Los Angeles County · CA
Avalon
Catalina's only city, a ferry ride from the mainland.
- Population
- 3,460 (2020 census)
- Laid out
- 1887
- Casino opened
- 1929
Then
- Before 1800s
The Tongva call the island Pimu or Pimugna and themselves Pimugnans.
- 1887
George Shatto buys the island and lays out Avalon's streets.
- 1919
William Wrigley Jr. buys control of the island from the Banning brothers.
- 1921
The Chicago Cubs begin holding spring training here, off and on until 1951.
- 1929
Wrigley's Catalina Casino opens on May 29.
Now
About a million visitors a year arrive by ferry and cruise ship. Households are allowed one small "autoette," often a golf cart, and the Catalina Island Conservancy manages most of the island outside town.