Norwalk, California, USA

Norwalk is a suburban city located in Los Angeles County, California. The city is connected to Los Angeles via services of the Los Angeles Metro Transit Authority, and is home to many well-known residents. Via http://www.explore.to/listing/usa/ca/norwalk/

The city has also served as a filming location for many major Hollywood films, including Grease 2 and The Karate Kid.

Norwalk was once home to the Shoshonean Native Americans. The city was included in a Spanish land grant in 1784, which was named Rancho Los Nietos. After California's admission to the Union, much of the ranch was broken into smaller pieces and offered for sale to interested parties. Two brother from Oregon, the Sprouls, purchased several hundred acres in the area.

The Sprouls gave the railroad land to build upon, and the brothers built founded the town in 1874. The school system was developed in 1880, and a cheese factory become one of the first local industries. Dairy farming would go on to become one of the largest industries in the city, in addition to sugar beet farming.

The city was the site of a massive aviation disaster in 1958. Two military aircraft collided over Norwalk in the middle of the night, killing 47 servicemen and one civilian. The spot of the accident is commemorated with a plaque by local American Legion.

Today, Norwalk primarily acts as a bedroom community for the largest cities in Los Angeles County, with many of the city's residents working elsewhere. The city became home to a large Asian population in the 1990s, due to rising property values in other communities in Los Angeles County. The city is home to the Hargitt House Museum, as well as a Cerritos College.

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