San Dimas is a city located in
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...
. As of the 2004 census, the city had a total population of 36,200.
The earliest occupants of what is now known as San Dimas were Gabrieleño Indians, believed to have lived in the area along with other tribes for over 7,000 years before the first European explorers came to the area in the mid-1700’s. The first known exploration of the area was in 1774, when
Juan Bautista De AnzaJuan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Life:...
passed through the area when traveling to
MontereyThe City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Variants of the city's name are recorded as Monte Rey and Montery. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of 2005, the city population was 30,641...
from
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
San Dimas is a city located in
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...
. As of the 2004 census, the city had a total population of 36,200.
History
The earliest occupants of what is now known as San Dimas were Gabrieleño Indians, believed to have lived in the area along with other tribes for over 7,000 years before the first European explorers came to the area in the mid-1700’s. The first known exploration of the area was in 1774, when
Juan Bautista De AnzaJuan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Life:...
passed through the area when traveling to
MontereyThe City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Variants of the city's name are recorded as Monte Rey and Montery. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of 2005, the city population was 30,641...
from
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The community originally developed in the early 1800’s, when it was known as Mud Springs, so named because of local mud springs that made the area wet and swampy. Soon after, ranchers and other settlers began to populate the area, but it was the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1887 that Mud Springs was first mapped. The resulting land boom resulted in the formation of the San Jose Ranch Company, which first laid out streets. Small businesses began to open soon thereafter, and the city took on a new name: San Dimas. Growth was rapid, and San Dimas soon became an agricultural community, with oranges the major crop until the mid-1900’s. San Dimas incorporated as a city in 1960.
Geography
San Dimas is a
suburbSuburbs are defined in various different ways around the world. They can be the residential areas of a large city, or separate residential communities within commuting distance of a city. Some suburbs have a degree of political autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city...
of
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
nestled along the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, about east/northeast of the city and of the
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
. 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 15.6
sq. mi.The square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile.
. of it is land and of it is water. The city is traversed by Cinnamon Creek, which roughly parallels Arrow Hwy before meeting Cinnamon Falls near San Dimas Ave.
San Dimas runs along and southward from historic
U.S. Route 66U.S. Route 66 was a highway in the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66, US Highway 66, was established on November 11, 1926. However, road signs did not go up until the following year...
. Other major arteries include Arrow Highway (east–west) and San Dimas Avenue (north–south). The Foothill Freeway (I-210) connects it to
PasadenaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States; and is a satellite city of Los Angeles. Famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and the Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home of many leading scientific and cultural institutions, including the...
and the
San Fernando ValleyThe San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in Southern California, United States. More than half of the city of Los Angeles' land area lies within the San Fernando Valley...
, CA-57 to Orange County, and the
San Bernardino FreewayThe San Bernardino Freeway is a named freeway in the U.S. state of California in the Greater Los Angeles area. It refers to the following two segments:...
(I-10) connects it to downtown
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
to the west, and
San BernardinoSan Bernardino is a large city located in the Inland Empire Metropolitan Area of Southern California. San Bernardino is also the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. San Bernardino's estimated population, as of 2006, is 205,010. As of 2006, it was the 18th largest city...
to the east.
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 34,980 people, 12,163 households, and 8,988 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 870.8/km² (2,255.7/mi²). There were 12,503 housing units at an average density of 311.2/km² (806.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.66% White, 3.30% African American, 0.69% Native American, 9.39% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 7.34% from other races, and 4.39% from two or more races. 23.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 12,163 households out of which 35.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% are
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, 11.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% are non-families. 21.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.78 and the average family size is 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $62,885, and the median income for a family was $72,124. Males had a median income of $53,009 versus $36,057 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 $28,321. 6.3% of the population and 3.6% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.9% of those under the age of 18 and 11.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Landmarks and points of interest
San Dimas is home to
Raging WatersRaging Waters is the name of three water theme parks located in Sacramento, San Dimas, and San Jose, California, USA. They are the largest water parks in the state of California. The three parks are owned by Palace Entertainment but each contains different attractions...
theme park, one of the largest water parks in
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
.
Education
The majority of the city lies within the
Bonita Unified School DistrictBonita Unified School District is based in San Dimas, California serving San Dimas, La Verne, and parts of Glendora in Los Angeles County. The Bonita Unified School District has over 10,000 students in 14 schools.-Elementary schools :...
. The exception is for students living in the Via Verde neighborhood south of Puente Ave and along San Dimas Ave. who attend school in the
Covina-Valley Unified School DistrictCovina-Valley Unified School District or "CVUSD," is a unified school district located in Covina, California. CVUSD serves most of the cities of Covina and Irwindale, as well as a large portion of West Covina and a small portion of San Dimas.-Schools:...
.
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...
San Dimas is located in the 29th
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 Republican
Bob HuffRobert S. Huff is a U.S. politician, who is a Republican member of the California State Senate, representing the 29th Senate District, which includes portions of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties. He has served in that body since December 1 2008...
, and in the 59th and 60th
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...
Districts, represented by Republicans
Anthony AdamsAnthony Adams is a player in the National Football League. He plays for the Chicago Bears, and previously played for the San Francisco 49ers. He graduated from Penn State University.- Early life :...
and
Curt HagmanCurt Hagman is a Republican assemblyman from California's 60th State Assembly District which is located in the Inland Empire.-Pre Assembly Experience:Hagman was the Mayor of Chino Hills and also served on the city council.-Education:...
respectively. Federally, San Dimas is located in
California's 26th congressional districtThe California 26th Congressional District spans the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley from La Cañada Flintridge to Rancho Cucamonga. The current Representative is Republican David Dreier...
, 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 R +4 and is represented by Republican
David DreierDavid Timothy Dreier , American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since January 1981, representing California's 26th congressional district. He was first elected to the U.S...
.
Popular Culture
The 1989 film
Bill & Ted's Excellent AdventureBill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is an American buddy comedy/science fiction movie in which two slacking Metalheads travel through time in order to assemble a menagerie of historical figures for their high school history presentation....
and the 1991 sequel
Bill & Ted's Bogus JourneyBill & Ted's Bogus Journey is a 1991 American comedy science fiction film, the sequel to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Like the first film, it stars Keanu Reeves as "Ted" Theodore Logan and Alex Winter as Bill S. Preston Esq...
take place in San Dimas.
Notable residents
- Jamie Dantzscher
Jamie Annette Dantzscher is a retired American gymnast. She was a member of the fourth-place US team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney...
, an Olympic Gymnast in the 2000 Olympics in SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
for the U.S. Olympic Team, attended San Dimas High SchoolSan Dimas High School is a secondary school located in San Dimas, California, in the United States. It is part of the Bonita Unified School District.-Athletics:The major rival to the Saints are the Bonita Bearcats....
.
- Christian Jimenez
Christian Jimenez is an American soccer player of Mexican descent. He is currently without a club, having been waived by Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer in 2007.-Career:...
, soccer player, Real Salt LakeReal Salt Lake is an American soccer club that is based in the Salt Lake City, Utah suburb of Sandy that participates in Major League Soccer. The club joined the league as an expansion team in 2005, and plays its home games at Rio Tinto Stadium....
of Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by United States Soccer Federation . The league comprises 15 teams, 14 in the U.S. and one in Canada...
.
- Ian Johnson
Ian Johnson is a running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL and a former running back for Boise State....
, football player, Boise State BroncosThe Boise State Broncos are the official athletic program of Boise State University. The Broncos compete in a wide variety of sports. Perhaps the most well-known of these sports is the football program. The program attained a 13-0 season in 2006 capped by a memorable overtime win in the 2007 Fiesta...
.
- Wayne Moses
Wayne Moses is an American football coach. He currently serves as running backs coach under head coach Rick Neuheisel at UCLA.-College playing career:Moses was a starter at the University of Washington, at cornerback...
, professional and college football coach for the St. Louis Rams, USC, UCLA, Washington, Stanford, Pitt, San Diego State and New Mexico.
- Jeremy Reed
Jeremy Thomas Reed is an American professional baseball player. He currently plays outfielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
, baseball player, New York Mets.
- Jeremiah (Jerry) Voorhis
Horace Jeremiah "Jerry" Voorhis was a Democratic politician from California. He served five terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing the 12th Congressional district in Los Angeles County from 1937 to 1947...
, congressman; headmaster and trustee of Voorhis School for Boys, San Dimas, Calif., 1928-1938.
- Adam Wylie
Adam Augustus Wylie is an American television and motion picture actor, as well as a Broadway musical performer, and a former Crayola spokesman.-Early life:...
, actor, CBS series "Picket FencesPicket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama centering around the residents of the fictional community of Rome, Wisconsin. The show initially ran from September 1, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States. Picket Fences was created by producer David E....
".
- D.J. Hackett
DeAndre James "D. J." Hackett is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
, Wide Receiver for the Carolina Panthers, attended San Dimas High School.
- Shannan Click
Shannan Click is an American model. She has appeared in a variety of international editions of Vogue and the 2008 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.-Early Life and Discovery:...
, fashion model
External links