You would think the city of Industry is self-explanatory — it’s a place for industrial business. But how Los Angeles County’s second smallest city began is quite a roller coaster.

For decades, Industry has been a haven for warehouses, factories and not much else. As of the last U.S. Census, only 265 residents live in its 12 square miles. Under state law, Industry today wouldn’t even reach the minimum number of voters required to form a city.

So how did it get here? Industry’s tumultuous origins include alleged corruption, corporate influence and a struggle over territory.

A family business

Before the city became one of L.A. County’s foremost industrial hubs, it was an unincorporated agricultural area in the La Puente Valley, under the control of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors

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