Commerce, California

Commerce is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 12,568. It is bordered by Vernon on the west, Los Angeles on the northwest, East Los Angeles on the north, Montebello on the east, Downey and Bell Gardens on the south, and Maywood on the southwest. The Los Angeles River forms part of its southwestern boundary, and the Rio Hondo separates it from Downey. Commerce is served by the Long Beach and Santa Ana freeways, as well as the Los Angeles Metro's Metrolink commuter rail service. It is usually referred to as the "City of Commerce" to distinguish it from the common noun.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles County, California - 2000 - Vernon - Los Angeles - East Los Angeles - Montebello - Downey - Bell Gardens - Maywood - Los Angeles River - Rio Hondo - Long Beach - Santa Ana - Los Angeles Metro - Commuter rail - Common noun

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The city was incorporated in 1960 to prevent neighboring cities such as Vernon and Los Angeles from annexing industrial land for tax revenue. 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 outlet mall, which occupies the site of a former tire factory. 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.

Related Topics:
South Gate - Norwalk - Long Beach

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Commerce residents have an enviable array of civic services funded from taxes on the local card club and the Citadel. This includes four libraries, a senior center, a teen center, and a city-owned camp located in the San Bernardino National Forest. Commerce is also one of the few cities in California that is able to provide its residents with free bus service. As might be expected, residential turnover is low compared to surrounding cities, although Commerce has moved from an almost exclusively Anglo city at its inception to one that is now overwhelmingly Latino.

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