On behalf of the City of Inglewood I want to invite visitors from around the world, throughout the country, the county of Los Angeles and from our very own South Bay region to come and experience the Inglewood Renaissance!
What’s new here? Everything but the people. We're still here. According to the July 2021 U.S. Census estimate, we are 93% Brown, Black and Indian. We have the lowest rents and more affordable housing than any city in the South Bay. Rents are capped annually at 3%, the lowest in the State of California. Our bond rating has risen from BBB- (just above junk bond rating) to AA- and A+ in just nine years. Unemployment has dropped from 17.5% in 2010 to 4.7% pre-pandemic. Due to the increase in property values, our Inglewood property owners now have generational wealth to pass on to their children that now rivals the adjacent, affluent South Bay and upscale L.A. County neighborhoods.
Come see SoFi Stadium, the most spectacularly designed, cutting-edge sports arena in the country. Take in a concert at the still-fabulous Forum, renovated to provide a terrific acoustic experience for music lovers, and then get a traditional American breakfast at one of our historic local diners – or grab a meal at some of the best Mexican, Somali, Jamaican, vegetarian or soul food restaurants in the region.
Although our city is now or soon-to-be home to three professional sports teams, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Los Angeles Chargers, we haven’t lost our small-town feel or flavor. Take in a recital at the LA Philharmonic Youth Orchestra center. Join in one of our famous North Park Chili Cookoffs or the annual “Taste of Inglewood” street festival. We’ll greet you on the street, chat with you at Platinum Cuts Barber Shop, nod hello and make you feel at home while you’re here.
Take a look inside to learn not only more about all we have to offer, but to understand how Inglewood executed an unprecedented and singularly historic economic turnaround. Our unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been since the 1970s; our crime rate is in its 9th consecutive year of being the lowest in recorded history. We have paved our streets, renewed our water/sewer systems, trimmed our trees, and installed state of the art underground fiber-optic cable to prepare Inglewood to become a home to future data centers. Inglewood has evolved into one of the South Bay’s most tech-oriented, job-producing and business-incubating cities. Our Development Agreements ensure that ALL residents of this majority Black and Latino city have benefitted by an “Inglewood-first” hiring orientation. This has resulted in resident placement in prevailing wage jobs and careers. Our local unions have ensured that residents are fast-tracked through the seniority process for training and job placement as well. Inglewood residents have and will continue to benefit from our strategic alliances with the development and investment community.
This magazine is an overarching snapshot of the mosaic that is Inglewood. So, give it a read, come to Inglewood and explore the fastest growing city in America. We're still growing. Grow with us.
JAMES T. BUTTS, JR.
Mayor
City of Inglewood
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