A closer look at the City of El Segundo.

You might think that it would take a lot to get someone to an airport or to a refinery. Au contraire. Ask anyone of the 16,000 residents or the 80,000 employees who in the 5.5-square-mile City of El Segundo known for its interesting mix of small-town living and sophisticated business operations.

Despite its central location adjacent to LAX and major freeways, El Segundo has maintained its small-town reputation even with 10 million square feet of office space within its boundaries. That small-town reputation means that businesses located here get the best of all worlds. El Segundo is not only close to the 105 and 405 freeways and the airport, there are also three Green Line rail stations within the City. It's no surprise that several Fortune 500 companies including Mattel, Unocal and Computer Sciences Corporation are headquartered here; many other Fortune 500 companies have offices including Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Sun Microsystems, Raytheon and Chevron. And then there is the Los Angeles Air Force Base, home to the Space and Missile Systems Center, which has been in El Segundo for more than 40 years. The Base is a major economic engine that is very important to the entire region. Adjacent to the Base is The Aerospace Corporation, a private, non-profit corporation with an exclusively scientific purpose. That purpose is to provide research, development and advisory services to their primary customer, the Space and Missile Systems Center. According to The Aerospace Corporation, its focus is on the government's need to develop the best space-related hardware and software at the lowest prudent cost.

El Segundo is also the operating base of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings and Sparks. The HealthSouth facility is the place to spot those teams as well as Olympic medalists and hopefuls who practice on their two ice skating rinks. The rinks, as well as an in-line rink, are open for public skating for several hours each day.

And several new projects are underway. The Los Angeles Air Force Base modernization is replacing outdated and seismically unsafe buildings with 560,000 square feet of state of the art facilities. Thomas Properties received entitlements from the City of El Segundo to build over 2,000,000 square feet of primarily office uses on a 46-acre site formerly owned by Rockwell and adjacent to the 105 Freeway. The project will be known as Campus El Segundo. Continental Development's beautiful Atrium building on Rosecrans Avenue added almost 300,000 square feet of Class A office space (and two great restaurants--Fleming's and Macaroni Grill). Kilroy's 999 Sepulveda underwent renovation and expansion and now offers great space with wonderful views at the gateway to the City. Exciting plans for the corner of Rosecrans and Sepulveda are well underway. If approved, this two-phased project could ultimately bring 850,000 square feet of retail to the City.

In addition to the sophisticated, thriving business community, El Segundo offers one of the most charming residential communities in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. A major downtown improvement project, costing almost $4 million, was completed in late 2003 and gave Main Street El Segundo a fresh look. With over 30 restaurants in the downtown, there is no problem finding a great lunch no matter what your taste or price range. In fact, the City provides a free lunchtime shuttle bus service from the east side of town, where most of the businesses are located, to the downtown. There are other unusual downtown amenities that deserve mention, such as a silent-movie theatre and beautiful and historic murals that grace the sides of some of downtown's buildings. And, speaking of entertainment, when you watch Joan of Arcadia, The OC,

The Practice or Boston Legal, and even CSI: Miami, you may be looking at El Segundo.

The ten hotels in town have facilities to meet every business need. Hilton Garden Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, Marriott Residence Inn, Summerfield Suites, Homestead Suites, the Doubletree, Embassy Suites, the famous Hacienda and others accommodate the many business travelers who come to El Segundo every day. The transient occupancy tax rate here is 8%, significantly lower than those of surrounding cities.

El Segundo is known for its small town atmosphere and charming downtown, but also for its superb community services. The Police and Fire Departments have unparalleled response times. The school district enjoys an excellent reputation and the surrounding South Bay region is the location of superior institutions of higher learning.

Sandra Lane is Economic Development Manager for the City of El Segundo. To learn more, visit the web site at www.elsegundo.org or call 310-5242313.