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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Playa del Rey (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Playa del Rey. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Playa del Rey is located in Los Angeles County.

To see how the shape of California's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Los Angeles County: Kern, Orange, San Bernardino & Ventura.

Below are the counties that are near Playa del Rey. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Playa del Rey:

  • Los Angeles County     (The home county of Playa del Rey)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Playa del Rey, with the one closest to Playa del Rey listed first.
    • Marina del Rey
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Playa Vista
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Playa Vista
      • Playa Vista is located in Los Angeles County
    • Surfridge ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surfridge
      • Surfridge is located in Los Angeles County
    • Westchester
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westchester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westchester
      • Westchester is located in Los Angeles County
    • Venice
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venice
      • Venice is located in Los Angeles County
    • El Segundo
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Mar Vista
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mar Vista
      • Mar Vista is located in Los Angeles County
    • Ladera Heights
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ladera Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladera Heights
      • Ladera Heights is located in Los Angeles County
    • Inglewood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Culver City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Del Aire
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Del Aire have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Aire
      • Del Aire is located in Los Angeles County
    • Hawthorne
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Playa del Rey, with the one closest to Playa del Rey listed first.
    • La Palma
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Los Alamitos
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Rossmoor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rossmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossmoor
      • Rossmoor is located in Orange County
    • Seal Beach
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Cypress
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Buena Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Sunset Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Surfside
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Stanton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Barber City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barber City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber City
      • Barber City is located in Orange County
    • La Habra
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Green Lantern Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Lantern Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Lantern Village
      • Green Lantern Village is located in Orange County
  • Ventura County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Playa del Rey, with the one closest to Playa del Rey listed first.
    • Oak Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Thousand Oaks
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenwich Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwich Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich Village
      • Greenwich Village is located in Ventura County
    • Simi Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Playa del Rey, see our County-by-County Page for Playa del Rey.

Newspapers Published in Playa del Rey ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 609 newspapers that have been published in the area around Playa del Rey.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Playa del Rey, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Playa del Rey.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Playa del Rey:

Cemeteries Near Playa del Rey ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Playa del Rey.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Playa del Rey covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Playa del Rey, with the one closest to Playa del Rey listed first.

  • Hillside Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Inglewood Park Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Pacific Crest Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Westwood Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westwood Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Westwood Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Westwood Village Memorial Park
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westwood Memorial Park
  • Los Angeles National Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Roosevelt Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Angelus Rosedale Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Los Angeles.
    • The Angelus Rosedale Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Rosedale Cemetery
    • Rosedale Memorial Park
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8309 <4>
  • Hollywood Forever Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • The Hollywood Forever Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Beth Olam Cemetery
    • Beth Olam Mausoleum
    • Hollywood Memorial Cemetery
    • Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8033 <4>
  • Lincoln Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lincoln Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lincoln Memorial Park
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
  • Continue List   (61 more) ...
    • Green Hills Memorial Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Angeles Abbey Memorial Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • IOOF Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>

While we didn't find Playa del Rey in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Playa del Rey.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Playa del Rey, with the one closest to Playa del Rey listed first.

  • Inglewood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Santa Monica
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Palms
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palms have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palms
    • Palms is located in Los Angeles County
  • Hyde Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde Park
    • Hyde Park is located in Los Angeles County
  • Redondo Beach
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Moneta
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moneta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moneta
    • Moneta is located in Los Angeles County
  • Gardena
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardena
    • Gardena is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 58,498 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gardena <1>
  • South Los Angeles
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Los Angeles
    • South Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles County
  • Florence
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Florence is located in Los Angeles County
  • Clement Junction
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clement Junction
    • Clement Junction is located in Los Angeles County
  • Los Angeles
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Las Flores
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Las Flores have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Las Flores
    • Las Flores is located in Los Angeles County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Compton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
      • Compton is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93,967 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Compton <1>
    • Lynwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynwood
      • Lynwood is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 68,508 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lynwood <1>
    • Naud Junction
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Naud Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naud Junction
      • Naud Junction is located in Los Angeles County

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Playa del Rey. See our List of 1890's Communities around Playa del Rey.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Playa del Rey. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Los Angeles County: www.lacounty.info/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Playa del Rey) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Playa del Rey. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.9565, Longitude: -118.4424    
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Playa del Rey, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024