Editing South Bay (Los Angeles County) (section)

==Major employers==

===Port of Los Angeles===
The [[Port of Los Angeles]], sprawling across the shorelines of [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]] and [[Wilmington, Los Angeles|Wilmington]], is the busiest in the United States. When combined with the [[Port of Long Beach]], it is the fifth-busiest in the world.  Traditionally, most of the populations of Wilmington and San Pedro have worked for the port in some capacity.  It is increasingly the primary driver of the Southern California economy. Industrial growth in the [[Inland Empire]] is almost entirely attributable to increased port traffic since the 1980s. The massive increase in cargo volume has created significant air pollution (especially of [[particulate]] matter in neighboring communities, resulting from the combustion of low-grade marine [[diesel fuel]]).

===Aerospace===
The South Bay is the traditional home of Southern California's [[aerospace]] industry. While considerably shrunken from its [[Cold War]] peak, it still represents a major economic force, employing thousands in high-skill, high-wage engineering positions and generating enormous amounts of tax revenue. [[Northrop Grumman]] has a major facility in El Segundo where the [[F/A-18 Hornet]] fuselage is manufactured, as well as the headquarters of the Space Technology division in [[Redondo Beach, California|Redondo Beach]] and a facility at the [[Hawthorne Municipal Airport (California)|Hawthorne Municipal Airport]]. [[Howmet]] Fastening Systems, a subsidiary of [[Howmet Aerospace]], has their corporate headquarters located in Torrance with manufacturing facilities in both Torrance and Carson. [[Boeing]] and [[Lockheed Martin]] also maintain extensive production facilities throughout the South Bay and [[Raytheon]] maintains a facility in El Segundo. The [[Los Angeles Air Force Base]] and neighboring [[The Aerospace Corporation|Aerospace Corporation]] in [[El Segundo, California|El Segundo]] are a main focus of aerospace research activity and serve as the primary development facilities for military [[satellite]]s and other space programs. [[DirecTV]], a former subsidiary of [[Hughes Aircraft]], is also headquartered in El Segundo for the same reason. [[SpaceX]] is also headquartered in the South Bay in [[Hawthorne, California|Hawthorne]].

===Oil refining===
[[Image:Palos Verdes (aerial view).jpg|thumb|View of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Los Angeles in the distance.]]

Petroleum refining is another important component of the South Bay's economy. Major South Bay refiners include [[Andeavor|Tesoro]] ([[ARCO]] facility in Carson), [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]] (El Segundo), [[Phillips 66]] (Wilmington), [[PBF Energy]] (Torrance), [[Andeavor|Tesoro]] (Wilmington), and [[Valero Energy Corporation|Valero]] (Wilmington).  These refiners supply a large share of petroleum products for Southern California as well as for [[Nevada]] and [[Arizona]].

===Automotive===
Japanese automobile manufacturer [[Honda]] maintains its North American headquarters in the South Bay, in the city of [[Torrance, California|Torrance]]. ([[Nissan]] was also headquartered in the South Bay until late 2005, but relocated to Tennessee, citing the high cost of running a business in California. [[Toyota]] relocated to [[Plano, Texas]] in 2017 for many of the same reasons.) While these locations are largely the legacy of the region's historical importance as a Japanese-American population center, it has proven fortunate for two reasons; first, it enables closer oversight of vehicle import operations at the nearby ports; and second, it gives them proximity to the [[Import scene|automobile customization culture]] that is prominent in nearby [[South Los Angeles]]. [[Tesla Motors|Tesla]] is stationed near the headquarters of [[SpaceX]] in [[Hawthorne, California|Hawthorne]].