In 1915, street bonds were offered to the general public in order to finance the grading and laying out of many Hawthorne streets. These dirt streets were packed down by a heavy roller and then oiled in order to keep down the dust. Old records indicate annual purchases of hundreds of barrels of oil for this purpose. The first paved street was a 20 foot strip on the east side of Hawthorne Boulevard, and although no accurate records are available, it is believed that this paving occurred about 1918. The photo below of Hawthorne Boulevard and Raymond (120th) was taken in 1910.

By 1921 the population had reached the astounding figure of 2,000, and a group of civic-spirited citizens instituted public meetings for the purpose of incorporating the city. An important segment of the population voiced opposition to this move but those citizens in favor of incorporation outnumbered the dissidents, and on July 12, 1922 Hawthorne was established as a sixth class city with a council form of government. The first City Council was composed of C.C. Butler, Mayor and Messrs. Lorig, Mason, Haylett and Hillhouse. Many of our present citizens remember that day when a sleepy little village suddenly became a city, a city that 40 years later was called "The City of Good Neighbors," and was destined to become an extremely vital area for the manufacture of hardware to probe the Universe. In 1962 the Chamber of Commerce adopted the slogan … "Space Theatre of Operations" … and this slogan is still used by the Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce.