Torrance

City in southwestern California, 27 km/17 mi southwest of central Los Angeles; population (1990) 133,100. It is the commercial and financial centre of the South Bay area, home to large malls and office complexes, and is also a heavily industrial city. The drilling of oil and production of oil products and equipment are important.

Torrance was founded in 1911 as a planned industrial and residential community. Its products have included aircraft and missile parts, plastics, iron and steel, chemicals, and a wide variety of metal and other materials. El Camino College (1947) is here.