Archaeological evidence suggests a human presence in the area of present-day Culver City since at least 8000 BCE.

For centuries, native people lived in areas currently part of and surrounding Culver City.

[8][9][10] California's native people were massacred by waves of Spanish, Mexican and Euro-American invaders through a combination of slavery, disease, relocation, forced labor, imprisonment, broken treaties and a genocidal war of extermination, including paid bounties for dead "Indians".

[11] The Spanish and Mexican governments offered concessions and land grants from 1785 to 1846 forming the Ranchos of California.

[12] When Culver City was founded, native, Hispanic or Latino people were not allowed to buy property.

[13] During the American Civil War, a U.S. Army post called Camp Latham was established from 1861 to 1862 on the south bank of Ballona Creek.

The first film studio in Culver City was built by Thomas Ince in 1918 for The Triangle Motion Picture Company.

Culver Center, one of Southern California's first shopping malls, was completed in 1950[20] on Venice Boulevard near the Overland Avenue intersection.

Hughes produced more ammunition belts than any other American manufacturer, and built 5,576 wings and 6,370 rear fuselage sections for Vultee BT-13 trainers.

After he died in 1976, the institute sold the company, which made it the second-best-endowed medical research foundation in the world.

Today, the RKO site is the southern expansion of the Hayden Industrial Tract, while the MGM property has been converted into a subdivision and a shopping center known as Raintree Plaza.

[25] The city is surrounded by the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Mar Vista and Palms to the north; Westchester to the south; Mid-City, West Adams, and Baldwin Hills to the east; the Ladera Heights unincorporated area to the southeast; and the L.A. neighborhoods of Venice and Playa Vista to the west, along with the unincorporated area of Marina del Rey.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km2), over 99% of which is land.

[35] Corporations with headquarters in Culver City include Beats Audio, MedMen, NantHealth, Sweetgreen and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

[42] The County of Los Angeles Public Library operates the Julian Dixon Culver City Branch.

The Baldwin Hills Parklands Link is a shuttle service operated by Los Angeles County that stops at Stoneview Nature Center on weekends only.