Vernon, California, is a small city located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. It is primarily industrial, with meatpacking plants and warehouses, and had no parks as of 2006. The population was 112 in 2010 and rose to 222 by 2020, making it the second least populous city in the state.
Historically, Vernon was the site of the Battle of La Mesa in 1847, the last battle of the Mexican–American War in Alta California. The city was incorporated in 1905 by ranchers James J. and Thomas J. Furlong and merchant John B. Leonis to encourage industrial development along the railroads. Leonis helped establish Vernon as the first “exclusively industrial” city in the southwestern United States. In its early years, Vernon was marketed as a “sporting town” with attractions such as the Vernon Arena for boxing, a baseball park for the Vernon Tigers, and the “world’s longest bar.” The city became a draw for industrialists, leading companies like Owens-Illinois and Alcoa to establish factories there, benefiting from subsidized electricity and Vernon’s industrial-friendly policies.









