More about Lomita California

Lomita, Spanish for “little knoll,” is located on Los Angeles County and is home to an estimated 20,046 as of the last census. The areas history goes back to 1784 when the land was part of the Rancho San Pedro land grant, given to Juan Jose Dominguez by King Carlos III of Spain. Lomita also has a sister city relationship with Takaishi, Osaka, Japan which began in October 1981. When the city originally started it was over 7 square miles, but as of 2000, the Census Bureau estimated the city’s total area at 1.9 square miles due to annexation of neighboring cities such as “Lomita Fields,” now known as Zamperini Field. Lomita is home a to two notable landmarks; the Lomita Railroad Museum and 5 Star Comics (which has since closed). The Lomita Railroad Museum was built in 1966 by Irene Lewis. The museum is devoted to the steam engine period of Railroading. Mrs. Lewis and her husband first started a business selling kits for live steam engine locomotives. Their engines appeared in two movies, including “The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)” and “Von Ryans Express (1965)”. The museum was built by Mrs. Lewis to showcase her products, and when it was built, it was the first of its kind west of Denver. The museum displays a 1902 Baldwin Locomotive, a 1910 Union Pacific caboose, a 1902 Southern Pacific tender and a Santa Fe caboose. The museum also has a full-sized replica of a 1920s water tower constructed in 2000. The museum was donated to the city by Mrs. Lewis in 1967 after her husband passed away and since the museum has incorporated a small public park which houses a Union Pacific boxcar and a Union Oil tank car. As for the 5 Str Comics, the store was owned by professional wrestler Rob Van Dam who moved the store from its original home in Lakewood to Lomita before it eventually closed.