Gateway Cities Census Data

Signal Hill

Description: Puva Indians were responsible for naming the City of Signal Hill — they once used the hilltop to signal fellow tribes on Catalina Island, 26 miles offshore.

Spanish settlers, who witnessed the natives using the area as a signaling point, called the site “Loma Senta,” which translates to Signal Hill.

The area — with its panoramic views from Catalina to the San Gabriel Mountains — saw the development of many mansions throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In 1921, the Dutch Royal Shell Oil Company struck oil in Signal Hill. Within three years, the hilltop community was dotted with thousands of oil derricks and it was dubbed “porcupine hill.”

The city, located on county land,was incorporated in 1924 to avoid a per-barrel oil tax levied by Long Beach. By 1984, the city had produced more than one billion barrels of oil, making it one of the world’s richest oil fields.

Today, Signal Hill is a well- balanced, financially sound and economically diverse community, featuring everything from auto dealerships and expensive new homes with ocean views to condos nestled on hillsides.

(city description courtesy of Press Telegram 2006 Almanac)