West Covina, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| West Covina, California | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | California | ||
| County | Los Angeles | ||
| Incorporated | February 17, 1923 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Council-Manager | ||
| - Mayor | Sherri Lane | ||
| - Mayor Pro Temp | Roger Hernandez | ||
| - City Manager | Andrew Pasmant | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 16.1 sq mi (41.7 km²) | ||
| - Land | 16.1 sq mi (41.7 km²) | ||
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) 0.00% | ||
| Elevation | 362 ft (110 m) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 110,525 | ||
| - Density | 6,524.6/sq mi (2,518.4/km²) | ||
| www.westcovina.org | |||
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) | ||
| ZIP codes | 91790-91793 | ||
| Area code(s) | 626 | ||
| FIPS code | 06-84200 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1652809 | ||
| Website: www.westcovina.org | |||
West Covina is a city located in eastern Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 105,080. As of 2002, it is the 50th largest city in California.
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[edit] History
West Covina was incorporated as an independent city in 1923 to prevent the city of Covina from building a sewage farm in the area.
[edit] West Covina Today
The City of West Covina is mostly a middle class city, with many upper middle class and upper class neighborhoods. West Covina boasts one of the San Gabriel Valley's top concentrations of households with annual income in excess of $78,000. The South Hills area of West Covina is home to some of the most expensive homes in the San Gabriel Valley; many multi-million dollar home are in the South Hills area. The South Hills Country Club is a private country club located in the eastern part of the city, on Cortez Ave., across from South Hills High School.
West Covina is a diverse city with a booming economy. The city has attracted many large business like Mercedes-Benz, Regal Entertainment, and Big League Dreams Sportsplex. The city has two major shopping areas. One is on the west side and one on the east side of town: Westfield West Covina and Westfield Eastland, both owned by Westfield. Westfield West Covina is a large regional mall located near the Civic center. Close by are The Lakes Entertainment Center, which is home to Edwards 18 Cinemas; restaurants; and 1 bar & night club.
West Covina is also building a new 2-and-half-star hotel, The Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites will be built in between the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn & Best Western Hotels next to Restaurant Row. A new project underway is The West Covina Sportsplex Project. It is made up of four components, which include the commercial development (nearing completion), Big League Dreams Sports Park (completed), an 18-hole championship Public Golf Course, and a commercial office development.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 105,080 people, 31,411 households, and 25,254 families residing in the city. The current approximate population as of 2004 is 111,404. The population density was 2,518.4/km² (6,524.6/mi²). There were 32,058 housing units at an average density of 768.3/km² (1,990.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 43.86% White, 6.37% African American, 0.78% Native American, 22.70% Asian (mainly Filipino), 0.22% Pacific Islander, 21.22% from other races, and 4.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 45.73% of the population.
There were 31,411 households out of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.32 and the average family size was 3.67.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $53,002, and the median income for a family was $57,614. Males had a median income of $38,160 versus $31,138 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,342. About 6.8% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
Over the past two decades, West Covina has experienced significant demographic change. The Hispanic proportion of its population has increased from 21% in 1980 to 45.7% in 2000, while the white non-Hispanic proportion has decreased from 64.8% to 23% in that period. The proportion of the population that is Asian or Pacific Islander increased from 3.8% to 22.6% from 1980 to 2000. At the same time, the population of the city as a whole has grown:
[edit] Politics
In the state legislature West Covina is located in the 24th Senate District, represented by Democrat Gloria Romero, and in the 57th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Edward P. Hernandez. Federally, West Covina is located in California's 32nd congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +17[2] and is represented by Democrat Hilda Solis.
[edit] Education
[edit] Primary and secondary schools
[edit] Public schools
West Covina is mostly served by the West Covina Unified School District, which has 13 public and seven private elementary schools; three middle schools; one high school, West Covina High School; one continuation high school; and one adult school (Coronado Alt. High School). Coronado High School has moved to a new location next to South Hills Academy. Approximately 35,000 students were enrolled in West Covina public schools during the 2001-2002 school year. Some portions of West Covina are also served by the Covina Valley Unified School District (including students who attend South Hills High School, Traweek Middle School, and Mesa Elementary School). Some students from West Covina--those who attend Nogales High School, Rincon Intermediate, Giano Intermediate, and Hollingworth Elementary Schools--are served by the the Rowland Unified School District.
[edit] Colleges and universities
While there are no universities within the city, there are several colleges and universities within a few miles of the city including Azusa Pacific University, Citrus College, Mt. San Antonio College, Whittier College University of the West and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
[edit] Business
As part of the pro-active redevelopment efforts of the city's business districts, it has successfully attracted many popular restaurant chains (Hooters, Elephant Bar, TGI Friday's, Chili's), big-box retailers, and auto dealers (Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Hummer, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar). The city also contains two fairly large shopping malls, Westfield West Covina and Westfield Eastland, both of which are owned by Westfield Shoppingtown. A Hong Kong Supermarket replaced a Ralphs supermarket and strip mall and was completely remodeled to include many Asian cuisine restaurants — mostly Chinese with some Filipino, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese — and shops. Similar developments have occurred in other parts of the city, albeit with more Filipino businesses centered in the intersection of Amar and Azusa Ave. The BKK Landfill on Azusa Avenue was closed in the early 1990s. The former BKK Landfill is now home to the Big League Dreams Sportsplex and the Heights at West Covina Shopping Center. The shopping center includes a Home Depot store and a Target store.
West Covina's Restaurant Row is locate east of Citrus Avenue and north of the San Bernardino Freeway contains a mixture of restaurants including Hooter's. The city's Farmers Market is held every week in the parking lot of West Covina Parkway strip mall (where chain stores Good Guys and Pier 1 Imports used to anchor before now a Fresh&easy), across from Westfield Shoppingtown and Firestone Tire.
The City operates the Go West shuttle system GO WEST that provides transportation to many West Covina destinations. The City also provides a free shuttle to the Baldwin Park Metrolink station.
[edit] Trivia
- According to local historian Donald Pflueger, around the time of World War II, West Covina received much of its revenue from a speed trap on the main highway that went through town.
- Martin Lawrence's character in the movie Blue Streak is said to have worked in West Covina.
- West Covina is the birthplace of Hall of Fame Quarterback Troy Aikman.
- Stan Ridgway of the band Wall of Voodoo is from West Covina.
- Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees went to South Hills High School.
- Nia Peeples was raised in West Covina and is a graduate and was homecoming Queen for West Covina High School.
- Nickelodeon's Good Burger was filmed in West Covina.
- Minnesota Twins 3rd baseman Mike Lamb is also from West Covina.
[edit] References
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?. Campaign Legal Center Blog. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
[edit] External links
- West Covina, California is at coordinates Coordinates:
