The land was first populated by the Ohlone Native Americans, who were displaced by Spanish settlers in the 1700s.

While Lorin supported a large Japanese immigrant population in the early 20th century, many such residents were forcibly removed to internment camps during WWII.

After their displacement, many Black migrants from the American South settled in the district.

[3][1] In the 1930s, the Lorin District was redlined by the federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation, leading to decades of underdevelopment and government disinvestment.

[4] Lorin is the setting for a scene in former University of California student Frank Norris' book The Octopus (1903).