California note
The Hay Tree explains Paramount's dairy-market past
Paramount's Hay Tree landmark points back to the city's Hynes and Clearwater roots, dairy industry, hay prices, and 1948 unification story.
Paramount has a local landmark that sounds small until you know what it stood for. The Hay Tree is tied to the old dairy and hay-market economy of Hynes and Clearwater, the communities that later unified as Paramount.
In the early 1900s, this area was a major Southern California dairy center. Hay prices were set each morning at the Hay Tree, and the California landmark listing places the camphor tree at 16475 Paramount Boulevard. Paramount unified in 1948 and incorporated in 1957.
The tree opens a bigger local story. It is a way to see how agriculture, markets, and small communities shaped the city before the modern Southeast LA landscape filled in. Check the city and state landmark pages for the careful version of the history.
The landmark is also useful because Paramount’s older communities are not always obvious from today’s street grid. Hynes, Clearwater, dairy land, and the Hay Tree give the city a before-and-after shape.
Use the tree as the first clue. Then look at the old place names. Hynes and Clearwater show what Paramount became.
Where to see it
The Hay Tree landmark on Paramount Boulevard. Check the city profile and California historical landmark listing for context.
Sources
Sources for this story
Reviewed July 1, 2026
Public sources for the places, events, and details above.
Connected places
Open the local directory
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