Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-02
BY c. ii. DODD


dondo, Ocean Park, Hollywood, Car
vanza, Pasadena, Whittier and Long
Beach, one would find the nucleus of
the circle to locate Watts. To this To-
cation is partly due the increased ac-
tivity in building, improving of streets
and the general advance in realty
values. Watts has the very best car
service, situated as it is just eight
miles from the city hall, Los Angeles
twelve minutes from Sixth and Main)
and at the end of the four-track road,
making it a transfer point for the
Santa Ana, Long Beach and san Pc
dro lines, and any Pacific Electric en-
gineer will tell you that line from
this point to Redondo will be realized
at no distant date, making it possible
to shorten the time to that port by
getting out of the city over the four
track road. Besides giving us an un-
surpassed car service over thorough
ly oiled and rock-ballasted track, the
Pacific Electric has built a beautiful
and commodious depot where are to be
found the Wells-Fargo Express com
pany and the Western Union Tele-
graph company offices. Using the de-
pot in the sense of a clearing house,
the business of the city has increased
so per cent over last year, making 1t
necessary for extra help to handle the
freight.
Watts is city of the sixth class, in
corporated a little over two years ago,
and today is on a sound financial basis.
1t has a population of about 25OO, we'll
improved streets, a fire department,
weekly newspaper, just completing
$4,000 city hall, the best of public
schools, churches of the leading de-
nominations, the principal fraternal Or
ders, a chamber of commerce and a
good government league.
The soil about the city is silt or
sandy loan, affording excellent drain
age and is indeed fertile, as is evident
by the rapid growth of trees and
shrubbery, many residents growing
sufficient fruit and vegetables for their
own consumption on single lot.
There is no place in Southern Callfor-
mia where intelligent effort Will win
from the soil greater returns than TINS
particular locality, and for this reason
should arrest the attention of the
fruit grower and truck farmer. The
shipping facilities are the very best
and the nearby city will always offer
The water is of the purest and most
healthful, and were the owens river
water never to reach Los Angeles 1t
would not be considered of great mo
ment to Watts, as the surface water
rises to within a short distance OF the
surface Together with the well regu-
lated water system coming from arte-
sian wells the supply is 1neXhaustlple'
Owing to the altitude and distance
from the ocean it does not experience
the fog that comes sitting in from the
sea as does that district lying lower
and nearer the ocean. At the same
time it is Just removed far enough
from the foothills to be relieved from
the excessive heat so common in July
and August. Together with the fact
that we always have a gentle breeze TO
freshen the atmosphere, giving us that
mean temperature with which Southern
California is credited.
The bonded Indebtedness of the city is
s5O000 a small part of which is alreacY
expended for the paving of streets, etc.
This money is considered an asset, as
the property owners, through petition
ing the council, can draw on the same
to in part pay for the grading of streets
in front of their property. The ac-
cused valuation of property has IN
creased materially over that OF last
year.
The council is made up of men
man size four square, who are enter
prising and progressive, who have at
all times civic pride in municipal ar
fairs and bend every effort toward
furthering the best interests of our
growing city. w. H. Turner, William
Diller, c. Doran, L. L. Blackman and
Patrick Kelly make up the board OF
trustees, with S. ]. Lord and f. II.
Anderson as clerk and treasurer.
The problems with which the city is
wrestling at present are the building
of the city hall, paving of streets, pro-