A woman in a red jacket looking at a plane - cold war sites

Self-guided · city, California

Cold War Sites in Hawthorne, CA

Missile sites, radar stations and launch facilities from the Cold War, a chapter close enough that many visitors lived through it.

Open the California map · All states

Photo: Vinicius Brasil on Unsplash

History books cover the big events in a chapter each. The places those events touched are scattered across counties like this one. Hawthorne has a population of about 86,199.

Space shuttle on display with visitors looking - cold war sites — Photo: Sebastian Schuster on Unsplash

A group of people walking around a museum - cold war sites — Photo: Vinicius Brasil on Unsplash

A row of military missiles on display behind a fence - cold war sites — Photo: Akshat Jhingran on Unsplash

On the record near Hawthorne, CA

The 12 nearest

There are no cold war sites on the record within 300 miles of Hawthorne, CA. These are the 12 listed historic sites of any kind closest to it, out of 548 within 30 miles.

Hangar One2.2 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · Los Angeles · listed 1992National Register of Historic Places
Fox Theatre Inglewood3.2 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · Inglewood · listed 2013National Register of Historic Places
El Segundo Woman’s Club3.7 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · El Segundo · listed 2023National Register of Historic Places
Centinela Adobe3.7 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · Los Angeles · listed 1974National Register of Historic Places
Sweetser Residence5.1 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · Redondo Beach · listed 1985National Register of Historic Places
Diamond Apartments5.4 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · Redondo Beach · listed 1992National Register of Historic Places
Angelus Mesa Branch5.7 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · Los Angeles · listed 1987National Register of Historic Places
Muir, John, Branch5.7 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · Los Angeles · listed 1987National Register of Historic Places
Fern Avenue School5.8 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · Torrance · listed 1992National Register of Historic Places
Woman's Club of Redondo Beach5.8 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · Redondo Beach · listed 1984National Register of Historic Places
Redondo Beach Public Library5.8 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Building · Redondo Beach · listed 1981National Register of Historic Places
Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge5.9 miles from the center of Hawthorne · Structure · Torrance · listed 1989National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Hawthorne, CA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Cold War Sites in Hawthorne, step by step

1
Read the short history of the period for this area
2
Open the map filtered to the sites from that chapter
3
Visit the nearest site and read its full record
4
Ask what the marker leaves out and look for the rest
5
Add the site to a route that follows the period in order

What people in Hawthorne, CA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Hawthorne, CA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are the hard parts of this history included?

Yes. The record is shown as published, and the stories behind the markers include what happened, who it happened to, and how it was remembered. Leaving the hard parts out would make the stop less worth the trip.

Why are there so many of these sites near Hawthorne, CA?

Most areas have more than people expect, because the registers list every surviving building and site tied to a period, not just the famous ones. The list on this page shows exactly what is on the record nearby.

How a visit works in Hawthorne

Step 1
Find the place
Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Hawthorne, CA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.
Step 2
Read the story
The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.
Step 3
Get there under your own power
Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Hawthorne, CA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.
Step 4
Collect it and come back
Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.