Below is some general information about San Pedro:
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area. The district has grown from being dominated by the fishing industry to become primarily a middle class community within the city of Los Angeles. San Pedro was named for St. Peter of Alexandria, a Fourth Century bishop in Alexandria, Egypt. His feast day is November 24 on the local ecclesiastical calendar of Spain, the day on which Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered the bay in 1542 which would be known as San Pedro. Santa Catalina Island, named after Catherine of Alexandria, was claimed for the Spanish Empire the next day, on her feast day, November 25. In 1602-1603, Sebastian Vizcaino officially surveyed and mapped the California coastline, including San Pedro Bay, for New Spain.
San Pedro is served by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The area is within Board District 7. As of 2012, Dr. Richard Vladovic represents the district. San Pedro High School, Mary Star of the Sea High School, and the Port of Los Angeles High School are the primary high schools within the region. San Pedro High School is home to the protected landmarks in the form of The English Language Arts and Administration Buildings. The school recently celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2003. It is home to both the Marine Science and Police Academy Magnet programs. Port of Los Angeles High School is a public charter high school, fusing a college preparatory program with elective coursework in International Business and Maritime Studies. Such studies reinforce the significant impact of California’s ports on the global economy and international trade. As of 2002 test scores tend to be higher in the area’s elementary schools than in its middle and high schools
A total of 80,065 people lived in San Pedro’s 12.06 square miles, according to the 2000 U.S. censusÑaveraging 6,640 people per square mile, among the lowest population densities in the city as a whole. Population was estimated at 86,012 in 2008. The median age was 34, considered average in Los Angeles. San Pedro is considered highly diverse ethnically, with a diversity index of 63.0. In 2000 whites made up 44.2% of the population, Latinos were at 40.8%, Blacks at 6.1%, Asians at 4.8% and others at 4.1%. Mexico and Italy were the most common places of birth for the 24.5% of the residents who were born abroad, considered a low percentage of foreign-born when compared with the city as a whole. The $57,508 median household income in 2008 dollars was average for the city and county. Renters occupied 56.1%% of the housing units, and homeowners occupied the rest. In 2000 there were 3,394 families headed by single parents, or 17.5%, a rate that was average for the county and the city. In the same year there were 6,559 military veterans, or 11% of the population, considered high when compared to the city and county as a whole.
A large portion of San Pedro is also composed of Mexican-Americans, Hispanic immigrants and African-Americans with long-time roots in the community. Much of their populations are based in the older, east side of the community surrounding the downtown area and bordering the Port of Los Angeles. Until February 1942, San Pedro was home to a vibrant Japanese immigrant community of about 3,000 people who lived in what had been described as a typical Japanese Fishing Village on Terminal Island (East San Pedro). These Japanese immigrants pioneered albacore fishing out of San Pedro Bay and harvesting abalone off of White Point, thus leading the way in establishing a viable fishing industry in San Pedro. The 48-hour forced expulsion of these San Pedro residents and the razing of their homes and shops, as part of the Japanese-American internment during World War II, is described in Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston’s memoir Farewell to Manzanar.
One San Pedro landmark is the Vincent Thomas Bridge, a 1,500-foot (457 meters)-long suspension bridge linking San Pedro with Terminal Island and named after California Assemblyman Vincent Thomas. It is the third longest suspension bridge in California. Nearby is the Battleship USS IOWA educational museum & attraction, the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, the largest maritime museum in California, as is the museum ship SS Lane Victory, a fully operational victory ship of World War II and National Historic Landmark. There is also the famous Ports O’ Call tourist destination built in 1963 which provides many interesting shopping venues and a host of unique waterfront eateries.
Source: San Pedro on Wikipedia