Cudahy is a city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, known for having one of the highest population densities in the United States. It is part of the Gateway Cities region and had a population of 22,811 in 2020. The city is named after Michael Cudahy, a meat-packing businessman who purchased the land in 1908 and sold it in 1-acre lots designed for gardens, fruit trees, and small livestock, attracting settlers from the South and Midwest.
Historically, Cudahy was a blue-collar, predominantly White town with steel and automobile industries, and some residents even rode horses into downtown as late as the 1950s. After the factories closed in the late 1970s, many White residents moved out, and the city saw the construction of stucco apartment complexes. This led to a sharp increase in population density, making it the second-densest city in California by 2007.









