Signal Hill, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Signal Hill, California
City
Flag Seal Logo
Location of Signal Hill in Los Angeles County, California
Signal Hill, California Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
Incorporated	April 22, 1924
Area
• Total	2.19 sq mi (5.67 km2)
• Land	2.19 sq mi (5.67 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0.08%
Elevation	148 ft (45 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,848
• Density	5,217.6/sq mi (2,014.52/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	90755
Area code	562
FIPS code	06-71876
GNIS feature IDs	1661443, 2411899

Signal Hill is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It's a small city, about 2.2 square miles big. It sits on top of a hill and is completely surrounded by the city of Long Beach. Signal Hill became an official city on April 22, 1924. This happened about three years after a lot of oil was found there. In 2010, the city had a population of 11,016 people.

What's in a Name? The Story of Signal Hill

Signal Hill was first called Los Cerritos, which means "The Little Hills." It got its current name in 1889. This was when the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey used it as a special signal point.

History of Signal Hill

Aerial view of the Signal Hill oilfield in 1930

A pumpjack in the Signal Hill oilfield, 2011

The hill that the city is named after is 365 feet (110 meters) taller than the nearby city of Long Beach. Because it was so high, the local Tongva Native Americans used it. They would light signal fires that could be seen far away. These fires could even be seen from Catalina Island, which is 26 miles (42 km) away.

After Spain claimed California, Signal Hill became part of a very large land grant. This grant was called Rancho San Pedro (Dominguez Rancho). It was given to a soldier named Juan Jose Dominguez in 1784. The land grant was huge, over 74,000 acres (300 square kilometers).

Between 1913 and 1923, an early California movie studio, Balboa Amusement Producing Company, used 11 acres (45,000 square meters) on Signal Hill for filming outdoors. Famous actors like Buster Keaton and Fatty Arbuckle made movies there.

Before oil was found, Signal Hill had large homes on the hill. The lower areas were farms where people grew fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

The Discovery of Oil

Signal Hill changed completely when oil was discovered. The hill became part of the Long Beach Oil Field. This was one of the most productive oil fields in the world. On June 23, 1921, the Royal Dutch Shell company's Alamitos #1 well started gushing oil. The natural gas pressure was so strong that the oil shot 114 feet (35 meters) into the air!

Soon, Signal Hill was covered with over 100 oil derricks. From a distance, it looked spiky, earning it the nickname "Porcupine Hill." Today, many of the old oil wells and pumpjacks are gone. However, Signal Hill is still an active oil field, and some wells and derricks remain. Now, Signal Hill is a mix of homes and businesses.

The city officially became a city on April 22, 1924. One reason for this was to avoid being taken over by Long Beach. Long Beach had strict rules and wanted to tax the oil. Signal Hill was a forward-thinking city. It elected Mrs. Jessie Nelson as its first mayor. She was the first female mayor in California.

Signal Hill around 1923

View of Long Beach from Skyline Drive on Signal Hill.

City Services

Signal Hill has its own police department, the Signal Hill Police Department. In 2018, they had 38 police officers to keep the peace in the city.

Ambulance services are provided by Care Ambulance Service. The Long Beach Memorial Medical Center offers medical care to the city. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services also helps by operating a health center in nearby Whittier.

Fire Protection

The Los Angeles County Fire Department provides fire protection services for Signal Hill.

Economy and Jobs

The diner chain Hof's Hut has its main office in Signal Hill.

Top Employers

Here are some of the biggest employers in Signal Hill, based on a 2017 report:

Education in Signal Hill

Public Schools

Signal Hill is part of the Long Beach Unified School District.

There are two elementary schools in the city: Signal Hill Elementary School and Juan Bautista Alvarado Elementary School. Signal Hill Elementary has won awards like the California Achieving Schools Award. Both Signal Hill and Alvarado are recognized as California Distinguished Schools.

There is one middle school, Jessie Elwin Nelson Academy. Most high school students go to Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Some students also choose to attend Long Beach Wilson Classical High School.

Colleges and Universities

For community college, students can attend one of the two nearby campuses of Long Beach City College.

Other universities close by include California State University, Long Beach and DeVry University.

The American University of Health Sciences (AUHS) is located right in Signal Hill. It offers degrees in healthcare, like nursing and pharmaceutical science.

City Parks and Green Spaces

Hilltop Park

Sunset over Long Beach from Hilltop Park

Discovery Well Park, marking the Alamitos #1 well from 1921

Even though it's a small city, Signal Hill has several parks. The biggest is Signal Hill Park, which is 10 acres (40,000 square meters). It's next to City Hall and has picnic tables, a playground, and basketball courts. There's also an outdoor theater for summer concerts.

Hilltop Park is 3.2 acres (13,000 square meters) and sits at the very top of Signal Hill. It's famous for its amazing views. You can see as far as the Santa Monica mountains and downtown Los Angeles on a clear day.

Reservoir Park is 2.8 acres (11,000 square meters) and has a large grassy area. It's next to a big water reservoir.

Discovery Well Park is 4.9 acres (20,000 square meters). It's located near the first oil well found on Signal Hill.

There are also six smaller parks, each about 0.5 acres (2,000 square meters) or less. These include Calbrisas Park and Sunset View Park.

Near the Panorama Promenade, you can find the Unity Sculpture. This sculpture is 12 feet tall and honors the victims of September 11.

Signal Hill also has several walking trails between parks and roads. Hiking on these trails and sidewalks is very popular. Some parts of the trails are quite steep.

Future Nature Preserve

On the north side of Signal Hill, there's a large area currently used for oil operations. There are plans to turn this area into a nature preserve.

Geography and Location

Signal Hill covers about 2.2 square miles (5.7 square kilometers) of land. It is completely surrounded by the city of Long Beach, California.

Signal Hill uses the 562 area code. For a long time, it shared postal ZIP codes with Long Beach. But in July 2002, Signal Hill got its very own ZIP code: 90755.

Climate

Signal Hill has a semi-arid climate. This means it's generally dry, but not a desert.

Population Information

Population in 2010

The 2010 United States Census showed that Signal Hill had 11,016 people. Most people (99.6%) lived in homes.

There were 4,157 households. About 34% of these had children under 18. The average household had 2.64 people. The average family had 3.33 people.

The population included 23.8% under 18 years old. About 31.6% were between 25 and 44 years old. The average age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were about 97 males.

There were 4,389 housing units. About 51.5% of homes were owned by the people living in them. The rest were rented.

In 2010, the average household income in Signal Hill was $70,442. About 14.1% of the people lived below the poverty line.

Population in 2000

In the census of 2000, there were 9,333 people living in Signal Hill. There were 3,621 households.

The population included 26.4% under 18 years old. About 35.3% were between 25 and 44 years old. The average age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were about 97 males.

The average income for a household was $48,938. About 17.2% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 31.1% of those under 18.

See also

In Spanish: Signal Hill para niños