Diamond Bar, California

Diamond Bar is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 56,287 at the 2000 census. It is named after the "diamond over a bar" branding iron registered in 1918 by ranch owner Frederick E. Lewis.

Located at the junction of the Pomona and Orange Freeways, Diamond Bar is primarily a residential city with shopping centers interspersed within the city. The city features a public Los Angeles County golf course.

As with most Southern California cities, more modest housing is located closer to freeways and main roads, while upscale housing is located mostly in hilly terrain. The Country, a gated hillside enclave of 751 multi-million dollar estate residences, was developed in the 1970s.

Diamond Bar has the first hydrogen fueling station to be built in Southern California^[1]; near the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) building.

Diamond Bar is also home to one of California's top distinguished schools, Diamond Bar High School.

1 History
2 Schools in Diamond Bar
3 Notable Natives/Residents
4 Geography
5 Demographics
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

On March 30, 1840 Jose de la Luz Linares founded the Rancho Los Nogales (Ranch of the Walnut Trees) on a Mexican land grant of 4,340 acres (18 km²) deeded to him by Governor Juan Alvarado, which included Brea Canyon and the eastern Walnut Valley.

As time wore on - and particularly as the United States government took over California - Rancho Los Nogales was divided and sold into multiple land ranches, the largest of which was the Diamond Bar Ranch. At the time, it was one of the largest working cattle ranches in the western U.S.

The entire Diamond Bar Ranch was acquired by the Transamerica Corporation in the 1950s for the purpose of developing one of the nation's first master-planned communities. Transamerica gave the Diamond Bar name to its new community and incorporated the ranch's familiar diamond and bar cattle brand into various logos (many of which are still in use today).

The first tract homes went up in 1960, right next to where the Pomona Freeway (60) would later pass. The town's development and population grew extremely fast after that.

Transamerica oversaw all development of the community through the 1960s. The Transamerica Corporation divested itself of all its real estate ventures in the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, the Diamond Bar project was sold to multiple developers and much of its initial master plan was not implemented during the latter half of its development in the 1980s.

The City of Diamond Bar was incorporated on April 18, 1989.

Diamond Bar City Council is currently headed by Mayor Steve Tye and Mayor Pro Tem Jack Tanaka. The remaining three council members are Wen Chang, Bob Zirbes, and Carol Herrera. Bob Zirbes has since passed away from a battle with cancer.

[edit] Schools in Diamond Bar

Diamond Bar has several elementary, junior high, and high schools. The schools belong either to the Walnut Valley Unified School District or the Pomona Unified School District.
Schools that are in Diamond Bar:
Armstrong Elementary School
Lorbeer Middle School
Chaparral Middle School
Diamond Bar High School
South Pointe Middle School
Quail Summit Elementary Maple Hill Elementary Pantera Elementary

[edit] Notable Natives/Residents

Jim Edmonds, Major League Baseball star; currently an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Jay Kim, first Korean-American Congressman
Gary Miller, Congressman
Taebin, popular Korean American R&B singer based in South Korea; also known as 'Danny Im'. He is also a member of the Hip-Hop group 1TYM along with his friend from Diamond Bar High School, Teddy Park.
Keith Van Horn, National Basketball Association star; currently plays forward for the Dallas Mavericks.
Larissa Lam, full-time singer/songwriter who tours the U.S. and abroad with her unique style of “soulful alternative pop”.
Omarion, Hip-Hop artist
Snoop Dogg, Rapper

[edit] Geography

Diamond Bar is located at 34°0′6″N, 117°49′15″W (34.001652, -117.820761)^GR1. The main road through town, Diamond Bar Boulevard, runs along the bottom of the valley that eventually becomes Brea Canyon, and development rises from the boulevard on both sides, winding back over and through the surrounding hills. The city is roughly between the ends of the Chino Fault and the Whittier Fault, both part of the larger Elsinore fault zone.

Positioned in the southeastern corner of the San Gabriel Valley and of Los Angeles County, Diamond Bar is approximately 29 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Its closest San Gabriel Valley neighbors are Walnut, and Rowland Heights. The city is also adjacent to the Inland Empire region (Chino, Chino Hills, Pomona) on the east, and Orange County (Brea, La Habra) to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 38.2 km² (14.8 mi²), with no significant bodies of water.

[edit] Demographics

Diamond Bar Population by year [2]
2000 56,287 1990 53,672 1980 28,045 1970 10,576

Similar to many San Gabriel Valley cities such as San Marino and Arcadia, Diamond Bar has experienced a remarkable growth in Asian American population - especially Taiwanese, Korean Americans, and Indian Americans - since the 1980s. Attracted to the area's schools and the prestige of a Diamond Bar address, many affluent Asian Americans commuting to areas such as Rowland Heights and Alhambra have moved here. In addition, some Asian-oriented businesses have since appeared in the city as well, albeit not on the massive scale like in Rowland Heights, Monterey Park, or Artesia. The Hsi Lai Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the western hemisphere, is in nearby Hacienda Heights.

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 56,287 people, 17,651 households, and 14,809 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,472.4/km² (3,813.2/mi²). There were 17,959 housing units at an average density of 469.8/km² (1,216.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 41.05% White, 4.76% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 42.76% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 6.78% from other races, and 4.21% from two or more races. 18.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,651 households out of which 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.1% were non-families. 12.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 3.47.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $82,932, and the median income for a family was $99,987. Males had a median income of $51,059 versus $37,002 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,472. About 5.0% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.