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El Monte, California
 
 
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"El Monte" redirects here; for the city in Chile
Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
, see El Monte, Chile.


El Monte is a city in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California

Los Angeles County is a County in California, and is by far, the most List of the most populous counties in the United States in the United States....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, and is a suburb of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
. The city's slogans are "the end of the Santa Fe Trail" and "Welcome to Friendly El Monte." As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 115,965. As of 2002, El Monte is the 191st largest city in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. It was also the 44th largest city in California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
.






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Encyclopedia


"El Monte" redirects here; for the city in Chile
Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
, see El Monte, Chile.


El Monte is a city in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California

Los Angeles County is a County in California, and is by far, the most List of the most populous counties in the United States in the United States....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, and is a suburb of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
. The city's slogans are "the end of the Santa Fe Trail" and "Welcome to Friendly El Monte." As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 115,965. As of 2002, El Monte is the 191st largest city in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. It was also the 44th largest city in California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
. El Monte Lies in the San Gabriel Valley
San Gabriel Valley

The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. It lies to the east of the city of Los Angeles, California, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire ....
 region East of the city of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
, thus joining the East LA Community.

History

Settlement began in 1849, though missionaries and Spanish soldiers passed through the area as early as the 1770s. The Old Spanish Trail, originating in Santa Fe, New Mexico passed through El Monte. During the 1930s, the city became an important site for the New Deal
New Deal

The New Deal was the name that United States President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt gave to a sequence of central economic planning and economic stimulus programs he initiated between 1933 and 1938 with the goal of giving aid to the unemployed, reform of business and financial practices, and recovery of the Economy of the Unite...
's federal Subsistence Homestead project, a Resettlement Administration
Resettlement Administration

The Resettlement Administration was a U.S. federal agency that, between April 1935 and December 1936, relocated struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government....
 program that helped supply single-family ranch houses to qualifying applicants. Celebrated photographer Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange was an influential United States documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Great Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration ....
 snapped several pictures of the housing units as part of her work for the Farm Security Administration
Farm Security Administration

File:US-FarmSecurityAdministration-Logo.svgInitially created as the Resettlement Administration in 1935 as part of the New Deal in the United States, the Farm Security Administration was an effort during the Depression to combat American rural poverty....
.

The community of El Monte was the first in California founded by American Anglo
Anglo

The term Anglo is used as a prefix to indicate a relation to the Angles, England or the English people, as in the terms Anglo-Saxon, English American, Anglo-Celtic, and Anglo-Indian....
s. Once home to many settlers from the 1930s era Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl or the Dirty Thirties was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agriculture damage to United States and Canada prairie lands from 1930 to 1936 ....
 Migration, the city became increasingly Latino
Latino

The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American or Spanish-speaking descent."...
 and is often viewed as a stronghold of Latinos.

El Monte was the birthplace of John Larkin, also known as (Scatman John
Scatman John

John Paul Larkin , better known as Scatman John , was a famous United States stuttering Jazz and poet who created a unique fusion of scat singing and house music, best known for his 1994 hit "Scatman "....
) and briefly home to author James Ellroy
James Ellroy

James Ellroy is an United States crime writer and essayist.Ellroy is known for his spartan writing style, which, in its omission of connecting words, has been compared to telegraph communication....
 until his mother Geneva was murdered there, Also home to Gregg Myers and to musician Joe McDonald, who performed in the 1960s with Country Joe & the Fish. Cheech Marin
Cheech Marin

Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an United States comedian and actor who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's quick-and-scheme partner, Insp....
 of Cheech and Chong
Cheech and Chong

Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo, consisting of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, who found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their stand-up comedy routines, which were based upon the era's hippie, free love, and especially drug culture movements....
 fame was a resident, as was Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa

Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock music, jazz, electronic music, orchestral, and musique concr?te works....
, who referenced El Monte Legion Stadium in his song "Dog Breath in the Year of the Plague" and his first song "Memories of El Monte". El Monte is also the home of local columnist and decathlete John Orona. Former Baseball Great Fred Lynn
Fred Lynn

Frederic Michael "Fred" Lynn is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim , Baltimore Orioles , Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres ....
 also lived in El Monte. A popular local attraction from 1925-1942 was Gay's Lion Farm
Gay's Lion Farm

Gay's Lion Farm was a public selective breeding facility and tourist attraction located at the south-east junction of Peck Road and Valley Boulevard in the city of El Monte in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California California, USA....
. The famous live lion farm no longer exists, but a memorial statue can be seen next to the I-10 freeway on the SE corner of Valley Blvd. and Peck Road. Actor-filmmaker Timothy Carey
Timothy Carey

Timothy Agoglia Carey was an United States actor and Film directorCarey wrote, produced, directed and starred in the 1962 feature The World's Greatest Sinner which was scored by Frank Zappa....
 filmed much of his celebrated underground feature "The World's Greatest Sinner" (1962) in El Monte. It is also credited with being the birth place of TV Variety Shows. El Monte is also famous for the American Legion dance hall (the 'it' place at the time). Some Famous singers who performed there include: Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens

Ritchie Valens was an singer, songwriter and guitarist of Mexican origin born in the U.S.A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months....
, Rosie & The Originals, Brenton Wood
Brenton Wood

Brenton Wood is an United States singer and songwriter, best known for his two 1967 chart-topper single : "The Oogum Boogum Song" and "Gimme Little Sign"....
, and Earth Wind & Fire. The stadium is also famous for making disk jockeys Art Laboe
Art Laboe

Art Laboe is an United States pioneering disc jockey, songwriter, record producer, and radio station owner who is generally credited with coining the term "Oldies But Goodies."....
, and Huggy Boy famous.

Name origin

According to the city website: "Between the 1770s and 1830s, missionaries and Spanish soldiers stopped here, and named the area, 'El Monte,' which referred not to the mountain as most assume, but to that era's definition—'meadow or marsh' or 'the wooded place.'"

Geography

El Monte is located at (34.073276, -118.027491).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data....
, the city has a total area of 9.7 square miles (25.1 km˛), of which, 9.6 square miles (24.7 km˛) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km˛) of it (1.44%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
 of 2000, there were 115,965 people, 27,034 households, and 23,005 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
 was 12,139.5 people per square mile (4,688.4/km˛). There were 27,758 housing units at an average density of 2,905.8/sq mi (1,122.2/km˛). The racial makeup of the city was 35.67% White
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.77% Black
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 or African American
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 1.38% Native American
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 18.51% Asian
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.12% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 39.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, and 4.29% from two or more races. 72.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 of any race.

There were 27,034 households out of which 53.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
 living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.9% were non-families. 10.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.24 and the average family size was 4.43.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.1% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.

The median income
Income

Income, refers to consumption opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings received......
 for a household in the city was $32,439, and the median income for a family was $32,402. Males had a median income of $21,789 versus $19,818 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income

Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone....
 for the city was $10,316. About 22.5% of families and 26.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

El Monte's population has grown very rapidly during the last half century:

  • 1960 - 31,900
  • 1970 - 70,975
  • 1980 - 79,494
  • 1990 - 106,209
  • 2000 - 115,965
  • 2004 - 122,123 (estimate)


Media

El Monte is also famous for the long time rock n roll hit, "Memories of El Monte," written by native Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa

Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock music, jazz, electronic music, orchestral, and musique concr?te works....
 and originally recorded by The Penguins
The Penguins

The Penguins were an United States doo-wop group of the 1950s and early 1960s, best remembered for their only Top 40 hit record, "Earth Angel ", which was one of the first rhythm and blues hits to cross over to the Billboard Hot 100....
, one of the local Doo-wop
Doo-wop

Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music, which developed in African-American communities in the 1940s and which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s the 1960s....
 groups from the 1950s that became famous nationwide. The Song is in remembrance of The El Monte Legion Stadium and can be heard on many albums including Art Laboe's Memories of El Monte.

Schools

The El Monte Union High School District
El Monte Union High School District

El Monte Union High School District is a high school district in El Monte, California, California. It serves the cities of El Monte and Rosemead....
 consists of the following schools:
  • Arroyo High School
    Arroyo High School (El Monte, California)

    Arroyo High School, located in El Monte, California, United States, is one of the 5 other schools in the El Monte Unified High School District. Arroyo was built in 1955....
  • El Monte High School
    El Monte High School

    El Monte High School, located in El Monte, California, is one of the oldest high schools in the San Gabriel Valley. Founded in 1901, it operated in a single, upstairs classroom in the old Lexington Avenue Grammar School its first year, with an enrollment of 12-15 students....
  • Mountain View High School
  • South El Monte High School
  • Fernando R. Ledesma High School, Formerly known as Valley Lindo Continuation
  • Rosemead High School
    Rosemead High School

    Rosemead High School is a secondary school located at 9063 East Mission Drive in Rosemead, California, with a ZIP Code 91770. It is a secondary school in the El Monte Union High School District....
  • El Monte-Rosemead Adult School
  • San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps, also known as San Gabriel Valley CC or SGVCC
  • El Monte Union High School Community Day


Politics

In the state legislature
California State Legislature

The California State Legislature is the State legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members....
 El Monte is located in the 24th Senate
California State Senate

The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Sacramento, California....
 District, represented by Democrat Gloria Romero
Gloria Romero

Gloria J. Romero is a California State Senator and was the Democratic Party majority leader of the California State Senate from 2001 until 2008....
, and in the 49th Assembly
California State Assembly

The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000....
 District, represented by Democrat Mike Eng
Mike Eng

Michael F. Eng was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2006 and represents the 49th District. He is an United States politician and member of the United States Democratic Party....
. Federally, El Monte is located in California's 32nd congressional district
California's 32nd congressional district

California's 32nd congressional district covers part of Los Angeles County, California, notably East Los Angeles, California, El Monte, California, Monterey Park, California and West Covina, California....
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index

The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an United States congressional district leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole....
 of D +17 and was represented by Democrat Hilda Solis
Hilda Solis

Hilda L. Solis is the current United States Secretary of Labor. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the California's 31st congressional district and California's 32nd congressional district of California that include East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley....
, who resigned to become President Barack Obama
Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....
's Secretary of Labor
United States Secretary of Labor

The United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the United States Department of Labor who exercises control over the department and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies....
.