Located in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, the city of Torrance offers residents 1.5 miles of sandy beaches along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Despite its beachfront location, the city is a less busy alternative to other beach cities including Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach as the 2010 U.S. Census of Population and Housing reported just 145,438 people called Torrance home. Data shows the city's population grew 5.4 percent between 2000 and 2010 while the overall population of California increased 10 percent within the same time.
According to the Census, there were 58,377 housing units in Torrance at an average density of 2,840 per square mile. Around 56 percent of homes were owner-occupied while the median value of owner-occupied housing units between 2006 and 2010 reached $657,700, well above the statewide average of $458,500. Additionally, renters who paid an average of $1,358 each month occupied 43.5 percent of housing units.
The population of Torrance was equally distributed by age ranges while the 2010 census reported the median age was around 41. Around 22 percent of residents were under the age of 18 while 14.9 percent were 65 years of age or older.