James M. Kinsey

Huntington Park (Images of America: California) James M. Kinsey

Originally part of the Lugo family's vast Rancho San Antonio, Huntington Park evolved at the beginning of the 20th century because enterprising developers A. L. Burbank and E. V. Baker gained control of 100 former rancho acres called the Sunrise Tract. First renamed La Park, this land just south of Los Angeles was later called Huntington Park, after Burbank and Baker granted tycoon Henry Huntington a right-of-way to put his railway line along Randolph Street in 1902. Incorporated in 1906, the city of Huntington Park became a significant freight station for cargo coming to and going from Los Angeles. A working-class suburb throughout its first century, the nicknamed "City of Perfect Balance" saw a population shift beginning in the 1970s. Latinos have assimilated into the community's fabric, revitalizing the busy central business district of Pacific Boulevard. Huntington Park is a central hub of the Latino community in Los Angeles County.