Pico Rivera is a city located in southeastern
Los Angeles County, CaliforniaLos Angeles County is a county in California and is by far the most populous county in the United States. Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau give an estimated 2008 population of 9,862,049 residents, while the California State government's population bureau lists a January 1, 2009, estimate of...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 63,428.
History and culture
Pico Rivera (founded in 1784) was incorporated in 1958 from the merger of the long-standing unincorporated communities of Pico (named for
Pío PicoPío de Jesus Pico was the last Mexican Governor of Alta California.-Origins:Pío Pico was a Mexican governor of California. He was born at the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel to José María Pico and María Eustaquia Gutiérrez with the aid of midwife Eulalia Pérez de Guillén Mariné...
, the last Mexican governor of California) and Rivera. Situated on a rich alluvial plain between the
Rio HondoThe Rio Hondo is a tributary of the Los Angeles River in Los Angeles County, California, approximately long...
and the
San Gabriel RiverThe San Gabriel River flows through southern Los Angeles County, California. It rises in the San Gabriel Mountains, flowing southwest into and through the western San Gabriel Valley before turning southward at the Whittier Narrows to enter the Los Angeles Basin...
, the area was once predominantly agricultural, but since the 1950s it has been primarily residential. Pico Rivera lies below the
Whittier NarrowsThe Whittier Narrows is located at the southern boundary of the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. It is a gap in the Puente Hills where the Rio Hondo and the San Gabriel River converge....
, making it one of the "
Gateway CitiesThe Gateway Cities of Southern California are those located in southeastern Los Angeles County. There is some cross-over between these cities and those composing South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, the South Bay, and the San Gabriel Valley....
."
The north side of the city is home to the Pico Rivera Sports Arena, where concerts and sports are occasionally held.
A number of good parks dot the landscape, including Rivera Park on Shade Lane, Smith Park on Rosemead and Mines, Pico Park on Beverly Blvd, Rio Vista Park, and Stream Land park at the North end of Durfee Road.
Geography
Pico Rivera is located at (33.989013, -118.089121). It is bordered by
DowneyDowney is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, 21 km southeast of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,323.-History:...
on the southwest,
Santa Fe SpringsSanta Fe Springs is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. The population was 17,438 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
on the southeast,
WhittierWhittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 83,680. It is the home of Whittier College...
on the east, City of Industry on the northeast,
MontebelloMontebello is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 62,150.-History:...
on the northwest, and
CommerceCommerce is a suburb of Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,568 at the 2000 census. 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...
on the west. As Rosemead and Lakewood Boulevards, State Route 19 runs through the center of the city, and the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605) runs along its southeastern edge.
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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (6.22%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 63,428 people, 16,468 households, and 13,866 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. It is a key term used in geography....
was 2,950.6/km² (7,645.7/mi²). There were 16,807 housing units at an average density of 781.8/km² (2,026.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.44% White, 0.71% African American, 1.35% Native American, 2.65% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 40.28% from
other racesRace 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-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 5.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 88.29% of the population.
There were 16,468 households out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.8% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.83 and the average family size was 4.12.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,564, and the median income for a family was $45,422. Males had a median income of $29,397 versus $24,491 for females. The
per capita incomePer 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. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $13,011. About 11.6% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 9.0% 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...
Pico Rivera is located in the 30th
SenateThe 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. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Democrat
Ronald S. CalderonRonald Steven Calderon is the California State Senator from California's 30th Senate District. He was elected to the Senate in 2006.The second of two siblings to serve in the state Senate, Senator Ronald S...
, and in the 58th
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
Charles M. CalderonCharles M. Calderon began his second stint in the California State Assembly in 2006 . He represents the 58th District, which includes the cities of Montebello, Pico Rivera, Hacienda Heights Rowland Heights, South San Gabriel, South San Jose Hills, Valinda and portions of City of Industry, Downey,...
. Federally, Pico Rivera is located in
California's 38th congressional districtCalifornia's 38th congressional district is a U.S. Congressional district centered around suburban Los Angeles. This seat is held by Democrat Grace Napolitano.-Demographics:...
, 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 +20 and is represented by Democrat
Grace NapolitanoGraciela Flores Napolitano , an American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999, representing...
.
The current city council consists of Mayor Ron Beilke, Mayor Pro Tem Gracie Gallegos-Smith, Bob Archuleta, David Armenta and Gregory Salcido. The city has a council/city manager form of government. The title of Mayor is a ceremonial position that is changed each year within the council.
Recent development
There has been frequent redevelopment in the city of late, starting with the opening of a mega-shopping complex along Washington Blvd, bringing well-known businesses such as
StarbucksStarbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 16,120 stores in 49 countries, including around 11,000 in the United States, followed by nearly 1,000 in Canada and...
, the
Borders GroupBorders Group is an international bookseller based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Borders is the second-largest bookstore chain in the United States , selling a wide variety of books, CDs, DVDs, and periodicals, as well as gifts and stationery.In 2004, Borders reached an agreement with...
bookstore, Walmart,
WalgreensThe Walgreen Company , d/b/a Walgreens , is the second largest drugstore chain in the United States. The company operates about 7,000 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico...
, a newly added
Del TacoDel Taco is a chain of North American fast-food restaurants specializing in Mexican-style offerings, as well as American foods such as burgers, fries, and shakes. Del Taco is led by President Shirlene Lopez, and is headquartered in the city of Lake Forest, California...
and other businesses into the city.
Other redevelopment has taken place in recent years along historic Whittier Boulevard, bringing new businesses such as
TargetTarget Corporation, usually known simply as Target, is an American retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1902 as the Dayton Dry Goods Company. In 1962, the company opened its first Target store in nearby Roseville...
and
Panda ExpressPanda Express is a fast casual restaurant chain serving Americanized Chinese cuisine. It operates mainly inside the United States, in shopping malls, supermarkets, airports, train stations, strip plazas, theme parks, stadiums, college campuses and The Pentagon...
there.
New developments include the Krikorian Theatres at the corner of Paramount Boulevard and Whittier Boulevard as well as a new Rite-Aid at the former Lucky's supermarket site on Durfee Avenue and Whittier Boulevard. A state of the art LA Fitness, Fresh and Easy market, Rubios, Round Table Pizza, Juice It Up and other businesses have opened up at the former Kmart site at the corner of Washington and Rosemead Boulevards.
As of April 1, 2009, the City of Pico Rivera imposes a 10.25-percent sales tax (statewide plus local supplementary), which matches
South GateSouth Gate is a city in the Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County. As of January 1, 2009, the city had a total population of 102,770. The "City of South Gate" was incorporated on 20 January 1923 by the Los Angeles...
's sales tax rate as the highest in the State of California.
Historical
There was a manufacturing facility located at the corner of Rosemead and Washington boulevards which was owned and operated by the
Ford Motor CompanyThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
. The plant closed in 1980 and was purchased by
Northrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Corporation is an American aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth largest defense contractor in the world in 2008, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over 122,000...
in 1982 for its Advanced Systems Division. Upon the unveiling of the
B-2 SpiritThe Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with "low observable" stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. Because of its considerable capital and operations costs, the project was controversial in...
bomber in 1988, it was revealed that much of the development for the former
black projectIn the United States and United Kingdom, a black project is a classified military/defense project, unacknowledged publicly by the government, military personnel, and defense contractors. Familiar examples of U.S...
had in fact occurred at the site. In the early 1990s, the division was renamed the B-2 Division to reflect its most famous product. At its peak, the project employed approximately 13000 workers in Pico Rivera. The site closed and demolished in 2001 and is now a large retail center, anchored by WalMart and Lowes.
Emergency services
Fire protection in Pico Rivera is provided by the
Los Angeles County Fire DepartmentThe Los Angeles County Fire Department , serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including the City of La Habra, in Orange County...
with ambulance transport by
Care Ambulance ServiceCare Ambulance Service provides ambulance transport and 9-1-1 response services providing basic life support and critical care for patients in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Care Ambulance is divided into 2 divisions, Orange County and Los Angeles County...
. The
Los Angeles County Sheriff's DepartmentThe Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the seventh largest law enforcement agency in the United States The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local county law enforcement agency that...
provides law enforcement.
Education
Most residents attend schools in the
El Rancho Unified School DistrictThe El Rancho Unified School District is located in the City of Pico Rivera, California.-School Clousures:During the summer of 2008, the El Rancho school board voted to close four elementary schools in order to meet the new demands placed upon them by budget cuts and declining enrollment...
. Only those in the Montebello Gardens area are in the
Montebello Unified School DistrictMontebello Unified School District is a school district based in Montebello, California, United States.Montebello USD serves the city of Montebello, portions of the cities of Bell Gardens, Commerce, Rosemead, Pico Rivera, and Monterey Park, and a part of the unincorporated community of East Los...
.
External links