LAX ghost town a home to memories and rare butterflies
The remains of what was once one of Los Angeles' most coveted neighborhoods can be seen behind a fence topped with barbed wire.
Developed in the 1920s and 1930s, Surfridge was an isolated playground of the wealthy.
Today, Surfridge is a modern ghost town inhabited by a rare butterfly. The El Segundo blue butterfly was near extinction in the early 1970s, the victim of an expanding Los Angeles International Airport.
Now, more than 125,000 butterflies take flight each summer. "It's a remarkable recovery," said Richard Arnold, an entomologist."
Soon there will be more. The California Coastal Commission recently approved a $3-million plan to restore portions of 48 acres at the northern end of the old subdivision. The project is part of a settlement of a lawsuit between LAX and surrounding cities over the airport's expansion plans.
"They wanted us to fix what they consider to be an eyesore," airport spokeswoman Nancy Suey Castles said.
As commercial aviation surged after World War II, there were more and more planes overhead, a burgeoning industry in a city that was growing at a breakneck pace.
But it was the Jet Age that killed Surfridge.
Today, except for the crumbling concrete, Surfridge exists solely in memory and faded snapshots. The views are still great and people park their vehicles on the road above Dockweiler State Beach to savor them, read a book or take a nap.
It's a strange place to seek relaxation.
But wait long enough and there is a lull in air traffic and respite from the racket. The ocean below can finally be heard. Thoughts turn to a time when this was all dunes and the blue butterfly didn't need any help.
And then, just as suddenly, a 747 shatters the silence.
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