text:
Carson, California

Carson is a city in the South Bay and the Harbor regions of Los Angeles County, California, located 13 mi south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 mi 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.

History
Tongva Indians lived in the area. Carson lies on part of the Spanish land grant Rancho San Pedro, from the King of Spain in 1784. The Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum on Alameda Street in Compton (not far from Carson's city limits) is the historic ranch home of the grantees Juan Dominguez and Manuel Dominguez. Carson was named after George Henry Carson, who married a daughter of the Dominguez family in 1857 and managed the rancho.

The year 1921 marked the first drilling for oil at Dominguez Hill, on the northwest side of the Rancho San Pedro (also called Rancho Domínguez), site of the famous battle during the Mexican–American War called the Battle of Rancho Domínguez in 1846. The mineral rights to this property were owned by Carson Estate Company, the Hellman family, the Dominguez Estate Company, and the Burnham Exploration Company of Frederick Russell Burnham. On September 7, 1923, Burnham Exploration partnering with Union Oil brought in the first producer on the site: Callender No. 1-A well at a depth of 4068 ft and 1193 oilbbl/d.

In 2011, Shell was ordered by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board to clean up the Carousel Tract neighborhood after the discovery of benzene and methane gas contamination, as well as soil and groundwater contamination.

In 2021, Carson was subjected to an air pollution event as a result of hydrogen sulfide emanating from the nearby Dominguez Channel.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Carson has an area of 19.0 sqmi. 18.7 sqmi of it is land and 0.2 sqmi of it (1.29%) is water.

Carson is bordered by West Rancho Dominguez on the north, Rancho Dominguez and Long Beach on the southeast, West Carson on the southwest and Compton to the north.

Bixby Marshland, a 17-acre wetland habitat, is located in Carson.

Climate
Carson experiences a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb), similar to that of the Los Angeles Basin with noticeably cooler temperatures during the summer due to the nearby Pacific Ocean (which is approximately 6 to 8 miles away). Rainfall is scarce during the summer in Carson but receives enough rainfall throughout the year to avoid Köppen's BSh (semi-arid climate). Carson, like many of the Southern California coastal areas, is subject to a late spring/early summer weather phenomenon called "June Gloom." This involves overcast or foggy skies in the morning which yield to sun by early afternoon.

2020
The U.S. Census accounts for race by two methodologies. "Race alone" and "Race alone less Hispanics" where Hispanics are delineated separately as if a separate race.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 11.85% (11,325) White, 22.76% (21,752) Black, 1.12% (1,066) Native American, 26.69% (25,501) Asian, 1.79% (1,713) Pacific Islander, 23.61% (22,557) Other Race, and 12.19% (11,644) Multiracial.

When residents of Hispanic or Latino ancestry were counted in their own category, the population was 6.87% (6,569) Non-Hispanic White, 22.25% (21,264) Non-Hispanic Black, 0.19% (185) Native American, 26.17% (25,011) Asian, 1.66% (1,585) Pacific Islander alone (non-Hispanic), 0.51% (484) Other Race alone (non-Hispanic), 2.95% (2,817) Multiracial and 39.39% (37,643) of Hispanic or Latino origin.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Carson had a population of 91,714. The population density was 4,835.2 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Carson was 21,864 (23.8%) White (7.7% Non-Hispanic White), 21,856 (23.8%) African American, 518 (0.6%) Native American, 23,522 (25.6%) Asian (20.9% Filipino, 0.8% Japanese, 0.8% Korean, 0.5% Chinese, 0.4% Vietnamese, 0.4% Asian Indian, 0.2% Cambodian, 0.1% Pakistani, 0.1% Thai), 2,386 (2.6%) Pacific Islander (2.2% Samoan, 0.2% Guamanian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian), 17,151 (18.7%) from other races, and 4,417 (4.8%) from two or more races. There were 35,417 residents of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race (38.6%); 32.6% of the population was of Mexican ancestry, 1.1% Salvadoran, 1.0% Guatemalan, 0.6% Puerto Rican, 0.3% Cuban, 0.2% Honduran, 0.2% Peruvian, and 0.2% Ecuadorian.

The Census reported that 90,411 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 1,170 (1.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 133 (0.1%) were institutionalized.

There were 25,432 households, out of which 10,980 (43.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 14,178 (55.7%) were married couples living together, 4,787 (18.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,761 (6.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. 3,776 households (14.8%) were made up of individuals, and 1,790 (7.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.56. There were 20,726 families (81.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.90. {{US Census population }
 * 1960=38059
 * 1970=71150
 * 1980=81221
 * 1990=83995
 * 2000=89730
 * 2010=91714
 * 2020=95558
 * footnote=U.S. Decennial Census

There were 21,992 people (24.0%) under the age of 18, 9,964 people (10.9%) aged 18 to 24, 23,105 people (25.2%) aged 25 to 44, 24,013 people (26.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 12,640 people (13.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

There were 26,226 housing units at an average density of 1,382.6 /sqmi, of which 19,529 (76.8%) were owner-occupied, and 5,903 (23.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 68,924 people (75.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 21,487 people (23.4%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 89,730 people, 24,648 households and 20,236 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,762.2 PD/sqmi. There were 25,337 housing units at an average density of 1,344.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 25.69% White, 25.41% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 22.27% Asian, 2.99% Pacific Islander, 17.98% from other races, and 5.09% from two or more races. 34.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 24,648 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.9% were non-families. 14.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.59 and the average family size was 3.92.

Age ranges of residents were 28.4% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

According to a 2006 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $60,457, and the median income for a family was $66,468. Males had a median income of $33,579 versus $31,110 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,107. About 7.2% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over. Carson has the distinction of being the only incorporated city in the United States where the black population has a higher median income than the white population.

Philippines (43.7%) and Mexico (39.3%) are the most common foreign places of birth in Carson.

Irish, German, English, Nigerian and African are the most common ancestries. The most common non-English languages spoken in Carson are Spanish and Tagalog.

Top employers
As of 2021, the top ten employers in the city were:

Former companies
Nissan previously had its North American headquarters in Carson. The 42 acre property consisted of 13 buildings, with a total of 700000 sqft of office and light industrial space. One of the buildings, a nine-story tower, had the Nissan logo on it. Vincent Roger of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it "was a familiar sight to drivers passing the intersection of the Harbor and San Diego freeways." Around 2006 the company had 1,500 employees at the headquarters. In 2005 a leak revealed that Nissan planned to move its offices to Tennessee. In the summer of 2006, the Nissan headquarters completed the move. Over half of the employees chose to stay in the Los Angeles area.

Arts and culture
County of Los Angeles Public Library operates the Carson Regional Library and the Dr. Martin Luther King Library. Both libraries are in Carson.

Carson is the site of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). CSUDH is a major commuter school, particularly for students from the surrounding cities of Long Beach, Compton, and the census-designated place of West Carson. It was founded as "South Bay College" and then renamed California State University at Palos Verdes. It moved to the City of Carson to meet a significant need for higher education opportunities in the largely black middle class suburbs of Los Angeles. Today it is among the most racially diverse campuses in the United States. The student body does not have a racial or ethnic majority. Carson is also the location of Dignity Health Sports Park, a sports complex including a soccer-specific stadium used by the Los Angeles Galaxy and formerly the Los Angeles Sol, C.D. Chivas USA, and the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL), a tennis stadium which hosted the LA Women's Tennis Championships, and a track and field facility.

Carson Mall, now SouthBay Pavilion, opened in 1973 and is located at the Avalon Boulevard exit off the San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405).

Sports
One professional sports team currently plays their home games in Carson;

The Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL played their home games in Carson from 2017 to 2019.

2028 Summer Olympics
Rugby union, modern pentathlon, tennis, field hockey and track cycling will all be held in Carson during the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Former NFL stadium proposals
As Carson has large tracts of undeveloped land, unusual for a city in such close proximity to metropolitan Los Angeles, various plans for the use of the land have been proposed. One such tract of land located at Del Amo Boulevard, west of the 405, attracted particular attention in the past as a potential site for a National Football League stadium. An outdoor power center complex called Carson Marketplace was originally planned for the site. In February 2015, however, the Marketplace plans were scrapped in favor of a $1.2 billion NFL stadium, backed by Goldman Sachs, that would have hosted both the then-Oakland Raiders and the then-San Diego Chargers. The NFL had previously considered the site as a location for a stadium, but the plans stalled after it was discovered that the site was once used as a toxic waste dump and would require an extensive clean-up operation before construction was legally allowed to commence. In May 2015, the Carson City Council allocated $50 million to clean up the site for either the dual NFL stadium or the originally planned Carson Marketplace as a fallback should the NFL stadium not come to fruition.

On January 12, 2016, NFL owners rejected Carson's bid to host an NFL stadium in favor of the competing bid of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood backed by Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

Municipal government
According to the city's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's various funds had $96.3 million in revenues, $81.8 million in expenditures, $611.4 million in total assets, $129.2 million in total liabilities, and $187.2 million in cash and investments.

State and federal representation
In the California State Legislature, Carson is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, Carson is in.

Mayors of Carson
See List of mayors of Carson, California

Primary and secondary schools
Most of Carson is served by the Los Angeles Unified School District. A portion of Carson is in the Compton Unified School District.

High schools serving LAUSD portions of Carson include Carson High School in Carson, Rancho Dominguez Preparatory School in Long Beach, and Banning High School in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles. The area is within Board District 8.

Magnolia Science Academy-3, a public span school (serving grades 6-12) in Carson, is a Magnolia Public Schools campus.

Circa 2019 there were plans to open a campus of the charter school Ganas Academy on the campus of the LAUSD public school Catskill Avenue Elementary School, but there was opposition to this move.

Although the California Academy of Mathematics and Science is located in Carson on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, it is actually a part of the Long Beach Unified School District. The school accepts residents of LBUSD, Compton USD, portions of LAUSD (including sections serving Carson), and other districts.

Public libraries
LA County Library operates the Carson Branch.

Emergency services
Fire protection in Carson is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department which operates out of Fire Stations 10, 36, 105, 116, and 127. Ambulance transportation is provided by McCormick Ambulance Service Station 17. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the Carson Station in Carson.

Health care
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Torrance Health Center in Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles, near Torrance and serving Carson.

Transportation

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city operated the Carson Circuit bus that serves the local community and connects to other bus and rail transit services including the Los Angeles Metro A Line at the Del Amo Station. Service was suspended on March 28, 2020. However, their Dial-A-Ride services remained in service during that time.

Historically, the city was served by the Pacific Electric Long Beach Line.

Notable people

 * Ab-Soul, rapper and member of group Black Hippy
 * Justin Bibbins, basketball player
 * Bishop Lamont, rapper
 * Chuckii Booker, singer, songwriter
 * The Boys (American band)
 * Brandy, singer/actress
 * Chad Brown, former National Football League referee
 * Antwuan Dixon, professional skateboarder
 * Dr. Dre (Andre Young, Sr.), rapper/producer, lived in Carson during his middle school years
 * Rocky Fellers, pioneer Asian-American pop/rock band of four young Filipino brothers during the 1960s with multiple hits including the 1963 chart-topper "Killer Joe".
 * Vince Ferragamo, NFL quarterback for Los Angeles Rams 1977–86, Super Bowl XIV, played for No. 1-ranked Nebraska 1976, an Academic All American, was LA City's MVP 1972
 * The Game (Jayceon Taylor), rapper, lived in Carson age 7 to 15 while in foster care
 * Courtney Hall, former San Diego Chargers center and guard 1989–1999
 * Ekene Ibekwe, University of Maryland basketball forward, 2012 and 2016 Olympian (Nigerian Basketball National Team)
 * Ras Kass, rapper
 * Baby Keem, rapper
 * Tommy "Tiny" Lister, actor, NCAA shot put champion and former professional wrestler
 * A$ton Matthews, rapper
 * Juanita Millender-McDonald, Democratic U.S. Congresswoman from 1996 to 2007
 * Michael Quercio, musician
 * Ray J (Willie Norwood, Jr.), singer/actor
 * Reason, rapper
 * Danny Reece, NFL cornerback and punt returner, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1976–1980, punt return leader 1979 and 1980
 * Kris Richard, NFL player and coach
 * Albert Robles, mayor of Carson from 2015 until 2020
 * Rex Salas, musician
 * Ashton Sanders, actor
 * Demetrius Shipp Jr., actor
 * Gilbert D. Smith, first African-American mayor of Carson
 * SoShy, (Deborah Epstein), a French singer and songwriter
 * Kia Stevens, also known as Awesome Kong and Amazing Kong in TNA Wrestling, professional wrestler
 * Tammy Townsend, television actress
 * Wesley Walker, NFL wide receiver, NY Jets 1977-1989
 * Elbert Watts, Green Bay Packers defensive back 1986
 * Forest Whitaker, director, producer, and Academy Award-winning actor
 * Bob Whitfield, Stanford University graduate, NFL offensive lineman, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars
 * Brett Young, football player
 * James Anderson Jr., first African-American Marine to receive the Medal of Honor

In popular culture

 * Reno 911!
 * Jackie Brown
 * Gone in 60 Seconds (1974 Version)
 * Emergency! (Exteriors of the then-fictional 'Station 51' of the series. The station shown is Station 127 of the Los Angeles County Fire Department)
 * Pros vs. Joes
 * 10 Items or Less
 * Larry Crowne

Sister cities
Carson's sister cities are:
 * 🇵🇭 La Carlota, Philippines
 * 🇵🇭 Muntinlupa & Parañaque, Philippines
 * 🇯🇵 Sōka, Japan
 * 🇰🇷 Wanju County, South Korea

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Carson, California


text:
Cerritos, California

Cerritos (Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of 2019, the population was 49,859. It is part of the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, California Metropolitan Statistical Area designated by the Office of Management and Budget.

History
Cerritos was originally inhabited by Native Americans belonging to the Tongva (or "People of the Earth"). The Tongva were called the "Gabrieleños" by the Spanish settlers after the nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The Tongva were the largest group of indigenous peoples in Southern California as well as the most developed in the region. The Tongva lived off the land, deriving food from the animals or plants that could be gathered, snared or hunted, and grinding acorns as a staple.

Beginning in the late 15th century, Spanish explorers arrived in the New World and worked their way to the California coast in 1542. The colonization process included civilizing the native populations in California by establishing various missions. Soon afterward, a town called El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula (Los Angeles today) would be founded and prosper with the aid of subjects from New Spain and Native American labor.

One soldier, José Manuel Nieto, was granted a large plot of land by the Spanish King Carlos III, which he named Rancho Los Nietos. It covered 300,000 acre of what are today the cities of Cerritos, Long Beach, Lakewood, Downey, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, part of Whittier, Huntington Beach, Buena Park and Garden Grove.

The rancho was divided five ways among Nieto's heirs during the nationalization of church property by the Mexican government, with Juan José Nieto retaining the largest plot, called Rancho Los Coyotes. Nieto called the area of Rancho Los Coyotes "cerritos" or "little hills".

After the Mexican–American War, the rancho would eventually wind up in the hands of the Los Angeles and San Bernardino Land Company, which encouraged development and rail lines to be built by Henry E. Huntington and his Pacific Electric Railway company. It was through rapid development, combined with improved transportation systems, that the modern-day city of Artesia was formed in Rancho Los Coyotes in 1875, and from it, the city of Dairy Valley.

Cranford Airport, a small general-aviation airport, was built around 1946 and consisted of two 2,300-foot runways, one oriented north–south & the other northeast–southwest. Each runway had a parallel taxiway, and a ramp along the south side of the field had two building hangars. The former airport site is on the northwest corner of the intersection of South Street & Carmenita Road. Cranford Airport closed at some point between 1953 and 1954.

The city of Dairy Valley was incorporated on April 24, 1956, as a reaction to nearby Artesia's rapid urbanization. The city's name symbolized the more than 400 dairies, 100,000 cows and 106,300 chickens found within its limits. The cows outnumbered the 3,439 residents by a factor of 29 to 1. The chickens outnumbered the residents by over 30 to 1. The first business license in the new city was for Walter Marlowe's "Dairy Valley Egg Farms".

Two years later, Dairy Valley voted to become a chartered California city. As land values and property taxes in California rose in the early 1960s, agriculture became increasingly unprofitable, and development pressures increased. In a special election held on July 16, 1963, residents voted to permit large-scale residential development. As a reflection of its newly planned suburban orientation, the city's name was formally changed to Cerritos on January 10, 1967, after the nearby Spanish land grant Rancho Los Cerritos, which figured prominently in the region, and after Cerritos College in neighboring Norwalk.

Cerritos is a prime example of the "fiscalization" of California politics after the tax revolt of the 1970s and the passage of Proposition 13. The only way for California cities to raise long-term tax revenue in light of Proposition 13 was to create as many commercial zones as possible to take advantage of the percentage of county sales tax allocated back to municipalities as sales tax revenue. Cerritos was one of the first cities in Los Angeles County to successfully develop large-scale retail zones, such as the Los Cerritos Center and Cerritos Auto Square. City leaders reinvested funds into the community with large public works projects and an increasing number of community services and programs.

The current progressive nature of the Cerritos government and the unusually strong tax base is best reflected in its facilities. In 1978, Cerritos dedicated the nation's first solar-heated City Hall complex. In 1993, the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors. In 1994, the City unveiled the Cerritos Towne Center project, combining office, retail, lodging, fine arts and dining in an open-air location. In 1997, the city opened the Cerritos Sheriff's Station/Community Safety Center to provide public safety services. In 2002, the City rededicated its public library. In 2006, the City celebrated its golden anniversary with memorials and the unveiling of a sculpture garden. The assessed valuation of the city is $7,177,428,066.

Between 1970 and 1972, Cerritos was the fastest-growing city in California; the population skyrocketed from 16,000 to 38,000. Since the 1980s, Cerritos has attracted a large number of Filipino, Korean, Taiwanese, Indian and Chinese immigrant families.

On August 31, 1986, Aeroméxico Flight 498, on approach to Los Angeles International Airport from Mexico City, was struck by a small Piper aircraft that had strayed into a Terminal Control Area without clearance from Air Traffic Control. The Piper crashed into Cerritos Elementary School's unoccupied playground, but the Douglas DC-9 fell inverted (upside-down) and plowed into dense residential zones, immediately flattening four houses. The resulting fire destroyed eight more houses before firefighters could bring it under control. A total of 82 people died, including 15 people on the ground. A sculpture in the Cerritos Sculpture Garden memorializes the incident.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.9 sqmi; 8.7 sqmi of it is land and 0.1 sqmi of it (1.48%) is water.

Cerritos lies along the Los Angeles County and Orange County border. The cities bordering Cerritos on the Los Angeles County side include Artesia in the center, Bellflower, Lakewood, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs and La Mirada. Buena Park and La Palma border the city on the Orange County side. Other cities in the region include Cypress in Orange County, and Hawaiian Gardens and Long Beach in Los Angeles County.

The former postal ZIP code of Cerritos was 90701 and was shared with the city of Artesia; however, it was later changed to the exclusive 90703 to accommodate the increasing number of new addresses in the city during the mid-1990s.

Climate
Cerritos, as well as most of coastal Southern California, generally has a Mediterranean climate. Summers are warm to hot, and winters are mild, rarely falling below freezing. Precipitation occurs predominantly during the winter months.

Cerritos also has a unique "semi-marine" climate pattern within Los Angeles County. The fog that typically covers the beach cities rarely reaches Cerritos, but the breeze that comes along the San Gabriel River from the Pacific Ocean has a significant cooling effect. As a result, Cerritos is rarely affected by the smog, Santa Ana winds and smothering heat of the Los Angeles Basin.

Demographics
The 2010 United States census reported that Cerritos had a population of 49,041. The population density was 5,537.6 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Cerritos was 11,341 (23.1%) White (16.6% non-Hispanic White), 3,388 (6.9%) African-American, 131 (0.3%) Native American, 30,363 (61.9%) Asian, 138 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 1,822 (3.7%) from other races and 1,858 (3.8%) from two or more races. There were 5,883 Hispanic or Latino residents, of any race (12.0%).

The census reported 48,937 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 86 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 18 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 15,526 households, out of which 5,724 (36.9%) had children under the age of 18, 10,843 (69.8%) were married couples living together, 1,884 (12.1%) had a female householder with no husband present and 628 (4.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 278 (1.8%) married couples, and 64 (0.4%) gay married couples or partnerships. 1,801 households (11.6%) were made up of individuals, and 1,005 (6.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15. There were 13,355 families (86.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.40.

The population was spread out, with 10,013 people (20.4%) under the age of 18, 4,065 people (8.3%) aged 18 to 24, 11,134 people (22.7%) aged 25 to 44, 15,158 people (30.9%) aged 45 to 64 and 8,671 people (17.7%) 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

There were 15,859 housing units at an average density of 1,790.8 /mi2, of which 12,711 (81.9%) were owner-occupied, and 2,815 (18.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.1%. 39,392 people (80.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 9,545 people (19.5%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Cerritos had a median household income of $91,487, with 5.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line. Males had a median income of $50,103, versus $37,421 for females. The per-capita income for the city was $25,249. About 5.0% of the population and 4.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

According to Mapping L.A., Korean (17.1%) and Chinese (11.2%) were the most common ancestries in 2000. Korea (26.5%) and the Philippines (16.7%) were the most common foreign places of birth.

Economy
The two major sources of revenue for Cerritos are a retail sales tax and interest income from its general fund.

Employment within Cerritos is primarily in two districts, Los Cerritos Shopping Center and Cerritos Industrial Park. Businesses found in Cerritos Industrial Park provide jobs in light manufacturing and assembly of electronic and automotive parts, among other things. United Parcel Service, the city's largest employer with a staff of 6,000, is in the park. In 2010, Los Cerritos Center provided for 4,450 full and part-time positions, and the Cerritos Auto Square employs 2,160 people. Retail and industrial trades are responsible for Cerritos' $2 billion taxable retail sales and $7.2 billion assessed property valuation.

According to the California State Board of Equalization, Cerritos residents are the second-highest retail spenders in California (second to Beverly Hills), averaging $36,544 per resident. Applied Development Economics, in a presentation for the Cerritos Economic Commission on February 14, 2006, stated total annual household spending on retail is about $365 million a year with new car dealerships, grocery stores, department stores, service stations and eating places having the strongest demands.

A business survey conducted by Applied Development Economics in February 2006 revealed the total consumer breakdown in Cerritos is: 25% from residents from other parts of Southern California, about 21.9% from Cerritos residents, 18% from commuters, 16% from neighboring communities, 13% from business to business/employee transactions, 10% from residents of Orange County, 5% from households from outside of Southern California, mainly to purchase vehicles from the Auto Square.

Cerritos Auto Square
The Cerritos Auto Square is an auto mall combining all auto dealers within Cerritos into one large three-block center accessible through two freeways.

Los Cerritos Center
Since September 1971, the Los Cerritos Center has been an integral source of retail tax revenue. The total gross lease area is 1288245 sqft and is the city's largest tax revenue source, producing $800 per square foot in 2015.

Cerritos Towne Center

The Cerritos Towne Center is a power center that combines offices, retail, hotel and entertainment facilities in one master planned project. The Towne Center includes the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, a 203-room Sheraton hotel and more than one million square feet (93,000 m2) of office space. The retail portion of the project includes several anchors and specialty shops. The project is bounded by 183rd Street to the south, Bloomfield Avenue to the west, Shoemaker Avenue to the east and the Artesia Freeway (Route 91) to the north.

The Magnolia Power Project
The uncertainty of availability of electricity in California prompted the city of Cerritos on February 13, 2003, in conjunction with the cities of Anaheim, Burbank, Colton, Glendale and Pasadena, to participate in the Magnolia Power Project, which authorized the construction of a 310-megawatt power plant in Burbank. Cerritos receives 10 megawatts, or 4% of the total output, to power public facilities, park lighting, traffic signals and water wells. Excess power (approximately five megawatts) is sold to public and/or private agencies.

Top employers
According to the city's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture
The Cerritos Fine Arts and Historical Commission has an "Art in Public Places Program" whereby the city commissions artists to create sculptures and fountains to be displayed in public points of interest, commercial property and gateways into the city. Los Cerritos Community News serves the city.

Tournament of Roses Parade
Since 2002, the City of Cerritos has participated in the Tournament of Roses Parade held every New Year's Day in Pasadena. Floats in the parade are awarded prizes in the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) features live performances in music, magic, comedy, dance and drama. The 154,000-square-foot (14,300 m2) arts center has movable seats, floors, ceilings and stage areas, with a theater that can transform into six distinctive seating configurations, ranging in capacity from 921 to 1,800 seats. The facility also houses three additional meeting and banquet areas. The CCPA was designed by architect Barton Myers.

The cost of the CCPA had reached over $60 million by the end of construction and scheduling. It was designed to serve as a cultural icon for people in the community and formally opened its doors on January 9, 1993, with a four-day performance by Frank Sinatra.

The CCPA collected four awards for design shortly after its opening and has been named one of the top grossing theaters in its category in the United States.

Cerritos Millennium Library
The Cerritos Library originally opened to the public on September 17, 1973, with a "First Ladies" theme (in recognition of former First Lady Pat Nixon's home in the community). Eight years later, the city made its first renovation to the library for $6.6 million. 21,000 sqft were added for $5.4 million, and the remaining $1.2 million was spent on furniture and equipment.

In the late 1990s, Cerritos recognized the ever-changing innovation in information technology and the internet, and plans for a second renovation were approved. During the reconstruction, all materials were moved off site to temporary trailers in the parking lot of the Cerritos Towne Center for two years. The second renovation and expansion was completed on March 16, 2002.

At the time of its rededication, the newly renamed Cerritos Millennium Library was the first building in North America to be coated in titanium panels. This $40 million library features an elaborate interior design with themed reading rooms in a variety of old world and ultramodern styles. A third floor was added to include several conference rooms and an outdoor terrace.

The Cerritos Library holds a Smithsonian Affiliation. It was awarded the American Library Association/American Institute of Architects "Award of Excellence" in 1989. It was also honored with Reader's Digest's 2004 Best Library Award.

Cerritos Sculpture Garden
The Cerritos Sculpture Garden was dedicated on March 11, 2006, and included a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by representatives from Cerritos' sister city, Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. It is in the Civic Center and is designed to house approximately 20 sculptures to be phased in over the coming years. At the time of the dedication ceremony, three sculptures were already in place:

The garden was made to be able to accommodate future sculpture installations in a lush landscape.
 * The Air Disaster Memorial, by sculptor Kathleen Caricof, honors by name all the victims of the Aeroméxico Flight 498 disaster on August 31, 1986.
 * A replica of the Statue of Freedom that sits atop of the United States Capitol dome.
 * Elements Fountain, by artist Jane DeDecker, depicts female embodiments of the four elements allegories (earth, water, wind and fire) over a reflecting pool.

Cerritos Olympic Swim & Fitness Center
The Cerritos Olympic Swim & Fitness Center provides year-round, indoor recreational, instructional and competitive swimming and gym.

The Swim Center was used by Olympians for swimming practices during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Pat Nixon Park
The Pat Nixon Park is a recreational park that pays tribute to the late First Lady Pat Nixon on the site of her childhood home, which was destroyed by fire in 1978. The city of Cerritos undertook the project of building a senior center in 1993 to create a state-of-the-art public facility dedicated to its seniors with social events, services, life-enriching programs and clubs.

Community and neighborhood parks
Heritage Park, a community park in the center of the city, pays tribute to revolutionary America and the founding of the country. It re-opened to the public in 2002 with a refurbished colonial-themed play island and moat.

Liberty Park, another community park in the western end of town, underwent massive renovation and re-opened to the public in February 2005. It features an updated community center, fitness center, rubberized jogging track and children's playground. Camp Liberty, a children's amphitheater within Liberty Park, has also been updated.

Don Knabe Community Regional Park houses the Cerritos Sports Complex, the skate park and outdoor swimming pools. The unique characteristic is an artificial lake complete with sporting fish. Los Angeles County maintains 75% of Regional Park and Cerritos oversees the remaining 25%.

The city also has 18 neighborhood parks near residential tracts, an executive golf course and two community gymnasiums on the Cerritos and Whitney High School (Cerritos, California) campuses.

Government
Cerritos operates under a council–manager form of government, established by the charter of the city of Cerritos in 1958. The five-member city council acts as the city's chief policy-making body and as members of the Cerritos Redevelopment Agency.

City Council
The mayor, selected by the council, is its presiding officer and serves a one-year term. In the mayor's absence, the mayor pro tempore assumes his or her responsibilities. City Council elections were held on a Tuesday after the first Monday in April until the 2017 election. Effective with the 2020 California Primary election, the elections will be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in March of even-numbered years. Council members are elected to a four-year term and at-large.

The city council, currently made up of Lynda Johnson, Naresh Solanki, and Frank Yokoyama, is directly responsible for the employment of only three individuals: the city manager, clerk/treasurer, and the city attorney.

Management of the city and coordination of city services are provided by:

Emergency services
The Cerritos Sheriff's Station/Community Safety Center provides 24-hour safety services to Cerritos residents. Located in the Civic Center, the station houses the city's Community Safety Division and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department personnel. The station was constructed by a referendum in 1996 and inaugurated in 1997. In 2006, the city council approved the construction of a 5000 sqft expansion to the sheriff's station, at a cost of $400,000.

Fire protection is provided by Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 30, the headquarters for Battalion 9, with ambulance transport by Care Ambulance Service.

Public services
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department operates the Cerritos Sheriff's Station and Community Safety Center, which was built into the Cerritos Civic Center. The 28000 sqft facility, built by the city, has a complaint/dispatch area, an 18-bed jail, administrative and detective personnel offices and a community meeting room. The sheriff's department operates the Lakewood Station in Lakewood, serving Cerritos.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Whittier Health Center in Whittier, serving Cerritos.

The United States Postal Service operates the Cerritos post office at 18122 Carmenita Road.

State and federal representation
In the California State Legislature, Cerritos is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, Cerritos is in.

Public schools
The majority of Cerritos is under the jurisdiction of the ABC Unified School District. A small portion on the west side of the city bounded by Palo Verde Avenue on the west, the San Gabriel River on the east, Artesia Boulevard on the north and South Street on the south is under the jurisdiction of the Bellflower Unified School District.

Children in the ABCUSD portion of Cerritos attend a neighborhood elementary school (kindergarten to 6th grade) before going to a middle school (7th and 8th grade) and then a high school (9th to 12th grade) unless admitted to Whitney High School, which covers 7th to 12th grade. Whitney High School is ranked as the best school in California, ahead of neighboring Oxford Academy, and 27th nationwide according to a 2012 U.S. News & World Report study.

Private schools
Valley Christian High School is one of the largest private Protestant schools in Los Angeles County.

Colleges and universities
Cerritos is also serviced by Cerritos College and Fremont College.

Education of citizens
Eighty-five percent of high school graduates go on to higher education. Ten percent of the total population have an associates degree, 26% have a bachelor's degree and 11% have an advanced degree.

Transportation
The city of Cerritos owns a fleet of federally funded buses known as the Cerritos On Wheels (or COW), which has stops throughout town. The acronym "COW" is a tribute to the city's origins as Dairy Valley, when cows outnumbered residents. The propane-fueled COW also connects to the Long Beach Transit, Orange County Transportation Authority, Norwalk Transit and Los Angeles MTA buses at overlapping stops on the borders of the city. Wi-Fi internet access is also accessible on the buses.

In conjunction with the COW, the city also provides a Dial-A-Ride service for its disabled and elderly commuters.

Cerritos is directly served by three major California freeways:
 * SR 91 (the Artesia Freeway) cuts through the center of the city.
 * Interstate 605 (the San Gabriel River Freeway) runs along the west side between the Los Cerritos Center and Auto Square.
 * Interstate 5 (the Santa Ana Freeway) grazes Cerritos at the northeast border.

The major thoroughfares in Cerritos are Alondra Boulevard, Artesia Boulevard, Bloomfield Avenue, Carmenita Road, Del Amo Boulevard, Norwalk Boulevard, Pioneer Boulevard, Shoemaker Avenue, South Street, Studebaker Road and Valley View Avenue.

The nearby Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach are major ports of entry from the Pacific Ocean for importing and exporting goods.

Airports that serve Cerritos include Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Ontario International Airport and the Long Beach Municipal Airport.

Notable people

 * Troy Aikman, American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
 * Marcelo Balboa, MLS Colorado Rapids and US national soccer team member.
 * Bret Barberie, former second baseman for the Florida Marlins, once married to TV news star Jillian Barberie.
 * Johnny Chan, professional poker player.
 * Morris Chestnut, actor.
 * Robby Gordon, a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver, was born and raised in Cerritos. He lives in Orange, California.
 * Rickey Cradle, MLB baseball player for the Seattle Mariners.
 * Ben Howland, UCLA men's basketball head coach.
 * Jimmy Kim, taekwondo practitioner and instructor who won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
 * Eddie Lewis, professional soccer player.
 * Roger Lodge, host of the reality show Blind Date and radio sports announcer.
 * Shane Mack, former MLB baseball player.
 * Justin H. Min, actor.
 * Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, filmmaker of Innocence of Muslims.
 * Pat Nixon, First Lady and wife of President Richard Nixon. Her family owned a truck farm formerly in Artesia, but now in Cerritos. Her childhood home was at what is now Pat Nixon Park.
 * Max Park, an expert Rubik's Cube solver
 * Lela Rochon, actress.
 * Jorge Salcedo, NCAA soccer coach at UCLA. and L.A. Galaxy team member.
 * Jae Park, former member of a Korean rock band called Day6. now a solo artist
 * Kirsten Vangsness, actress and writer.
 * Jim Zorn, former NFL coach and quarterback.
 * Malaka Gharib, writer, journalist, and cartoonist. Her graphic memoir, 'I Was Their American Dream,' won an Arab American Book Award

In popular culture
According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), the following productions have either been partially or entirely filmed in Cerritos:

The main setting of Star Trek: Lower Decks, the California-class starship USS Cerritos, is named for the city.
 * Almost There! (TV series, 1988)
 * I'm Ready (music video, 2020)
 * Wayne's World (1992)
 * Imminent Contact (1992)
 * Until Tomorrow Comes (1992)
 * McAllister Affair (TV series, 1992)
 * Coneheads (1993)
 * She's All That (1999)
 * The Flip Side (2001)
 * Anokha (2004)
 * A Modest Proposal (2006)
 * Illegal (2007)
 * Eli's Liquor Store (2007)
 * The First Time (2007)
 * Thunder (music video, 2008)

In the Apple TV+ show Mythic Quest, the character David Brittlesbee lives in and commutes to Los Angeles from Cerritos in Season 3

Sister cities

 * 🇲🇽 Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico
 * 🇹🇼 Banqiao District, Taiwan
 * 🇧🇷 Itapetinga, Bahia, Brazil

title: Cerritos, California


text:
Charter Oak, California

Charter Oak is a census-designated place (CDP) in Los Angeles County, California, approximately 26 mi east of downtown Los Angeles. The population was 9,310 at the 2010 census, up from 9,027 at the 2000 census.

Charter Oak is located in the eastern San Gabriel Valley, situated along Arrow Highway in between Covina to the south, Glendora to the north and San Dimas to the east. Residents tend to refer to the CDP portion as the "unincorporated part of Covina", or simply as "Covina".

Originally a small agricultural town (primarily citrus orchards) centered on the intersection of Arrow Highway and Bonnie Cove Avenue, population growth greatly expanded the area recognized as "Charter Oak". Since the 1960s, it has been known as a "bedroom community" suburb of Los Angeles and commercial agriculture is nearly gone.

Today, the generally accepted boundaries of historical Charter Oak are I-210 to the north, Valley Center Avenue to the east, Covina Hills Road to the south and Grand Avenue to the west, corresponding to the boundaries of Charter Oak Unified School District. However, the actual CDP area is notably smaller in the present day.

Geography
Charter Oak is located at 34.10139°N, -117.85778°W (34.101308, -117.857656).

Charter Oak is primarily flat ground, though the South Hills of Glendora form much of the northern border, and there is a small valley in the southeast quadrant, with Walnut Creek flowing in the bottom. The other major water feature in Charter Oak is the San Dimas Wash, a concrete-lined flood control channel which was formerly the San Dimas River, a tributary of the San Gabriel River. Both Walnut Creek and San Dimas wash flow from east-northeast toward west-southwest, the wash in Glendora and the creek in Covina.

The ground is described as "dry riverbed," with sandy soil which was suitable not only for the citrus orchards which once were the primary industry in the area, but also for several nurseries growing cactus and other small plants.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.4 km2, all of it land.

Education and culture
Most of the census-designated place is served by the Charter Oak Unified School District, while a portion is in Covina-Valley Unified School District The boundaries of the Charter Oak Unified School District, formed in areas which were at the time unincorporated area, eventually became the accepted boundaries of historical Charter Oak, attesting to the importance of the district in the community. There are also private schools in the area.

Community college students from Charter Oak generally attend Citrus College in Glendora or Mount San Antonio College ("Mount SAC") in Walnut.

Charter Oak Gymnastics has been a U.S. National Team training center since 1989, and has produced many elite athletes, including national champion Vanessa Atler and Olympian Jamie Dantzscher.

2010
At the 2010 census Charter Oak had a population of 9,310. The population density was 10,034.6 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Charter Oak was 5,602 (60.2%) White (34.0% Non-Hispanic White), 405 (4.4%) African American, 85 (0.9%) Native American, 1,035 (11.1%) Asian, 18 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,693 (18.2%) from other races, and 472 (5.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,546 persons (48.8%).

The census reported that 9,178 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 132 (1.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 3,044 households, 1,264 (41.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,486 (48.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 553 (18.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 226 (7.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 188 (6.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 19 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 601 households (19.7%) were one person and 203 (6.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.02. There were 2,265 families (74.4% of households); the average family size was 3.47.

The age distribution was 2,352 people (25.3%) under the age of 18, 990 people (10.6%) aged 18 to 24, 2,601 people (27.9%) aged 25 to 44, 2,446 people (26.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 921 people (9.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.

There were 3,144 housing units at an average density of 3,388.7 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,998 (65.6%) were owner-occupied and 1,046 (34.4%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. 6,168 people (66.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,010 people (32.3%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Charter Oak had a median household income of $68,597, with 8.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000
At the 2000 census there were 9,027 people, 3,048 households, and 2,255 families in the CDP. The population density was 9,711.3 PD/sqmi. There were 3,115 housing units at an average density of 3,351.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 65.30% White, 4.77% Black or African American, 1.27% Native American, 9.19% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 14.02% from other races, and 5.28% from two or more races. 36.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 3,048 households 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 19.8% of households were one person and 6.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.41.

The age distribution was 29.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median household income was $50,744 and the median family income was $55,294. Males had a median income of $37,153 versus $30,703 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,766. About 5.9% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government
In the California State Legislature, Charter Oak is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, Charter Oak is in.

title: Charter Oak, California


text:
Citrus, California

Citrus is a census-designated place (CDP) in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located in the San Gabriel Valley between Azusa to the north and west, Glendora to the east, and Covina to the south. The population was 10,866 at the 2010 census, up from 10,581 at the 2000 census. Citrus is named after Citrus Avenue, which passes through the community.

Geography
Citrus is located at 34.115°N, -117.89167°W (34.114891, -117.891786).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.9 sqmi, over 99% of which is land.

2010
At the 2010 census Citrus had a population of 10,866. The population density was 12,231.0 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Citrus was 5,898 (54.3%) White (16.1% Non-Hispanic White), 240 (2.2%) African American, 120 (1.1%) Native American, 860 (7.9%) Asian, 4 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 3,302 (30.4%) from other races, and 442 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7,911 persons (72.8%).

The census reported that 10,841 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 25 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 2,615 households, 1,364 (52.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,524 (58.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 442 (16.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 229 (8.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 152 (5.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 24 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 278 households (10.6%) were one person and 94 (3.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 4.15. There were 2,195 families (83.9% of households); the average family size was 4.33.

The age distribution was 3,083 people (28.4%) under the age of 18, 1,322 people (12.2%) aged 18 to 24, 3,208 people (29.5%) aged 25 to 44, 2,402 people (22.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 851 people (7.8%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 30.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.1 males.

There were 2,701 housing units at an average density of 3,040.3 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,854 (70.9%) were owner-occupied and 761 (29.1%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.5%. 7,841 people (72.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,000 people (27.6%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, the median household income was $59,919, with 10.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000
At the 2000 census there were 10,581 people, 2,614 households, and 2,174 families in the CDP. The population density was 11,784.8 PD/sqmi. There were 2,659 housing units at an average density of 2,961.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 52.38% White, 3.24% Black or African American, 1.54% Native American, 6.73% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 31.12% from other races, and 4.94% from two or more races. 64.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 2,614 households 47.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.8% were non-families. 11.1% of households were one person and 3.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 4.03 and the average family size was 4.29.

The age distribution was 33.0% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% 65 or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.

The median household income was $55,110 and the median family income was $53,668. Males had a median income of $32,289 versus $27,459 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,848. About 8.5% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government
In the California State Legislature, Citrus is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, Citrus is in.

Education
Most of Citrus is in Azusa Unified School District, while parts are in Glendora Unified School District and other parts are in Covina-Valley Unified School District.

title: Citrus, California


text:
Claremont, California

Claremont is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, 30 mi east of Los Angeles. It lies in the eastern portion of the county, in Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 34,926, and in 2020 the population was 37,266.

Claremont is home to the Claremont Colleges and other educational institutions, and the city is known for its tree-lined streets with numerous historic buildings. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as "The City of Trees and Ph.Ds." It was named the best suburb in the West by Sunset Magazine in 2016, which described it as a "small city that blends worldly sophistication with small-town appeal." In 2018, Niche rated Claremont as the 17th best place to live in the Los Angeles area out of 658 communities it evaluated, based on crime, cost of living, job opportunities, and local amenities.

The city is primarily residential, with a significant portion of its commercial activity located in "The Village," a popular collection of street-front small stores, boutiques, art galleries, offices, and restaurants adjacent to and west of the Claremont Colleges. The Village was expanded in 2007, adding a controversial multi-use development that includes an indie cinema, a boutique hotel, retail space, offices, and a parking structure on the site of an old citrus packing plant west of Indian Hill Boulevard. Claremont also hosts several large retirement communities.

Claremont has been a winner of the National Arbor Day Association's Tree City USA award for 22 consecutive years. When the city incorporated in 1907, local citizens started what has become the city's tree-planting tradition. Claremont is one of the few remaining places in North America with American Elm trees that have not been exposed to Dutch elm disease. The stately trees line Indian Hill Boulevard in the vicinity of the city's Memorial Park.

History

Prior to the establishment of the city of Claremont, the area was frequented by the Serrano, Cahuilla, and Tongva for thousands of years. The Tongva established villages in the area as early as 7000 B.C. and thrived from the freshwater of what the Spanish would call the San Antonio Creek. One well-documented Tongva village, known as Torojoatngna, was located at a place called "Indian Hill" by early American settlers. The village was active until the nineteenth century, housing nearly 200 residents in 1870, yet was eventually abandoned after being ravaged by a smallpox epidemic by 1883.

The city of Claremont was first mapped out by developers in a land boom precipitated by the arrival of transcontinental railroads to Southern California. It was likely named after Claremont, New Hampshire. The early history of the city was closely tied to that of Pomona College, which moved there in 1889. In 1902, a town meeting vote established that east–west streets would be numbered and north–south streets named after colleges and universities. The city was incorporated in 1907.

The citrus groves and open space which once dominated the northern portion of the city have been replaced by residential developments of large homes. Construction of Stone Canyon Preserve, one of the final residential tract developments in the north of the city, commenced in 2003 as part of a complicated agreement between Pomona and the City of Claremont which resulted in the creation of the 1740 acre Wilderness Park. The foothill area also includes the Padua Hills Theatre (a historic site constructed in 1930) and the Claraboya residential area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.35 sqmi, of which 13.3 sqmi is land and 0.05 sqmi (1.03%) is water. Claremont is located at the eastern end of Los Angeles County and borders the cities of Upland and Montclair in San Bernardino County, as well as the cities of Pomona and La Verne in Los Angeles County. It is geographically located in the Pomona Valley. Claremont is approximately 30 mi east of downtown Los Angeles.

Climate
Claremont has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa). During the summer, temperatures may get very hot, sometimes rising above 100 F. In the autumn, Claremont can experience the gusty "Santa Ana Winds", which can bring fire danger to nearby foothill areas. As winter comes along, most of the city's annual rainfall occurs, which is typical around the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Snow is rare in Claremont, but can be viewed in the nearby San Gabriel Mountains in the winter. In the late spring, Claremont can receive many overcast days due to the strong onshore flow from the ocean. This is typically called "May Gray" or "June Gloom" in the region.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Claremont had a population of 34,926. The population density was 2,589.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Claremont was 24,666 (70.6%) White (58.9% Non-Hispanic White), 1,651 (4.7%) African American, 172 (0.5%) Native American, 4,564 (13.1%) Asian, 38 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 2,015 (5.8%) from other races, and 1,820 (5.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6,919 persons (19.8%).

The Census reported that 29,802 people (85.3% of the population) lived in households, 4,926 (14.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 198 (0.6%) were institutionalized.

There were 11,608 households, out of which 3,576 (30.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,305 (54.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,223 (10.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 397 (3.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 429 (3.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 138 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,957 households (25.5%) were made up of individuals, and 1,556 (13.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57. There were 7,925 families (68.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.1.

The population was spread out, with 6,459 people (18.5%) under the age of 18, 6,778 people (19.4%) aged 18 to 24, 6,940 people (19.9%) aged 25 to 44, 8,979 people (25.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,770 people (16.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.

There were 12,156 housing units at an average density of 901.3 /mi2, of which 7,700 (66.3%) were owner-occupied, and 3,908 (33.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%. 21,209 people (60.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,593 people (24.6%) lived in rental housing units.

During 2009–13, Claremont had a median household income of $87,324, with 7.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,998 people, 11,281 households, and 7,806 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,586.6 PD/sqmi. There were 11,559 housing units at an average density of 879.4 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 73.48% White, 15.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, 11.51% Asian, 4.98% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 5.2% from other races, and 4.14% from two or more races.

31.3% of households included children under the age of 18. 55.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08.

The population was widely distributed in age, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 18.6% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

According to a 2009 estimate, the median household income was $83,342 and the median family income was $107,287. The per capita income for the city was $39,648. About 3.5% of families and 5.4% of individuals were below the poverty line.

German (12.0%) and English (11.6%) were the most common ancestries according to the 2000 census. Mexico (12.7%) and Taiwan (11%) were the most common foreign places of birth.

Top employers
According to the city's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture
Claremont has been praised for its vibrant arts and culture scene.

Each year, Claremont holds a springtime folk music festival, hosted by the Folk Music Center Store and Museum. The 35th event took place in May 2018.

Local museums include the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology at The Webb Schools (the only high school in the United States to own and host a nationally accredited museum on campus ) and the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College.

Each July, Ophelia's Jump Productions presents their annual Midsummer Shakespeare Festival at The Sontag Outdoor Theatre in Pomona College. Productions are performed in repertory with local community and civic events and festivities.The Claremont Village hosts a Pie Day Festival every March 14. In past years, attendees could collect pie recipes as they walked around downtown Claremont and checked out different stores.

In 2019, Claremont made national news after the Claremont United Methodist Church unveiled a nativity scene depicting Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus separated and locked up in individual chain-link pens. This was done to reflect the plight of immigrants and asylum seekers on the U.S. Southern Border in 2019. The church had constructed similarly non-traditional nativity scenes in prior years.

Points of interest

 * The Claremont Colleges
 * The California Botanic Garden (formerly Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden) contains a very large and diverse collection of California native plants, and is open daily for self-guided walking tours.
 * Padua Hills Theatre
 * Folk Music Center Museum
 * Claremont Museum of Art
 * Ophelia's Jump Theater
 * Benton Museum of Art, Pomona College

Government
In the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Claremont is in the Fifth District, represented by Kathryn Barger.

In the California State Legislature, Claremont is in the 25th Senate District, represented by Anthony Portantino since 2016, and in the 41st Assembly District, represented by Chris Holden since 2012.

In the United States House of Representatives, Claremont is in following 2022 redistricting. Claremont was previously represented by Republican David Dreier, who served from 1981 to 2013. Claremont was also represented by President Richard Nixon when he was a member of the House of Representatives from 1947 to 1950, prior to his becoming a United States senator.

Public schools
Claremont's school district is known as the Claremont Unified School District (CUSD). It has seven elementary schools, one intermediate school, El Roble, and two high schools, Claremont High School (CHS) and San Antonio High School.

Private schools (non-tertiary)
The other high school in Claremont is The Webb Schools, a collective name for two private college preparatory schools for grades 9–12, founded by Thompson Webb in 1922. The two schools, officially the Webb School of California (boys' school) and the Vivian Webb School (girls' school), share the same campus in northwest Claremont. Within the campus is the Vivian Webb Chapel, which began initial construction in 1939. It was built by the founder to his wife, Vivian. The Kimberly Bell Tower was added to the chapel in 1955. The Webb Schools is also home to the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, America's only accredited museum located on a high school campus.

Post-secondary
Private educational institutions host approximately 6,500 students every year from across the country and around the world. The Claremont Colleges, a consortium of seven schools of higher education, include five undergraduate institutions—Pomona College (founded in 1887), Scripps College (1926), Claremont McKenna College (1946), Harvey Mudd College (1955), and Pitzer College (1963)—and two graduate institutions—Claremont Graduate University (1925) and the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences (1997). All of these schools are consistently rated among the best in the nation.

Just north of Foothill Boulevard is the college-owned Robert J. Bernard Field Station, which preserves natural coastal sage scrub on its property. Claremont Lincoln University shares some resources with the Claremont Colleges, but is a separate entity. Claremont School of Theology is a school of theology formerly affiliated with the Claremont Colleges. In May 2023, the school moved from its Claremont campus to the Westwood Methodist Church in Los Angeles.

Media
The Claremont Courier is widely regarded as Claremont's newspaper of record. In 2018, the Courier was named the top community newspaper in California by the California News Publisher's Association. In addition, Claremont High School's students produce the student newspaper The Wolfpacket, with support and printing services from the Courier.

There are also several media outlets based at the Claremont Colleges, including The Student Life, the oldest college newspaper in Southern California, and the radio station KSPC.

Transportation
Commuter train service to Claremont is provided by Metrolink from the Claremont Metrolink Station. The station is on the San Bernardino Line, with trains traveling to Los Angeles Union Station (west) and San Bernardino – Downtown (east) 19 times on weekdays (20 on Fridays), 10 times on Saturdays, and seven times on Sundays. Claremont's train station is known as the Claremont Depot.

Claremont is also planned to eventually connect with the Metro A Line on the Foothill Extension Project, but this station is currently unfunded. This extension will also provide service to L.A. Union Station via Pasadena.

FlixBus utilizes a stop adjacent to the Claremont Metrolink Station.

The local transit bus service Foothill Transit covers Claremont and several other cities in the eastern San Gabriel Valley.

Notable people

 * Jessica Alba – actress
 * Matthew Arias – musician and film editor
 * Richard Armour – writer, English professor
 * Tony Beltran – soccer player
 * Arthur T. Benjamin – mathematician
 * Jacob Bertrand – actor
 * Amanda Blake – actress
 * Buckethead – musician
 * Robert Buckley – actor
 * Kori Carter – hurdler
 * John B. Cobb – theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist
 * Ray Collins – musician
 * John Darnielle – musician and novelist
 * Glenn Davis – football player
 * David Dreier – former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1981–2013) and chairman of the House Rules Committee (1999–2007, 2011–2013)
 * Peter F. Drucker – management consultant, educator and author
 * Bob Earl – racing driver
 * B. H. Fairchild – poet and college professor
 * Justin Germano – baseball pitcher
 * Elliot Graham – film editor and producer
 * Ben Harper – musician and humanitarian
 * Alex Hinshaw – baseball pitcher
 * Raja Kumari – rapper
 * Maud Hart Lovelace – author
 * Sam Quinones – journalist and author
 * Dileep Rao – actor
 * Kristin Rossum – murderer
 * Millard Sheets – artist and designer
 * Paul Soldner – artist
 * Noah Song – professional baseball pitcher
 * Ruth Suckow – author
 * David Foster Wallace – author and professor
 * Carleton H. Wright – United States Navy admiral
 * Frank Zappa – musician

title: Claremont, California


text:
Commerce, California

Commerce is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,823 at the 2010 census, up from 12,568 at the 2000 census. It is usually referred to as the City of Commerce to distinguish it from the common noun. It is bordered by Vernon on the west, Los Angeles on the northwest, East Los Angeles on the north, Montebello on the east, Downey and Bell Gardens on the south, and Maywood on the southwest. The Los Angeles River forms part of its southwestern boundary, and the Rio Hondo separates it from Downey. Commerce is served by the Long Beach and Santa Ana freeways, as well as the Metrolink commuter rail service at the Commerce station.

History
In the 19th century, the area was part of Antonio Maria Lugo's Rancho San Antonio. Its conversion to an industrial area began in 1887, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built its main line through the area. The ranch remained intact until Arcadia Bandini de Stearns Baker, reputedly once the wealthiest woman in Los Angeles, sold some of it around the turn of the 20th century. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad (later the Union Pacific) both were built through what would become the community, as was the Pacific Electric Railway's Whittier Line. By the 1920s, factories had arrived. In the late 1940s, industrial leaders banded together with residents in the communities of Bandini, Rosewood, and Laguna to encourage commerce. They changed the name to match that goal.

The city was incorporated in 1960 to prevent neighboring cities such as Vernon and Los Angeles from annexing industrial land for tax revenue and elected its first city mayor, Maurice Quigley. In the 1970s and 1980s, Commerce successfully negotiated the turbulent period of deindustrialization that hammered nearby cities such as South Gate and Norwalk, maintaining much of its manufacturing and goods-distribution base and successfully converting former industrial land to lucrative commercial uses. The most notable example of this phenomenon is the Citadel Outlets mall, which occupies the site of a former tire factory. The owner of the Citadel, Steve Craig, hosts an annual Clean Up Commerce Day and enlists other businesses to work with the city and volunteers in beautifying a specific area of the city. With a major rail yard within its borders, Commerce has also benefited greatly from the huge expansion in international trade traffic through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, albeit at the expense of severe air pollution caused by truck congestion on the Long Beach Freeway.

Chrysler had an assembly plant in Commerce from 1930 through July 1971 located at 5800 S. Eastern Avenue and Slauson Avenue, called Los Angeles (Maywood) Assembly. It was closed at the end of the 1971 model year, as Chrysler decided to triple-stack its transport trains for the 1972 model year; its Los Angeles facility couldn't accommodate this change.

Commerce is also the site of Williams Ranch, on which is the swimming hole that the Sleepy Lagoon Murder of José Díaz took place in 1942. The Sleepy Lagoon swimming hole was located near Slauson and Eastern Ave.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.5 sqmi, over 99% of it land.

2010
At the 2010 census Commerce had a population of 12,823. The population density was 1,961.4 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Commerce was 6,930 (54.0%) White (3.1% Non-Hispanic White), 96 (0.7%) African American, 161 (1.3%) Native American, 140 (1.1%) Asian, 9 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 4,886 (38.1%) from other races, and 601 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12,114 persons (94.5%).

The census reported that 12,753 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 2 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 68 (0.5%) were institutionalized.

There were 3,382 households, 1,751 (51.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,693 (50.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 708 (20.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 308 (9.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 248 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 23 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships; 559 households (16.5%) were one person and 326 (9.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.77. There were 2,709 families (80.1% of households); the average family size was 4.17.

The age distribution was 3,824 people (29.8%) under the age of 18, 1,458 people (11.4%) aged 18 to 24, 3,581 people (27.9%) aged 25 to 44, 2,590 people (20.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,370 people (10.7%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 31.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.

There were 3,470 housing units at an average density of 530.8 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,619 (47.9%) were owner-occupied and 1,763 (52.1%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 1.8%. 6,631 people (51.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 6,122 people (47.7%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Commerce had a median household income of $48,729, with 16.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000
At the 2000 census there were 12,568 people in 3,284 households, including 2,686 families, in the city. The population density was 1,913.6 PD/sqmi. There were 3,377 housing units at an average density of 514.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 44.8% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 1.6% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 46.9% from other races, and 4.8% from two or more races. 93.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 3,284 households 47.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 19.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families; 15.5% of households were one person and 9.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.80 and the average family size was 4.17.

The age distribution was 33.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% 65 or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.

The median household income was $34,040 and the median family income was $36,572. Males had a median income of $27,738 versus $22,857 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,117. About 15.4% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Mexican (78.4%) and Irish (0.9%) were the most common ancestries. Mexico (83.4%) and El Salvador (4.7%) were the most common foreign places of birth.

Principal employers
According to the city's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Kimlan Foods USA has its headquarters in Commerce.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Commerce is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, Commerce is in California's 42nd Congressional District, Represented by Democrat Robert Garcia.

Commerce residents have many civic services funded from taxes on the local card club, the Commerce Casino, which accounts for 46% ($19.5 Million for budget year 2005/06) of Commerce's tax revenues, and the Citadel. This includes four libraries, a senior center, a teen center, an aquatics center, and a city-owned camp in the San Bernardino National Forest. Commerce is also one of the few cities in California that provides its residents with free bus service. Commerce operates five bus lines within the city, two routes running Sundays only, and one express bus between The Citadel shopping center and Downtown Los Angeles.

Education
Most of Commerce is served by Montebello Unified School District, while small portions are served by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Montebello Unified School District
Elementary schools that serve Commerce include:

 * Bandini Elementary School (Commerce)
 * Suva Elementary School (Bell Gardens)

Intermediate schools that serve Commerce include:

 * Bell Gardens Intermediate School (Bell Gardens)
 * Suva Intermediate School (Bell Gardens)
 * La Merced Intermediate School (Montebello)

K–8 schools:

 * Rosewood Park School (Commerce)

High schools that serve Commerce include:

 * Bell Gardens High School (Bell Gardens)
 * Montebello High School (Montebello)
 * Schurr High School (Montebello)

Los Angeles Unified School District

 * Ford Boulevard Elementary School (Unincorporated Los Angeles County)
 * Griffith Middle School (Unincorporated Los Angeles County)
 * Garfield High School (Unincorporated Los Angeles County)

Infrastructure
Los Cerritos Community News serves the city.

Health care
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Whittier Health Center in Whittier, serving Commerce.

Fire services
Fire protection in Commerce is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which has its headquarters in Commerce. The LACFD operates Station #22 at 928 South Gerhart Avenue, Station #27, the battalion headquarters, at 6031 Rickenbacker Road, and Station #50 at 2327 South Saybrook Avenue, all in Commerce, as a part of Battalion 3. Ambulance transport is provided by Care Ambulance Service.

Police services
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the East Los Angeles Station in East Los Angeles, serving Commerce.

Friendship City
Commerce is a friendship city with Nanning, Guangxi, China.

title: Commerce, California