Wilmington

I believe that the Mayor and his "politicos" actually do care very much about Wilmington, due to the fact that it's home to the second largest port in the United States after the port of New York. Wilmington does have a rich history indeed. One of the greatest things about this city is the weather. There are times we are 15 to 20 degrees cooler on hot days than Downtown L.A. or Riverside. It has a small town feel to it. Many of the residents do know each other. Many others do grow up, become professionals and don't leave Wilmington. I can think of a hidden treasure: try the Tortilla Soup at "los tres cochinitos" restaurant 2 blocks east of Wilmington Blvd, on Pacific Coast Highway. you'll love it.

My address says Wilmington, however, according to this map and article I actually live in Harbor City, west of the 110 Freeway. I would love it if they would re-draw the lines; the Harbor City post office is closer and not as busy.

Wilmington is known as the "Heart of the Harbor".

Phineas Banning came to Los Angeles from Wilmington, Delaware, in 1851, and soon realized the importance to the pueblo of a harbor. He began by establishing a freight line from San Pedro to downtown.
His wharf and warehouse were destroyed in a major storm, leading to the founding and development of New San Pedro. For a while the port surpassed that of San Pedro. During the Civil War troops were stationed at the Drum Barracks.

Partly because of the construction of the Southern Pacific railroad to San Pedro that port gained the ascendency. In 1865 the state legislature renamed New San Pedro for Banning's hometown, Wilmington.(In 1909 both San Pedro and Wilmington were annexed by Los Angeles, giving the city its first direct access to the ocean).

The Banning mansion in Wilmington is now a museum.

Wilmington has a rich history that many folks know nothing about and I think that's a shame. Taking a tour of the Banning mansion is something I enjoy doing several times a year, and for the holidays the mansion is all decked out in a Victorian Christmas theme, the volunteers are all in costumes of the period.
They have a horse drawn carriage ride to the Drum Barracks, activities for the kids, you can take pictures with Santa, it's just plain fun for the whole family.

It's absolutely beautiful!

This aside, it's a place where many hard working families are trying to raise a family. Wilmington like many other cities has got it's high points and it's low points. All this aside, it's still not a bad little place to be.
Maybe if the Mayor and his politicos actually gave a damn about Wilmington we could have some REAL positive change to our little city. Maybe folks from other areas wouldn't be afraid when they hear that I live in "Wilmington".
Maybe I won't get asked "Aren't you afraid of living there?", to which I answer, "No, I'm not, why should I?".

I've lived here most of my life, with the exception of a few years in San Pedro when I was a kid, and I can honestly say that I like Wilmington. It's been nice.