What to Expect When Visiting Carson, Ca.

Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.

Written by Bjorn

Carson, California was incorporated in 1968 after being known as "the area to the west of the Los Angeles River" for many decades. However, there is much more to Carson's history. The Carson area, including the neighboring towns of Torrance, Redondo Beach, Wilmington, Lomita and San Pedro, was given to a soldier from Spain named Juan Jose Dominguez. This gift of land was given in 1782 and from that time until late 1860s the Carson area was full of cattle until a drought caused the downfall of the cattle market. The Dominguez family remained in their rancho, which can be visited today, and one of the daughters married a man named George Henry Carson, for whom the town is named after. Once a railroad had been built in town, complete with a station, Carson began to bustle, but did not become incorporated until 1968.

While Carson takes up an area of 19 square miles, it has a population of close to 92,000, according to the 2010 US Census, and the majority of Carson residents are between the ages of 25 to 64. The population has grown steadily over the last three decades. Carson is home to the Home Depot Center where two Major League Soccer teams, the Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy play, so if traveling to Carson during soccer season don't be surprised if there is more traffic than usual on game days.

Carson has a wide variety of cultures among its population and this is reflected in the restaurants you will find in Carson. Just walking down Alondra Boulevard or East Del Amo Boulevard you will see Vietnamese, Mexican, Jamaican, Hawaiian and traditional American fare like gourmet sandwiches, pizza places and BBQ. Most restaurants close around 9pm and last call at bars is 2am.

One thing that most visitors to Carson enjoy is the weather. This is because Carson has a mild climate all year round. It never gets hotter than 79 or 80 degrees during its hottest month which is August, and it never gets colder than 46 degrees during its coldest months of December and January. This type of climate is called Mediterranean or Subtropical Dry-Summer. The rainiest months are usually January, February and March when the average amount of rainfall is between 2 to 3 inches each month.

Carson is conveniently situated between two major interstates and another runs through the city, if you're going to be driving to Carson or just renting a car to get around town and visit neighboring cities you'll want to familiarize yourself with these streets. To Carson's west is the Harbor Freeway, aka Interstate 110 which runs north to LA and south to San Pedro. To Carson's east is the Long Beach Freeway, aka Interstate 710 which runs north to East LA and south to the Long Beach downtown and waterfront areas. The San Diego Freeway, aka Interstate 405 runs through Carson east and west and can be used to get to Seal Beach to the southeast and Marina del Ray and Santa Monica to the northwest. This highway can also be used to get to the Los Angeles International Airport, just 11 miles from Carson.

The Pacific Coast Highway also runs east and west and can be found just south of Carson's southern border line. The Gardena Freeway, aka County Road 91, runs east and west and can be found at Carson's northern boundary line. Other major roads in Carson include South Alameda Street, Wilmington Avenue, Avalon Boulevard and East Del Amo Boulevard.

There are several annual festivals in Carson and the surrounding area every year including the South Bay Food Festival in Carson, the Bunka-Sai Japanese Festival in Torrance, the Los Angeles County Irish Fair and Music Festival, the Redondo Beach Lobster Festival, the Long Beach Sea Festival, the Long Beach Scottish Festival, the Southern California Greek Festival in Redondo Beach and lots more.

About the Author: Bjorn is a freelance writer of travel and destination articles.