Norwalk, California is a city in Los Angeles County, United States, with a population of 102,773 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1957, Norwalk is 17 miles (27 km) southeast of downtown Los Angeles and is part of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is a member of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments and has sister cities in Morelia and Hermosillo. The area was originally inhabited by the Shoshonean Native American tribe, who lived in the Sejat Indian village. In 1784, Spanish soldier Manuel Nieto received a land grant, Rancho Los Nietos, which included Norwalk. After the Mexican–American War, parts of the land were sold, attracting settlers like the Sproul Brothers, who bought land in 1869. By 1873, the arrival of the Anaheim Branch Railroad led to Norwalk's official naming in 1874. Early settlers, including the Sprouls, Dewitts, Settles, and Orrs, helped establish Norwalk's first school system in 1880 and its dairy industry in the 1890s. By 1900, it was a major dairy and sugar beet farming center, with many Dutch settlers. After the 1950s, Norwalk's Hispanic population grew as the city became increasingly residential.