Monrovia, California | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 34°8′45.28″N118°0′3.42″W / 34.1459111°N 118.0009500°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Los Angeles |
Incorporated | December 15, 1887 [1] |
Government | |
• Type | Council-Manager |
• Mayor | Becky A. Shevlin |
• Mayor Pro Tem | Dr. Tamala P. Kelly |
• City Council |
|
• City Manager | Dylan Feik |
• City Treasurer | Janet Wall [2] |
Area | |
• Total | 13.74 sq mi (35.59 km2) |
• Land | 13.63 sq mi (35.31 km2) |
• Water | 0.11 sq mi (0.28 km2) 0.79% |
Elevation | 571 ft (174 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 37,931 |
• Density | 2,782/sq mi (1,074.2/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−8 (PST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
ZIP Codes | 91016–91017 |
Area code | 626 |
FIPS code | 06-48648 |
GNIS feature ID | 1661049 |
Website | www |
Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 37,931 at the 2020 census. [5]
Monrovia is the fourth-oldest general-law city in Los Angeles County and the L.A. Basin (after Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Pasadena, all now charter cities [6] ). Incorporated in 1887, it has grown from a sparse community of orange ranches to a residential community of over 37,000.
In 1769, the Portolà expedition was the first recorded Spanish (or any European) land entry and exploration of present-day California, then the Spanish colonial Las Californias Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (colonial México). In 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed it from sea for the King of Spain. The expedition led by Gaspar de Portolà proceeded north from San Diego, passing through the area en route to Monterey Bay. Accompanying Portolà was Franciscan padre Juan Crespí, the expedition's diarist. Much of what is known of early California is from Crespi's detailed descriptions.
In 1771, Franciscans established the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in the San Gabriel Valley. The mission continued after Mexican independence in 1822. In 1833, the Mexican Congress initiated secularization of the missions in Alta California, to begin seizure of mission properties for sale to private rancho grantees.
In 1841, Alta California Governor Juan Alvarado issued Mexican land grants for Rancho Azusa de Duarte to Andrés Duarte, a Mexican soldier; and for Rancho Santa Anita to Hugo Reid, a naturalized Mexican citizen of Scottish birth. Monrovia is made of parts of these two ranchos.
In the mid-19th century, most of Rancho Azusa de Duarte was subdivided and sold by Duarte to settle his debts. Some of those parcels became part of the ranch of William N. Monroe, Monrovia's eponym, with the "-via" suffix coming from West African religious mythology.
Rancho Santa Anita changed hands several times before the multimillionaire, silver baron and rancher E. J. "Lucky" Baldwin acquired it in 1875. That same year his Los Angeles Investment Company began subdividing and selling parcels from many of his ranchos. In 1883, 240 acres (970,000 m2) of Rancho Santa Anita were sold to Monroe for $30,000. Additional parcels of Rancho Santa Anita were sold to Edward F. Spence, John D. Bicknell, James F. Crank, and J. F. Falvey.
The completion of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad in 1887, later sold to the Santa Fe (which would run through Monrovia) and Southern Pacific railroads to Southern California brought new people looking for homes and investment opportunities. With this in mind, Monroe, Spence, Bicknell, Crank, and Falvey combined their land under the business name of the Monrovia Land and Water Company in 1886, centered at Orange (now Colorado Boulevard) and Myrtle Avenues; the first tract extended from Magnolia Avenue on the west to Charlotte Avenue (Canyon Boulevard) on the east, a half block south of Walnut on the south and a half block north of Lime on the north. [7] The subdivision was subdivided into 600 500-foot (150 m) by 160-foot (49 m) (1.84 acre) lots and sold.
The town was incorporated in 1887 under the leadership of prohibitionists who wished to control the arrival of an unwelcome saloon. The newly formed government's first order of business was to pass a tippler's law, prohibiting the sale of alcohol.
In 1903, the Monrovia News was established. The same year, the Pacific Electric was opened, providing transportation to and from Los Angeles, making it possible for Monrovia homeowners to work in Los Angeles.
In 1905, Carnegie funds became available and, with the help of the Board of Trade (forerunner to the Chamber of Commerce) and the Monrovia Women's Club, a bond issue was passed to purchase the Granite Bank Building to be used as a city hall, and to acquire property for a public park. The Granite Building has served as the city hall, fire and police department facilities since 1961 and the fire department since 1974. In 1956, the old Carnegie library building was torn down and a new library was constructed. In March 2007, a new library was voted on by the people of Monrovia. It won with 70% yes votes. The library now has 190,000 books, a heritage room for historical documents, and areas for children, teens, and adults. [8]
A city council–manager type government was instituted in 1923.
In 1930, the Monrovia Airport, also known as the Foothill Flying Club, was commercially established. The small airstrip claimed to have had 12,000 paying customers use the airfield in 1932 and on May 19, 1938, the first airmail flight took off from Monrovia Airport. Ownership of the airport changed hands several times while it was in operation; pilots remembered it as "the friendliest little airport in the country." Apart from usage by Riley Brothers, TWA Captain and former airshow pilot Kalman Irwin, and Pancho Barnes, the airfield is well known for its use as a movie-filming location. The first movie filmed at the Monrovia Airport was The Fighting Pilot. Other films shot at the airfield include 20,000 Men a Year, The Great Plane Robbery, and most notably, The Big Noise, featuring Laurel and Hardy. The 35-acre airfield, used as a runway as well as an airplane repair and storage service, was forced to close in 1953 after being sold to Consolidated Engineering Corporation for redevelopment as a result of increased land values. [9]
Monrovia was the home to the precursor to McDonald's. In 1937, Patrick McDonald opened a food stand on Huntington Drive (Route 66) near the old Monrovia Airport called "The Airdrome" (hamburgers were ten cents, and all-you-can-drink orange juice was five cents); it remained there until 1940, when he and his two sons, Maurice and Richard, moved the building 40 miles (64 km) east to San Bernardino to the corner of West 14th Street and 1398 North E Street, renaming it "McDonald's".
In 1995, Monrovia received the All America City Award from the National Civic League.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 35.5 square kilometers (13.7 sq mi). 13.6 square miles (35 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.79%) is water. [10]
Wildlife is abundant in the adjacent San Gabriel Mountains, including mammals like black bears, bobcats, coyotes, gray foxes, mountain lions, and mule deer, many of which roam area neighborhoods and visit backyards. [11] In 2024, a mother black bear and her young cubs began regularly visiting a home in Monrovia situated close to the mountains to cool-off and play in the property's swimming pool. By May, the bear family had become such regular visitors, with the homeowners posting numerous videos online, that it was reported on by multiple local, national and international news outlets, including Sky News Australia. [12]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 907 | — | |
1900 | 1,205 | 32.9% | |
1910 | 3,576 | 196.8% | |
1920 | 5,480 | 53.2% | |
1930 | 10,890 | 98.7% | |
1940 | 12,807 | 17.6% | |
1950 | 20,186 | 57.6% | |
1960 | 27,079 | 34.1% | |
1970 | 30,562 | 12.9% | |
1980 | 30,531 | −0.1% | |
1990 | 35,761 | 17.1% | |
2000 | 36,929 | 3.3% | |
2010 | 36,590 | −0.9% | |
2020 | 37,931 | 3.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [13] 1860–1870 [14] [15] 1880-1890 [16] 1900 [17] 1910 [18] 1920 [19] 1930 [20] 1940 [21] 1950 [22] 1960 [23] 1970 [24] 1980 [25] 1990 [26] 2000 [27] 2010 [28] 2020 [29] |
Monrovia first appeared as a town in the 1890 U.S. Census; [16] and as a city in the 1900 U.S. Census. [17]
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 [30] | Pop 2010 [31] | Pop 2020 [29] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 17,211 | 15,023 | 12,903 | 46.61% | 41.06% | 34.02% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,074 | 2,346 | 1,955 | 8.32% | 6.41% | 5.15% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 133 | 89 | 66 | 0.36% | 0.24% | 0.17% |
Asian alone (NH) | 2,531 | 3,997 | 6,210 | 6.85% | 10.92% | 16.37% |
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 34 | 69 | 30 | 0.09% | 0.19% | 0.08% |
Other race alone (NH) | 73 | 93 | 227 | 0.20% | 0.25% | 0.60% |
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 861 | 930 | 1,553 | 2.33% | 2.54% | 4.09% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 13,012 | 14,043 | 14,987 | 35.24% | 38.38% | 39.51% |
Total | 36,929 | 36,590 | 37,931 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The 2010 United States Census [32] reported that Monrovia had a population of 36,590. The population density was 2,668.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,030.2/km2). The racial makeup of Monrovia was 21,932 (59.9%) White (41.1% Non-Hispanic White), [33] 4,107 (11.2%) Asian, 2,500 (6.8%) African American, 279 (0.8%) Native American, 76 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 5,818 (15.9%) from other races, and 1,878 (5.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14,043 persons (38.4%).
The census reported that 36,434 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 61 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 95 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 13,762 households, out of which 4,725 (34.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,295 (45.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,073 (15.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 778 (5.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 793 (5.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 131 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,649 households (26.5%) were made up of individuals, and 1,276 (9.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65. There were 9,146 families (66.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.24.
The population was spread out, with 8,514 people (23.3%) under the age of 18, 3,084 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 10,733 people (29.3%) aged 25 to 44, 10,018 people (27.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 4,241 people (11.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
There were 14,473 housing units at an average density of 1,055.4 units per square mile (407.5 units/km2), of which 6,809 (49.5%) were owner-occupied, and 6,953 (50.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 18,478 people (50.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,956 people (49.1%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Monrovia had a median household income of $71,768, with 9.8% of the population living below the federal poverty line. [33]
As of the census [34] of 2000, there were 36,929 people, 13,502 households, and 9,086 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,686.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,037.3/km2). There were 13,957 housing units at an average density of 1,015.3 units per square mile (392.0 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 62.92% White, 8.67% African American, 7.02% Asian, 0.87% Native American, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 15.61% from other races, and 4.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.24% of the population.
There were 13,502 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 27.4% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,375, and the median income for a family was $49,703. Males had a median income of $41,039 versus $32,259 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,686. About 9.7% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
Mexican (27.0%) and German (7.9%) were the most common ancestries. Mexico (48.1%) and the Philippines (8.6%) were the most common foreign places of birth. [35]
Original Tommy's, Trader Joe's, Green Dot and Naked Juice are based in Monrovia. Monrovia has a "Technology Corridor," [36] [37] which includes AeroVironment, Tanner Research, Parasoft, Xencor, and ITT Deep Space Division.[ citation needed ]
According to the city's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, [38] the top employers in the city are:
# | Employer | # of employees |
---|---|---|
1 | Monrovia Unified School District | 724 |
2 | Trader Joe's | 341 |
3 | STAAR Surgical | 254 |
4 | Sierra Autocars | 244 |
5 | City of Monrovia | 238 |
6 | WorleyParsons | 218 |
7 | Home Depot | 209 |
8 | Ducommun | 182 |
9 | Vinyl Technology | 179 |
10 | Amada Myachi America | 164 |
Upton Sinclair House, home to author Upton Sinclair, is in Monrovia and is a National Historic Landmark.
In the California State Legislature, Monrovia is in the 25th Senate District , represented by Democrat Sasha Renée Pérez, and in the 41st Assembly District , represented by Democrat John Harabedian. A small portion of the city is in the 48th Assembly District , represented by Democrat Blanca Rubio. [39]
In the United States House of Representatives, Monrovia is mostly within California's 31st congressional district , represented by Democrat Gil Cisneros with a small portion of the city in California's 28th congressional district , represented by Democrat Judy Chu. [40]
Monrovia Unified School District operates public schools. Monrovia High School is the high school.
The city is a part of the Citrus Community College District.
Newspapers with offices in Monrovia include the San Gabriel Valley Tribune , which publishes community news, and Monrovia Weekly, a community newspaper. Public access television is provided by KGEM-TV, which is available primarily to cable viewers, with some content online. [41]
Monrovia's main roads include Foothill Boulevard and Huntington Drive (historic Route 66). It is also served by the Foothill Freeway (I-210).
In 2016, Metro opened a new at-grade light rail station in Monrovia, Monrovia station, at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Duarte Road. It is served by the Metro A Line. [42] It is at the location of the former Santa Fe Depot, which still stands. [43]
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Monrovia Health Center in Monrovia. [44]
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in the San Gabriel Valley and The Verdugos regions of Los Angeles County, California. It is approximately 14 miles (23 km) from downtown Los Angeles, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California. The population was 42,777 at the 2010 census, up from 42,610 at the 2000 census.
Azusa is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains and located 20 miles (32 km) east of downtown Los Angeles.
Baldwin Park is a city located in the central San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,176, down from 75,390 at the 2010 census.
Bell Gardens is a city in the U.S. state of California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Located in Los Angeles County, the city's population was 42,072 at the 2010 census, down from 44,054 at the 2000 census. Bell Gardens is part of the Gateway Cities Region, a largely urbanized region located in southeastern Los Angeles County.
Bradbury is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains below Angeles National Forest. Bradbury is bordered by the city of Monrovia to the west and south, and Duarte to the south and east. The population was 1,048 at the 2010 census, up from 855 at the 2000 census. The city has three distinct areas—the Bradbury Estates, which is a gated community consisting of 5-acre (20,000 m2) minimum estates; Woodlyn Lane, which is also a gated community with minimum 2-acre (8,100 m2) lots; and the balance of the city, which is not gated, which has lots generally ranging in size from 7,500 square feet (700 m2) to 1-acre (4,000 m2). A significant portion of the properties in Bradbury Estates and Woodlyn Lane are zoned for horses, and several horse ranches still exist within these communities today.
Carson is a city in the South Bay and the Harbor regions of Los Angeles County, California, located 13 miles (21 km) south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles (23 km) away from Los Angeles International Airport. It was incorporated on February 20, 1968. The city is locally known for its plurality of Filipino-Americans and immigrants. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 95,558.
Covina (/koviːnə/) is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, about 22 miles (35 km) east of downtown Los Angeles The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 census, up from 47,796 at the 2010 census. The city's slogan, "One Mile Square and All There", was coined when the incorporated area of the city was only one square mile (2.6 km2).
Diamond Bar is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The 2020 census listed a population of 55,072. It is one of a few cities in California with a majority Asian population. It is named after the "diamond over a bar" branding iron registered in 1918 by ranch owner Frederic E. Lewis (1884–1963). The city features a public Los Angeles County golf course.
Duarte is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 21,727. It is bounded to the north by the San Gabriel Mountains, to the north and west by the cities of Bradbury and Monrovia, to the south by the city of Irwindale, and to the east by the cities of Irwindale and Azusa. Duarte is located on historic U.S. Route 66, which today follows Huntington Drive through the middle of the city. The town is named after Andrés Avelino Duarte, a California ranchero (rancher) who founded the community on his land grant, Rancho Azusa de Duarte.
East Rancho Dominguez, also known as East Compton, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in southern Los Angeles County, California. The population was 15,135 at the 2010 census, up from 9,286 at the 2000 census. East Rancho Dominguez is an accepted city name according to the USPS, and shares the 90221 ZIP Code with Compton.
Hawthorne is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city region commonly called the South Bay. As of the 2020 US census, Hawthorne had a population of 88,083.
Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 census, down from 1,446 at the 2000 census. The ZIP Codes serving the area are 91010, which is shared with Duarte, 91702, which is shared with Azusa, and 91706, which is shared with Baldwin Park.
Rancho Palos Verdes is a coastal city located in south Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated on September 7, 1973, the city has a population of 42,287 as reported in the 2020 United States Census. Rancho Palos Verdes sits atop the bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, neighboring three other cities in the Palos Verdes Hills, namely Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates. It is known for its extensive nature preserves and hiking trails, school district, as well as high property values.
West Rancho Dominguez, formerly known as West Compton and also known as East Gardena, is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) located in southern Los Angeles County, California. Per the 2020 census, the population was 24,347. The community lies to the west of the city of Compton. The ZIP Codes encompassing the CDP area are 90220 & 90248.
Los Alamitos is a city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,780 at the 2020 census, up from 11,449 at the 2010 census. The adjacent unincorporated community of Rossmoor uses the same 90720 ZIP code in its mailing address, but is not part of the city. The Los Alamitos Race Course is named for the city, but lies in the neighboring city of Cypress.
Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, United States, within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city does not include the unincorporated community of North Tustin.
Chino is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region.
La Crescenta-Montrose is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The community is bordered by Glendale to the south and west, La Cañada Flintridge to the east, and Angeles National Forest to the north. According to the United States Census Bureau, the La Crescenta-Montrose Census-Designated Place (CDP) measures about 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2), and the population was 19,997 at the 2020 census, up from 19,653 in 2010 and 18,532 in 2000.
Rossmoor is a planned census-designated place located in Orange County, California. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 10,625 up from the 2010 census population of 10,244. The gated Leisure World retirement community in the city of Seal Beach is to the south of Rossmoor, Los Alamitos is to the east and north, and Long Beach is to the west. The community of Rossmoor has two shopping centers within its boundaries, but only one—the Rossmoor Village Square, is now within the political boundaries of Rossmoor. A larger shopping center, the Rossmoor Business Center, was annexed, despite many protests, by the City of Seal Beach in 1967. The Center has been remodeled several times and was renamed the Shops at Rossmoor in the early 2000s.
South Monrovia Island is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California. It sits at an elevation of 384 feet (117 m). It is bounded to the west and north by Monrovia, to the east by Duarte, and to the south by Irwindale. The 2010 United States census reported that South Monrovia Island's population was 6,777.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)It's not the adult bear's first visit to the neighborhood. She visits so frequently that residents have named her Maddie. "We see her often," said resident Brian Gordon. "I think one of the neighbors got 400,000 Likes on Instagram. She's swinging on a swing. She was at a open house in somebody's hot tub down the street. So, we see her quite a bit. She's even crashed our pool parties. If we're barbecuing, she'll show up and scare everyone."