Glendale, California

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City of Glendale
Official seal of City of Glendale
Seal
Nickname: The Jewel City
Location of Glendale within Los Angeles County and the State of California.
Location of Glendale within Los Angeles County and the State of California.
Coordinates: 34°10′15″N 118°15′0″W / 34.17083, -118.25
Country United States
State California
County Los Angeles
Government
 - City Council Mayor John Drayman
Ara Najarian
Frank Quintero
Bob Yousefian
Dave Weaver
Area
 - Total 30.7 sq mi (79.4 km²)
 - Land 30.66 sq mi (79.3 km²)
 - Water 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation 522 ft (159 m)
Population (2005)
 - Total 207,007
 - Density 6,361.3/sq mi (2,456.1/km²)
  estimated
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 - Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 91201-91210, 91221, 91222, 91225, 91226
Area code(s) 818
FIPS code 06-30000
GNIS feature ID 1660679
Website: http://www.ci.glendale.ca.us

Glendale (pronounced /ˈglɛndeɪl/) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, is bisected by the Verdugo Mountains, and is a suburb in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The city is bordered to the southwest by the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles; to the west by Burbank; to the northwest by the Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles; to the northeast by the city of La Cañada Flintridge and the unincorporated La Crescenta area; to the east by Pasadena; and to the southeast by the Eagle Rock and Glassell Park neighborhoods of Los Angeles. The Golden State, Ventura, Glendale, and Foothill freeways run through the city. The city is policed by the Glendale Police Department.

As of the 2000 census, the city population was 194,973. Since then, there have been estimates of 201,326 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2004 and 207,007 by the California State government in 2005, making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the seventeenth largest city in the state of California.

Glendale is famous for having helped father the emerging age of aviation, with its now defunct Grand Central Airport.

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, located in Glendale, contains the remains of many celebrities and local residents. It is famous as the pioneer of a new style of cemetery.

Contents

[edit] History

The Glendale area in the 1870s.
The Glendale area in the 1870s.

The area was long inhabited by the Tongva people.

José María Verdugo, a corporal in the Spanish army from Baja California, received a grant of the Rancho San Rafael in 1798, an area he had been farming since 1784. In 1860 His grandson Teodoro Verdugo built the Verdugo Adobe, which is the oldest building in Glendale. The property is the location of the Oak of Peace where early Californio leaders including Jesus Pico met in 1847 and decided to surrender to Lieutenant Colonel John C. Frémont.

Verdugo's descendants sold the ranch in various parcels, some of which are included in present-day Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, and Highland Park neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

Glendale, 1910.
Glendale, 1910.

In 1884, residents gathered to form a town and chose the name "Glendale". Residents to the southwest formed "Tropico" in 1887. The Pacific Electric Railroad brought streetcar service in 1904.

Glendale incorporated in 1906, and annexed Tropico 12 years later. An important civic booster of the era was Leslie Coombs Brand (1859-1925), who built an estate in 1904 called El Miradero featuring an eye-catching mansion whose architecture combined characteristics of Spanish, Moorish, and Indian styles, copied from the East Indian Pavilion at the 1893 Columbian World Exposition (World's Fair) held in Chicago, which he visited. Brand loved to fly, and built a private airstrip in 1919 and hosted "fly-in" parties, providing a direct link to the soon-to-be-built nearby Grand Central Airport. The grounds of El Miradero are now city-owned Brand Park and the mansion is the Brand Library, according to the terms of his will. [1]. Brand partnered with Henry E. Huntington to bring the Pacific Electric Railway, or the "Red Cars," to the area. Today, he is memorialized by one of the city's main thoroughfares, Brand Boulevard.

Looking south on Brand Blvd, 1915.
Looking south on Brand Blvd, 1915.

The city's population rose from 13,756 in 1920 to 62,736 in 1930. The Forest Lawn Memorial Park opened in 1917. Pioneering endocrinologist and entrepreneur Dr. Henry R. Harrower opened his clinic in Glendale in 1920, which for many years was the largest business in the city. The American Green Cross, an early conservation and tree preservation society, was formed in 1926 (it disbanded three years later and the current organization of that name is unrelated). In 1964, Glendale was selected by George Lincoln Rockwell to be the West Coast headquarters of the American Nazi Party. Its offices, on Colorado Street in the downtown section of the city, remained open until the early 1980s.

[edit] Industry and development

  • Grand Central Airport was a municipal airport developed from 1923 which became the largest employer in Glendale for many years, and contributed to the development of aviation in the United States in many important ways. It was closed down in 1959, and made way for the Grand Central Business Park.
  • The Glendale Public Library on Harvard Street houses its "Special Collections" department which contains original documents and records on much of the history of Glendale. It also contains one of the largest collections of books on cats in the world, over 20,000 volumes.[2] It was donated to the library in the 1950s by the Jewel City Cat Fanciers Club, with the understanding that it would be made into a special collection and kept permanently for club members to use and enjoy.[3]
The Americana at Brand
The Americana at Brand

The city saw significant development in the 1970s.

  • Redevelopment of Brand Boulevard, renovation of the 1925 Alex Theatre, and construction of the Glendale Galleria shopping mall which opened in 1976.
  • In 1994, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen formed DreamWorks SKG, a diversified entertainment company. The company's animation section is located in the city's Grand Central Business Park on land formerly occupied by a helicopter landing base on the old air field. The Walt Disney Company also has a large campus located in the Grand Central Business Park that includes the headquarters for its Imagineering division, and also owns what's left of Grand Central Terminal. Part of KABC-TV has located there.
  • In 2005 construction began near to the Galleria of developer Rick Caruso's "Americana at Brand", a 15.5 acre outdoor shopping and residential community. Caruso had previously designed and built The Grove at Farmers Market. The new Glendale development was opened to the public on May 2, 2008, and features 75 shops and restaurants, 238 apartments, 100 condominiums, and a Pacific Theatres 18-plex Cinema which seats 3000 people [4].

[edit] Geography

Glendale is located at 34°10′15″N, 118°15′0″W (34.170939, -118.250081)[5] at the juncture of two large valleys, the San Fernando and the San Gabriel. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 79.4 km² (30.7 mi²). 79.4 km² (30.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.07%) is water. It is bordered to the north by the foothill communities of La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta, and Tujunga; to the south by the Atwater Village community incorporated by the city of Los Angeles; to the east by Pasadena and Eagle Rock (also incorporated within Los Angeles); and to the west by the city of Burbank.

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Statistics

Foreign-born residents accounted for 54% of the population in 2000. Glendale has a distinctively ethnic flavor, with large Armenian, Iranian, Filipino and Arab populations, and many businesses catering to them.

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 194,973 people, 71,805 households, and 49,617 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,456.1/km² (6,362.2/mi²). There were 73,713 housing units at an average density of 928.6/km² (2,405.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.6% White (note that many of these are foreign-born), 1.6% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 16.1% Asian American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.6% from other races, and 10.1% from two or more races. 19.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

801 North Brand. One of Glendale's many modern skyscrapers. Companies like Nestle, Great West Life, Citi, Unum Provident, and Cigna have offices downtown.
801 North Brand. One of Glendale's many modern skyscrapers. Companies like Nestle, Great West Life, Citi, Unum Provident, and Cigna have offices downtown.

There were 71,805 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,805, and the median income for a family was $47,633. Males had a median income of $39,709 versus $33,815 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,227. About 13.6% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Glendale's Armenian Population

Glendale is the city with the largest Armenian population in the United States[1]. Census figures indicate that people of Armenian heritage make up 40% of the city's population, totaling some 85,000 Armenian-Americans, and 29.61% of the city's population, some 54,180 people, speak the Armenian language at home[2]. As of 2007, two of the five members of Glendale's city council are of Armenian descent, Ara J. Najarian and Bob Yousefian. Armenian families have lived in the city since the 1920s, but the surge in immigration escalated in the 1970s and has fundamentally altered Glendale, transforming a former bastion of Anglo-Saxon, Protestant political power into a cultural melting pot[citation needed]. Evidence of Armenian influence pervades Glendale, and includes many restaurants, several Armenian schools, ethnic/cultural organizations, and on Armenian-language business and storefront signs. The Armenian community itself has evolved into a diverse group, with some in wealthy neighborhoods in the hills and poorer immigrants struggling in south Glendale.

The transition has not always been smooth, as evidenced by various controversies, including:

  • Dispute in late 2006 over whether laws banning outdoor-grilling should be enforced on restaurants serving Armenian ethnic food.[7]
  • Every year as many Armenian residents recognize Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day by abstaining from work or school, displaying flags on their homes and cars, and distributing leaflets and fliers, and as city officials lower the American flag to half-mast, some longtime residents feel disenfranchised regarding the attention the event receives.[8]
  • Tension grows between Armenian and Latino students in Glendale's local high schools after numerous fights and rivalries including Herbert Hoover and Glendale High School.[9]

[edit] Education

Glendale Public Library.
Glendale Public Library.

The Glendale Unified School District operates the public schools in Glendale. The GUSD high schools include Glendale High School and Herbert Hoover High School and Clark Magnet High School, as well as Crescenta Valley High School located in the adjacent unincorporated community of La Crescenta. A number of private schools also operate in Glendale, including Chamlian Armenian School, Holy Family High School and Glendale Adventist Academy.

Glendale is also home to Glendale Community College.

[edit] Politics

The city of Glendale, along with neighboring Burbank and Pasadena, falls under California's 29th district in the United States House of Representatives. Congressman Adam Schiff has represented the district since 2000, and his vocal stances on issues regarding US-Armenia relations reflect the large Armenian presence in the district. Though the 29th district contains six other cities, Glendale, the district's largest city, is much less Democratic than its five sister cities as it is the only city in the district to have more registered Republicans (50.4) than Democrats(48.9). Bill Clinton, who pulled a campaign stop in the picturesque Glendale Galleria, lost the city in the 1992 election.

In the state legislature Glendale is located in the 21st Senate District, represented by Democrat Jack Scott, and in the 38th and 43rd Assembly Districts, represented by Republican Cameron Smyth and Democrat Paul Krekorian respectively. Federally, Glendale is located in California's 29th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +12[10] and is represented by Democrat Adam Schiff.

[edit] Community organizations

Brand Library and Art Center.
Brand Library and Art Center.

The City of Glendale includes a variety of nonprofit organizations that enhance the quality of life in Glendale. Strong links between local residents, business owners, and government have created a network of organizations that provide support in the areas of education, employment, homeless services, after-school activities, and social services. Local organizations include:

[edit] Scientology

Glendale was the location of L. Ron Hubbard's original Church of Scientology in 1954[3], and is still home to many Scientology branches and organizations, such as the Mission of Brand Blvd., The Montrose Church of Scientology, The Way to Happiness Foundation International, Sterling Management Systems, and WISE Member Charter Committies. In addition, Glendale is home to several World Institute of Scientology Enterprises[4].

[edit] Sister cities

Glendale from the southwest, with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background.
Glendale from the southwest, with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background.

Currently, Glendale has the following sister cities.[11]

[edit] Notable natives

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The Brand legacy, Mansion and Library
  2. ^ "The 20,000 books ... on cats is the largest such collection in the world." Pitt, Leonard; Dale Pitt (1997). "Glendale". Los Angeles A to Z (1). Los Angeles: University of California Press. 
  3. ^ Personal communication by Wikipedia editor "JesseW" with Glendale head reference librarian, 20 June 2005 (UTC).
  4. ^ L.A. Times issue 25 April, 2005
  5. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  6. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  7. ^ http://www.latimes.com/wireless/avantgo/la-me-kebab4nov04,0,7403426.story
  8. ^ Glendale - Armeniapedia.org
  9. ^ http://www.latimes.com/wireless/avantgo/la-me-kebab4nov04,0,7403426.story
  10. ^ Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?. Campaign Legal Center Blog. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  11. ^ Sister Cities International

[edit] External links

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