Rowland Heights, California

Rowland Heights is an unincorporated community of 13.1 square miles (34 km²), located in and below the Puente Hills in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. The population of the census-designated place (CDP) was 48,993 at the 2010 census, up from 48,553 at the 2000 census. Because Rowland Heights is an unincorporated community instead of an incorporated city, it is dependent upon County of Los Angeles representation (County Board of Supervisors).^[2]

History

The Mexican land grant Rancho La Puente was granted to John Rowland and William Workman in 1842. In 1868, John Rowland and William Workman divided Rancho La Puente, leaving Rowland the eastern half and Workman the western half.^[3] Rowland Heights was originally part of the Workman Temple homestead in California's rancho days. The original John A. Rowland homestead was behind the 99 Ranch Market near the corner of Gale Avenue and Nogales Street.^[2]

Rowland Heights has grown significantly during the 1990s. ^[2] Originally built on a pig farm that covered much of modern day Rowland Heights, the Rowland Homestead was mostly orange groves until the eastward sprawl from Los Angeles spawned working-class communities and affordable housing developments then formed. As the 60 freeway was extended beyond the western boundary, the community continued growth equal to that of most communities in Southern California. Development next to the freeway, zoned for industrial investment, eventually helped to support the housing developments that continued well into the 21st century.

Since the 1980s, many upper-middle-class immigrants from Taiwan and South Korea have settled in the hillside homes of Rowland Heights (and in neighboring regions such as Hacienda Heights,^[4] Walnut, and Diamond Bar). Also, Rowland Heights has also attracted immigrants from mainland China because the area is advertised in China as having good homes and convenient shopping. Additionally, working-class Latinos have settled in the lower, flat sections. The city has developed an eclectic suburban "Chinatown" and "Koreatown", mostly in the form of upscale strip malls mostly on Colima Road, with another concentration around Nogales Street. There are several large Asian supermarkets - such as a 99 Ranch Market (billed as the chain's largest location during the late 1980s), Hong Kong Supermarket, and Monterey Park-based Shun Fat Supermarket (a relatively recent development that replaced Vons market) - in the area. Also there are Korean supermarkets such as DoReMi Market (it used to be known as HanGook Market but changed its name recently) and Greenland Market.

Once predominantly Anglo and Hispanic, this area has gradually become one of the Chinese centers in the greater Los Angeles. Originally formed by the stream of business expansions from Monterey Park (now a heavily mainland Chinese enclave), which is the undisputed "Chinatown" of Los Angeles, Rowland Heights has become an area comparable to a "Chinatown" by itself largely populated by Taiwanese. Locals refer to Rowland Heights as "Little Taipei", due to its high concentration of Taiwanese restaurants and businesses. It has become the center for Chinese commercial and cultural activity in the southeastern region of the San Gabriel Valley. While Rowland Heights and adjacent areas are still predominantly Waishengren (mainland Chinese refugees who fled to Taiwan in 1949), in recent years many mainland Chinese] emigres have also been increasingly purchasing homes and starting small businesses in the area. As an example, some eateries of Taiwanese cuisine are now actually operated by mainland Chinese. Additionally, there are several popular eateries in the area, including Supreme Dragon (serving mainland Chinese noodle and dumplings), a Taiwanese-style food court inside a strip mall, and Happy Harbor Seafood Restaurant (inside of the 99 Ranch Market center) as well as several trendy restaurants geared towards the young and affluent Asian population such as a large Thai restaurant called Coconut Bay Bar & Grill across from 99 Ranch Supermarket. More recently, a popular branch of the Taco Bell fast-food franchise very close to a local high school was replaced by a Vietnamese beef noodle soup (or Pho) restaurant, located at the corner of Colima Road and Otterbein Avenue.

Possibly owing to Rowland Heights as evolving into the cultural center for the Chinese diaspora, ^[5] mostly 49er Taiwanese (multi-generational natives of the island formerly known as Formosa),^[6] with a growing number of mainland Chinese - and as the connection to and from northern Orange County (mostly to the city of La Habra), Fullerton Road in Rowland Heights is among the heavily traversed roads in the region. ^[5]

As with most housing patterns in the Southland, pricier homes are usually found on the nearby hills, while more affordable housing is located close to the freeways. In this case, these are located near Highway 60 by the City of Industry.

Local politics

As part of an unincorporated community, Rowland Heights residents,circa 1980, formed a series of community based organizations, including the Rowland Heights Community Coordinating Council(or RHCCC) ^[3] to give input to their government representatives (the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors) and their State and Federal legislators. Among the items of concern for the residents was the growth of the community away from a semi-rural setting to a more highly congested area. As a result, the Rowland Heights General Plan was formed to govern the growth of the community. Over the years these Rowland Heights community based organizations slowly disbanded until approximately 2000, when the Rowland Heights residents reestablished the RHCCC to take on the issues of unmitigated and unplanned growth (increased building density), traffic, lack of community services, among other items. Through hard work, the residents were able to work with their County of Los Angeles representatives to put in place building density and design standards to control growth to some extent. To this day, the RHCCC continues to exist as a community-based organization of resident volunteers consisting of a Nine Person Board of Directors, a Development Committee, Community Improvement Committee, Membership Committee and other committees and task forces. The RHCCC is dedicated to provide a forum and a conduit for the flow of information for the residents of Rowland Heights regarding issues that affect the community and quality of life. It conducts a general meeting to present information to the public (including proposed development projects), a Board meeting to analyze community input and concerns and formulate a plan regarding how to address the same, a Development Committee to study proposed projects and their impact on the community, a Membership Committee to promote and increase awareness of community issues, and a Community Improvement Committee to address concerns with items such as graffiti abatement and community beautification.^[3]

Unlike its unincorporated neighbor to the west (Hacienda Heights), Rowland Heights has never held a cityhood election. However, recent talks about the County shortchanging the area in terms of basic services, the views of the RHCCC, the potential development of the hills above Rowland Heights along with annexation from the ever-encroaching Diamond Bar - concerned residents have banded together in a Political Action Committee the Rowland Heights Advocate for City Hood ID#1296887 to research the possibility of becoming a city.^[7]

Community library

The library interior has 14,000 square feet (1,300 m²) of space and ^[2]has approximately 134,215 book titles, 260 magazine and newspaper subscriptions, 7,004 audio recordings and 5,798 video cassettes. The Library also has resources of ethnic and non-English (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese) materials, local history materials, telephone directories, pamphlets and maps, microforms and CD-ROM educational materials.^[8]The community room will seat approximately 80 persons.^[2]

Law enforcement

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the Walnut/Diamond Bar Station in Walnut. It is spread out over 260 square miles (670 km²), encompassing the contract cities of Diamond Bar and Walnut, and the unincorporated area of Rowland Heights Heights.^[9] In addition the LASD operates the Rowland Heights Asian Community Center.^[10][11]

Geography

Rowland Heights is located at (33.980962, -117.889791).^[12]

Rowland Heights is located in Los Angeles County. It lies where Los Angeles County, Orange County and San Bernardino County meet.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 13.1 square miles (34 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

2010

The 2010 United States Census^[13] reported that Rowland Heights had a population of 48,993. The population density was 3,745.2 people per square mile (1,446.0/km²). The racial makeup of Rowland Heights was 11,506 (23.5%) White, 772 (1.6%) African American, 175 (0.4%) Native American, 29,284 (59.8%) Asian, 61 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 5,658 (11.5%) from other races, and 1,537 (3.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13,229 persons (27.0%).

The Census reported that 48,831 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 148 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 14 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 14,520 households, out of which 5,557 (38.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 9,137 (62.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,080 (14.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,097 (7.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 424 (2.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 69 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,585 households (10.9%) were made up of individuals and 638 (4.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36. There were 12,314 families (84.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.54.

The population was spread out with 9,960 people (20.3%) under the age of 18, 4,854 people (9.9%) aged 18 to 24, 12,918 people (26.4%) aged 25 to 44, 14,819 people (30.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,442 people (13.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.

There were 15,152 housing units at an average density of 1,158.3 per square mile (447.2/km²), of which 9,811 (67.6%) were owner-occupied, and 4,709 (32.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%. 33,167 people (67.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 15,664 people (32.0%) lived in rental housing units.

County, state, and federal politics

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Pomona Health Center in Pomona, serving Rowland Heights.^[14]

In the state legislature Rowland Heights is located in the 24th and 29th Senate Districts, represented by Democrat Gloria J. Romero and Republican Bob Huff respectively, and in the 58th and 60th Assembly Districts, represented by Democrat Charles M. Calderon and Republican Curt Hagman respectively. Federally, Rowland Heights is located in California's 38th and 42nd congressional districts, which have Cook PVIs of D +20 and R +10^[15] and are represented by Democrat Grace Napolitano and Republican Gary Miller respectively.

Transportation

Foothill Transit and the Metro provide bus transit services throughout the San Gabriel Valley. The main Metro Bus Terminal is in El Monte. In addition, the Metrolink commuter train runs west towards Downtown Los Angeles and east to San Bernardino through the Valley.

Several cities such as Monterey Park and West Covina provide their own in-city transportation shuttles. The fare is usually 25 cents.

The San Gabriel Valley is served by several major freeways, including the San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10), Foothill Freeway (I-210), San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605), and the Long Beach Freeway (I-710). State highways include the Orange Freeway (State Route 57), the Pomona Freeway (State Route 60), Ventura Freeway (State Route 134), and the Pasadena Freeway (State Route 110).

The Long Beach Freeway (I-710) ends abruptly (or begins, depending on one's perspective) on the western border of Alhambra, near California State University, Los Angeles. For several years, the extension of the 710 Freeway to the 110 Freeway in Pasadena has generated a long, controversial, and contentious debate. Many residents in South Pasadena fear losing their homes and businesses to clear the way for construction. The MTA, an ardent proponent of the extension, has proposed the idea of constructing an underground tunnel connecting the two freeways.

In 2002, the Foothill Freeway was extended beginning from San Dimas and La Verne, just outside of the San Gabriel Valley area. It replaced the State Route 30 and it reaches into San Bernardino County.

State Route 39 (Azusa Avenue and San Gabriel Canyon Road) leads north into the San Gabriel Mountains to the Crystal Lake Recreation Area. The portion connecting to the Angeles Crest Highway (State Route 2) is inaccessible and has been closed off since the early 1970s due to rockslides.

China Airlines operates private bus services to Los Angeles International Airport from Hong Kong Super Market at 18414 Colima Road in Rowland Heights, 91748 to feed its flight to Taipei, Taiwan.^[16]

Education

Rowland Unified School District has 4 National Blue Ribbon Schools, 16 "California State Distinguished Schools" and more state Golden Bell awards than any other school district in the region. There are more than 16,000 students and 21 elementary and secondary schools in the district, serving the communities of Rowland Heights, Walnut, La Puente, City of Industry and West Covina. Students from other communities may attend Rowland Heights schools after obtaining a permit.^[17]

Public High Schools in Rowland Heights

• Rowland High School Students: 2,522) Grades: 09 - 12
• Nogales High School; Grades: 09 - 12

Alternative Schools

• Santana High School
• Rowland Unified Community Day School Students: 57; Grades: 07 - 12

Public primary/middle schools

• Blandford Elementary, Students: 640; Grades: K-6
• Hollingworth Elementary,
• Hurley Elementary,
• Fajardo Elementary; Grades K-6 CLOSED^[18]
• Jellick Elementary, Students; 573: Grades: K-6
• Killian Elementary Students: 662; Grades: K - 06
• La Seda Elementary School; Grades K-6 CLOSED^[18]
• Northam Elementary; Grades K-6
• Rorimer Elementary School, Students: 603;
• Rowland Elementary, Students; 585 Grades: K- 6

• Rowland Assistive Technology Academy, Special Education, Grades K-12
• Shelyn Elementary, Students: 669; Grades: K-6
• Stanley G. Oswalt Elementary School, 846 students, Grades: K-7
• Ybarra Academy for the Arts and Technology, Students 588; K-8
• Yorbita Elementary, Students:665; K-6
• Alvarado Intermediate, Students: 1,134; Grades: 7-8
• Giano Intermediate, Grades: 7-8
• Telesis Academy of Science and Technology, Grades: K-8

Mount San Antonio College is in nearby Walnut, to serve area High Schools.

Political Representation - Government

U.S. Senate: California
Barbara Boxer (Democrat)
URL: Senator Boxer's Homepage

U.S. Senate: California
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat)
URL: Senator Feinstein's Homepage

U.S. Congress: 38th District
Grace Napolitano (Democrat)
URL: Congresswoman Napolitano's Homepage

U.S. Congress: 42nd District
Gary G. Miller (Republican)
URL: Congressman Miller's Homepage

California State Senate: 24th District
Gloria J. Romero (Democrat)
URL: Senator Romero's Homepage

California State Senate: 29th District
Bob Huff (Republican)
URL: Senator Huff's Homepage

California State Assembly: 58th District
Charles M. Calderon (Democrat)
URL: Assemblyman Calderon's Homepage

California State Assembly: 60th District
Curt Hagman (Republican)
URL: Assemblyman Hagman's Homepage

Los Angeles County: 4th Supervisorial District
Don Knabe (Republican)
URL: Supervisor Knabe's Homepage

References

External links

• Rowland Heights page from city-data.com
• Regional Chamber of Commerce - San Gabriel Valley