2,686 families, in the city. The population density was 1,913.6 inhabitants per square mile (738.8/km2). There were 3,377 housing units at an average density of 514.2 per square mile (198.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 44.8% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 1.6% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 46.9% from other races, and 4.8% from two or more races. 93.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[11] Of the 3,284 households 47.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 19.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families; 15.5% of households were one person and 9.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.80 and the average family size was 4.17.
The age distribution was 33.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% 65 or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The median household income was $34,040 and the median family income was $36,572. Males had a median income of $27,738 versus $22,857 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,117. About 15.4% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Mexican (78.4%) and Irish (0.9%) were the most common ancestries. Mexico (83.4%) and El Salvador (4.7%) were the most common foreign places of birth.[13]
Economy
Rail yards in Commerce, left, and Vernon, right. The upper center industrial/commercial area is mostly Commerce.
Principal employers
According to the city's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[14] the top employers in the city are:
Commerce residents have many civic services funded from taxes on the local card club, the Commerce Casino, which accounts for 46% ($19.5 Million for budget year 2005/06) of Commerce's tax revenues, and the Citadel. This includes four libraries, a senior center, a teen center, an aquatics center, and a city-owned camp in the San Bernardino National Forest.[18] Commerce is also one of the few cities in California that provides its residents with free bus service.[19] Commerce operates five bus lines within the city, two routes running Sundays only, and one express bus between The Citadel shopping center and Downtown Los Angeles.[20]
Fire protection in Commerce is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which has its headquarters in Commerce.[30] The LACFD operates Station #22 at 928 South Gerhart Avenue, Station #27, the battalion headquarters, at 6031 Rickenbacker Road, and Station #50 at 2327 South Saybrook Avenue, all in Commerce, as a part of Battalion 3.[31][32] Ambulance transport is provided by Care Ambulance Service.
