El Monte ɛ is a residential, industrial, and commercial city in
Los Angeles CountyLos Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, California, United States. The city's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte," and historically is known as "The End of the Santa Fe Trail." As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 113,475, down from 115,965 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, El Monte is the 228th largest city in the United States, and is the 51st largest city in California. El Monte Lies in the
San Gabriel ValleyThe San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...
region East of the city of Los Angeles.
Origin of name
El Monte was literally an oasis or island in the middle of the arid San Gabriel Valley. Sitting between the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo Rivers. Residents claim that anything could be grown here due to the two rivers. Between 1770 and 1830, Spanish soldiers and missionaries often stopped here for respite. They called the area, 'El Monte,' which in Spanish means 'meadow or marsh' or 'the wooded place. Most people assume the name refers to a mountain, but the word is an archaic Spanish translation of that era, there were no mountains in the valley. The explorers had found this oasis of rich, low altitude land, blanketed with thick growths of wispy willows, alders, and cattails, located between the two rivers. They also found wild grapevines and watercress. The "Island" is approximately 7 miles long and 4 miles wide. When the State Legislature organized California into more manageable designated townships in the 1850s, they called it the El Monte Township. In a short time the name returned to the original El Monte.
History
In earlier days, El Monte was a stopping place for the people going to the gold fields in the North, near Sacramento. The first settlers with their families were Nicholas Schmidt, Ira W. Thompson, G and F. Cuddeback, J. Corbin and J Sheldon. Settlement began in 1849, though Spanish missionaries and soldiers passed through the area as early as the 1770s. The
Old Spanish TrailThe Old Spanish Trail is a historical trade route which connected the northern New Mexico settlements near or in Santa Fe, New Mexico with that of Los Angeles, California and southern California. Approximately long, it ran through areas of high mountains, arid deserts, and deep canyons. It is...
, originating in
Santa FeSanta Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
became a continuation of the well-known
Santa Fe TrailThe Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
, that began in 1821, when the nation’s first major international commercial highway was estalihed stretching from
Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
to Santa Fe. In the 1850s the village (renamed Lexington by American settlers) was the crossroad between Los Angeles,
San BernardinoSan Bernardino, California is a large city in the Inland Empire Metropolitan Area of Southern California.San Bernardino may also refer to:-Landforms:*San Bernardino , a torrent that flows through the Italian province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola...
and
San PedroSan Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
. In the early days, it had a reputation as a rough town where men often settled disputes with knives and guns in its gambling saloons. Defense against Indian raids and the crimes of bandit gangs like that of
Juan FloresJuan Flores was a 19th century Californio bandit who, with Pancho Daniel, led an outlaw gang known as "las Manillas" and later as the Flores Daniel Gang, throughout Southern California during 1856-1857...
and
Pancho DanielPancho Daniel was a Californio bandit, leader of the Flores Daniel Gang who was lynched in November 1858 while awaiting trial for his involvement in the murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff James R. Barton....
led to the formation of a local militia company called the Monte Rangers in February 1854. After the Monte Rangers disbanded, justice for Los Angeles County, in the form of a
lynchingLynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
, was often provided by the local vigilantes called the "El Monte Boys".
The first permanent residents arrived in El Monte around 1849-1850 mostly from
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
,
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and
MissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, during a time when thousands migrated to California in search of gold. Though few found any gold, these migrants ventured upon the bounty of fruitful, rich land along the
San Gabriel RiverThe San Gabriel River flows through southern Los Angeles County, California in the United States. Its main stem is about long, while its farthest tributaries extend almost altogether...
and began to build homesteads there. The farmers were very pleased at the increasing success of El Monte’s agricultural community, and it steadily grew over the years. In 1858, it became a stop on the
Butterfield Overland MailThe Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
. By 1861 El Monte had become a sizeable settlement and during the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
was considered a stronghold of sympathetic secessionists. A. J. King an Undersheriff of Los Angeles County (and former member of the earlier "Monte Rangers" or "Monte Boys") with other influential men in El Monte, formed a secessionist militia company, like the
Los Angeles Mounted RiflesThe Los Angeles Mounted Rifles was a company of the California State Militia formed in 1861. It was the only California state unit to serve the Confederacy.- Formation :...
, called the Monte Mounted Rifles on March 23, 1861. However the attempt failed when following the
battle of Fort SumterThe Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, near Charleston, South Carolina, that started the American Civil War. Following declarations of secession by seven Southern states, South Carolina demanded that the U.S. Army abandon its facilities in Charleston Harbor. On...
, A. J. King marched through the streets with a portrait of the Confederate General
P. G. T. BeauregardPierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a Louisiana-born American military officer, politician, inventor, writer, civil servant, and the first prominent general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Today he is commonly referred to as P. G. T. Beauregard, but he rarely used...
and was arrested by a U.S. Marshal. State arms sent from Governor
John G. DowneyJohn Gately Downey was an Irish-American politician and the seventh Governor of California from January 14, 1860 to January 10, 1862. Until the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003, Downey was California's only foreign-born governor...
for the unit were held up by Union officers at the port of
San PedroSan Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
. Union troops established
New Camp CarletonNew Camp Carleton was a Union Army garrison of the District of Southern California during the American Civil War. It was established on March 22, 1862 near El Monte, California...
near the town in March 1862 to suppress any rebellion, it was shut down three years later at the end of the war. El Monte was the first town in
Southern CaliforniaSouthern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
to be founded by American citizens of European descent.
Southern Pacific built a railroad depot in town in 1873, stimulating the growth of local agriculture. El Monte was incorporated as a municipality in 1912. During the 1930s, the city became a vital site for the
New DealThe New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
's federal Subsistence Homestead project, a
Resettlement AdministrationThe 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 grant single-family ranch houses to qualifying applicants. Famous photographer
Dorothea LangeDorothea Lange was an influential American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration...
took many pictures of the houses for her work for the
Farm Security AdministrationInitially 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...
.
Formerly home to many white settlers from the 1930s
Dust BowlThe Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
Migration, the city has evolved into a majority
HispanicHispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
community. Representing the historical significance of the
Santa Fe TrailThe Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
, El Monte built the Santa Fe Trail Historical Park in 1989, at Valley Blvd and Santa Anita Ave. The trail remained America’s greatest route for several decades thereafter. The El Monte Historical Museum at 3150 Tyler Avenue, is considered to be one of the best community museums in the state of California.
Entertainment history
El Monte is credited with being the birth place of TV variety shows.
Hometown Jamboree, a KTLA-TV Los Angeles-based show, was actually produced at the American Legion Stadium in El Monte, California in the 1950s. The Saturday night stage show was hosted and produced by
Cliffie StoneCliffie Stone , born Clifford Gilpin Snyder, was an American country singer, musician, record producer, music publisher, and radio and TV personality who was pivotal in the development of California’s thriving country music scene after World War II during a career that lasted six decades...
, who helped popularize country music in California.
In the 1950s, as the unstable racial climate and the hostility toward rock & roll started to merge, rock & roll shows were forced from the City of Los Angeles by police pressure. The El Monte Legion Stadium, outside the city limits, became the site of a series for rock and roll concerts by
Johnny OtisJohnny Otis is an American singer, musician, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, recording artist, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, percussionist, bandleader, and impresario.He is commonly referred to as The Godfather Of Rhythm And Blues.-Personal life:Otis, the son of Alexander...
and other performers. (Johnny Otis along with
Alan FreedAlbert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
and Dick Clark were the major powers in the growing rock and roll industry.) During the fifties, teenagers from all over Southern California flocked to El Monte Legion Stadium every Friday and Saturday night to see their favorite performers. Famous singers who performed there include: the
Ritchie ValensRitchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
, Rosie & The Originals,
Brenton WoodBrenton Wood is an American singer and songwriter, best known for his two 1967 hit singles: "The Oogum Boogum Song" and "Gimme Little Sign".-Career:...
, Earth Wind & Fire, The Grateful Dead,
Dick DaleDick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
and his Del-Tones and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Disc jockeys
Art LaboeArt Laboe is an American pioneering disc jockey, songwriter, record producer, and radio station owner who is generally credited with coining the term "Oldies But Goodies."....
and Huggy Boy enhanced the stadium's popularity with their highly publicized Friday Night Dances with many popular record artists of the late 1950s and 1960s. "El Monte Legion Stadium", as it was often called, was the "Happening" place to be for the teenagers of that era. In a closed-circuit telecast,
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and the Beach Boys were seen there on March 14, 1964.
El Monte is known for the long-time rock & roll hit "
Memories of El Monte"Memories of El Monte" is a metasong released in 1963 by the Penguins featuring Cleve Duncan. It was written by Frank Zappa and Ray Collins before they were in the Mothers of Invention...
", written by
Frank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and originally recorded by
The PenguinsThe Penguins were an American doo-wop group of the 1950s and early 1960s, best remembered for their only Top 40 hit, "Earth Angel ", which was one of the first rhythm and blues hits to cross over to the pop charts...
, one of the local
Doo-wopThe name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
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. Although the stadium closed their doors nearly 50 years ago, the music continues to live on.
El Monte was the birthplace of singer–guitarist
Mary FordMary Ford , born Iris Colleen Summers, was an American vocalist and guitarist, comprising half of the husband-and-wife musical team Les Paul and Mary Ford. Between 1950 and 1954, the couple had 16 top-ten hits...
, of Les Paul & Mary Ford fame. John Larkin, known as (
Scatman JohnJohn Paul Larkin , better known by his stage name Scatman John, was an American musician who created a fusion of scat singing and dance music, best known for his 1995 hit "Scatman "....
), is also a native. El Monte was home to musicians Gregg Myers and
Joe McDonaldCountry Joe McDonald is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.-Personal life:...
, who performed in the 1960s with Country Joe & the Fish.
Cheech MarinRichard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
of
Cheech and ChongCheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Richard "Cheech" Marin and Tommy Chong, who found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their films and stand-up routines, which were based on the hippie and free love era, and especially drug culture movements, most notably their love for...
fame was an El Monte denizen.
A popular attraction from 1925 to 1942 was
Gay's Lion FarmGay's Lion Farm was a public selective breeding facility and tourist attraction located just west of the south-east junction of Peck Road and Valley Boulevard in El Monte, California. It operated from 1925 through 1942, when it was closed temporarily due to wartime meat shortages...
. Two European retired circus stars, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gay, operated this tourist attraction, which has been called “the Disneyland of the 1920s and 1930s” by historian Jack Barton, and many others of that era.. The Gays raised wild animals for use in the motion picture industry and housed over 200 African lions. Many of the lions starred in films during the 1920s and 1930s, including the
TarzanTarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
films starring
Elmo LincolnElmo Lincoln was an American film actor.Born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt, the barrel-chested actor is best known in his silent movie role as the first Tarzan in 1918's Tarzan of the Apes as an adult --...
and Johnny Weismuller. The
Metro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
lion logo was made with "Slats" (1924–1927), and his lookalike successor "Jackie". In 1925, El Monte Union High School adopted “The Lions” name for its teams, and the Gays provided a lion mascot for big games. The famous live lion farm was closed temporarily due to wartime meat shortages. It never reopened, but a life-sized memorial statue can be seen next to I-10 on the SE corner of
Valley BoulevardValley Boulevard is a street in Southern California, running east from Los Angeles to Pomona, where it becomes Holt Boulevard, and a continuation from Fontana to Colton. It generally parallels Interstate 10 and State Route 60, and is the original alignment of U.S. Route 60...
and Peck Road. The original lion statue, commissioned for the Farm, stands in front of nearby
El Monte High SchoolEl Monte High School, located in El Monte, California, is a high school of the El Monte Union High School District. It is one of the oldest high schools in the San Gabriel Valley. Founded in 1901, it began operation in a single, upstairs classroom in the old Lexington Avenue Grammar School, with an...
.
Horse racing's most famous jockey,
Willie ShoemakerWilliam Lee Shoemaker was an American jockey.Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Shoemaker was born in the town of Fabens, Texas. At 2.5 pounds , Shoemaker was so small at birth that he was not expected to survive the night...
, was a resident and attended El Monte High School, until he dropped out to work in the nearby stables.
El Monte was also briefly the home to author
James EllroyLee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a so-called "telegraphic" prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black...
until his mother Geneva was murdered there in 1958.
Former baseball player
Fred LynnFredric Michael "Fred" Lynn is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles , Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres .Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame...
was a resident of El Monte. Actor-filmmaker
Timothy CareyTimothy Agoglia Carey was an American film and television actor....
filmed much of his underground feature
The World's Greatest Sinner (1962) in El Monte. Modern authors Salvador Plascencia, 33, and Michael Jaime-Becerra, 36, both grew up in El Monte and each references El Monte in his novels. Mr. Ed, the Palomino of the classic 60s television show, was foaled in 1949 in El Monte and named "Bamboo Harvester". Artist collective "mindfunk" work live art studio is based in El Monte. Since 2000 "mindfunk" has been producing underground urban multimedia artwork.
http://www.citymindfunk.com
Geography
El Monte is located at 34°4′24"N 118°1′39"W (34.073276, -118.027491). According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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 9.6 square miles (24.9 km²), of which, 9.6 square miles (24.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.89%) is water.
Climate
El Monte has a
Mediterranean climateA Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
(
Köppen climate classificationThe Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Csa).
Demographics
The population has increased by more than 40% since the 1970s, homes replacing the walnut groves the city was known for.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that El Monte had a population of 113,475. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 11,761.6 people per square mile (4,541.2/km²). The racial makeup of El Monte was 44,058 (38.8%) White, 870 (0.8%) African American, 1,083 (1.0%) Native American, 28,503 (25.1%) Asian (13.5% Chinese, 7.4% Vietnamese, 1.2% Filipino, 0.4% Cambodian, 0.2% Burmese, 0.2% Japanese, 0.2% Korean, 0.2% Indian, 0.2% Thai), 131 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 35,205 (31.0%) from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3,625 (3.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 78,317 persons (69.0%); 60.9% of El Monte is Mexican, 2.3% Salvadoran, 1.2% Guatemalan, 0.4% Nicaraguan, 0.3% Honduran, 0.3% Cuban, 0.2% Puerto Rican, and 0.2% Peruvian.
The Census reported that 112,395 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 317 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 763 (0.7%) were institutionalized.
There were 27,814 households, out of which 14,557 (52.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15,087 (54.2%) were
opposite-sex married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5,298 (19.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,962 (10.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,061 (7.4%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnershipsPOSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 161 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,130 households (11.3%) were made up of individuals and 1,539 (5.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.04. There were 23,347
familiesA family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(83.9% of all households); the average family size was 4.23.
The population was spread out with 32,234 people (28.4%) under the age of 18, 12,814 people (11.3%) aged 18 to 24, 33,263 people (29.3%) aged 25 to 44, 24,567 people (21.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 10,597 people (9.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.6 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.
There were 29,069 housing units at an average density of 3,013.0 per square mile (1,163.3/km²), of which 11,740 (42.2%) were owner-occupied, and 16,074 (57.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%. 46,802 people (41.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 65,593 people (57.8%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 115,965 people, 27,034 households, and 23,005 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation 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/km²). There were 27,758 housing units at an average density of 2,905.8 per square mile (1,122.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.39% of the population were Hispanic or
LatinoRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race, 35.67%
WhiteRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.77%
BlackRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.38%
Native AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 18.51%
AsianRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.12%
Pacific IslanderRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 39.27% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.29% from two or more races.
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 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 were 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
incomeIncome is the consumption and savings 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...
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 incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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.
Politics
In the
state legislatureThe 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
SenateThe California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Democrat Gloria Romero, and in the 49th
AssemblyThe 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 EngMichael "Mike" F. Eng was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2006 and represents the 49th District. He is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party...
. Federally, El Monte is located in
California's 32nd congressional districtCalifornia's 32nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Los Angeles County. The district covers East Los Angeles and includes El Monte, Monterey Park and West Covina in Greater Los Angeles....
, which has a
Cook PVIThe Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of D +17 and is represented by Democrat
Judy ChuJudy May Chu, Ph.D. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Democratic Party....
.
City Government
The El Monte City Council has five members, with Andre Quintero as City Mayor, Patricia Wallach as Mayor Pro Tem, and Juventino "J" Gomez, Emily Ishigaki, and Norma Macias as City Council members.
Economy
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
| # |
Employer |
# of Employees |
| 1 |
Wells FargoWells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
|
1,800 |
| 2 |
El Monte Union High School District El Monte Union High School District is a high school district with its headquarters in El Monte, California. It serves the city of El Monte and a portion of Rosemead...
|
1,742 |
| 3 |
Mountain View Elementary School District |
1,007 |
| 4 |
Vons Vons is a southern California and southern Nevada supermarket chain and a division of Safeway Inc. It is headquartered in Arcadia, California, and operates stores under the Vons and Pavilions banners.-Beginning:...
|
736 |
| 5 |
Longo Toyota-Lexusis the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...
|
600 |
| 6 |
El Monte City of, |
526 |
| 7 |
M.C. Gill Corporation |
250 |
| 8 |
Driftwood Dairy |
250 |
| 9 |
Cathay BankCathay Bank is a Chinese American bank based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1962, it has since expanded its network throughout California and into Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Washington, Illinois, and New Jersey...
|
250 |
| 10 |
McConnell Cabinets |
57 |
Education
The
El Monte Union High School DistrictEl Monte Union High School District is a high school district with its headquarters in El Monte, California. It serves the city of El Monte and a portion of Rosemead...
consists of the following schools:
- Arroyo High School
Arroyo High School, located in El Monte, California, United States, is a school in the El Monte Union High School District. The attendance area served by Arroyo High School consists of four different communities: El Monte, Temple City, Arcadia, and an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County...
- El Monte High School
El Monte High School, located in El Monte, California, is a high school of the El Monte Union High School District. It is one of the oldest high schools in the San Gabriel Valley. Founded in 1901, it began operation in a single, upstairs classroom in the old Lexington Avenue Grammar School, with an...
- 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 is a secondary school located at 9063 East Mission Drive in Rosemead, California, in the ZIP Code 91770. It is a secondary school in the El Monte Union High School District...
- El Monte-Rosemead Adult School
The
El Monte City School DistrictThe El Monte City School District is in El Monte, California. It includes 18 elementary schools: one serving grades K-4, one serving grades K-5, ten serving grades K-6, and six serving grades K-8...
contains 17 elementary schools: one serving grades K-4, one serving grades K-5, ten serving grades K-6, and six serving grades K-8. The district also administers four Head Start (preschool) sites, which are located at the elementary schools.
- Cherrylee Elementary School
- Columbia Elementary School
- Cortada Elementary School
- Durfee Elementary School
- Gidley Elementary School
- Legore Elementary School
- Mulhall Elementary School
- New Lexington Elementary School
- Norwood Elementary School
- Potrero Elementary School
- Rio Vista Elementary School
- Shirpser Elementary School
- Thompson, (Byron E.) Elementary School
- Wilkerson Elementary School
- Wright Elementary School
- Cleminson Elementary School
- Rio Hondo Elementary School
The Mountain View School District is a K-8 school district comprising ten elementary schools, one intermediate school, one middle school, an alternative education program for students in grades 5-8, and a Children’s Center and Head Start/ State Preschool program. The district has an enrollment of 8,600 students.
- Baker Elementary School
- Cogswell Elementary School
- Kranz Intermediate School
- La Primaria Elementary School
- Madrid Middle School
- Maxson Elementary School
- Miramonte Elementary School
- Monte Vista Elementary School
- Parkview Elementary School
- Payne Elementary School
- Twin Lakes Elementary School
- Voorhis Elementary School
- Magnolia Learning Center
- Children's Center/Head Start/State Preschool
Health Services
The
Los Angeles County Department of Health ServicesHealth services to over 10 million residents in the Los Angeles County are provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Mental health services are provided by the County Department of Mental Health...
operates the Monrovia Health Center in
MonroviaMonrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 at the 2000 census...
, serving El Monte. The El Monte Comprehensive Health and Mammography Center is located on Ramona Blvd. in El Monte. It offers medical and dental services for low-income individuals, but is not an emergency center.
Notable residents
- Lorenzo Oatman and his sister Olive Oatman
Olive Oatman was a woman from Illinois who was famously abducted by a Native American tribe , then sold to another . She ultimately regained her freedom five years later. The story resonated in the media, partly owing to the prominent blue tattooing of Oatman's face by her captors...
, survivors of the Oatman Massacre of 1851 in Arizona
- Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solis is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include...
, served in the California State Assembly, the California State Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and serves as United States Secretary of Labor
- Scatman John
John Paul Larkin , better known by his stage name Scatman John, was an American musician who created a fusion of scat singing and dance music, best known for his 1995 hit "Scatman "....
was an American jazz musician and singer who created a fusion of scat singing and dance music
- Salvador Plascencia
Salvador Plascencia is an American writer, born 1976 in Guadalajara, Mexico.The Plascencia family eventually settled near Los Angeles in the city of El Monte when he was eight years old. Plascencia holds a B.A. in English from Whittier College and an MFA in fiction from Syracuse University...
, author of The People of Paper
- Michael Carey Schneider from the band Sneaker
Sneaker was a West Coast American rock music band, active from 1973 to 1983. The band is best known for its Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hit single, "More Than Just the Two of Us", from its first album, Sneaker...
lived in El Monte from 1954 to 1959.
- Willie Shoemaker
William Lee Shoemaker was an American jockey.Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Shoemaker was born in the town of Fabens, Texas. At 2.5 pounds , Shoemaker was so small at birth that he was not expected to survive the night...
, Jockey
- Timothy Carey
Timothy Agoglia Carey was an American film and television actor....
was an American film and television actor. Carey appeared in the Stanley Kubrick films The Killing and Paths of Glory, and in the John Cassavetes-directed films Minnie and Moskowitz and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. Carey also appeared in numerous TV-series and shows, Carey died from a stroke in 1994, aged 65.
External links