At the time Spanish conquistadors first arrived in California, theTongva people inhabited what is now Pomona and the LA Basin.[10][11][12]
The city is named afterPomona, the ancient Roman goddess of fruit.[13] Forhorticulturist Solomon Gates, "Pomona" was the winning entry in a contest to name the city in 1875, before anyone had ever planted a fruit tree there.[14] The city was first settled by Ricardo Véjar and Ygnacio Palomares in the 1830s when California and much of the now-American Southwest were part of Mexico.
Rubottom's Hotel and stagecoach station at Spadra, 1867Louis Phillips's 1875Second Empire-style mansion at the site of the town of Spadra
Phillips sold a parcel of his land to William "Uncle Billy" Rubottom, in 1866 who founded a new town there and named it Spadra after his hometown, now part ofClarksville, Arkansas. The site of Spadra is 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the Pomona Station along Pomona Blvd. just east of the57 (Orange) Freeway. Spadra became a stagecoach stop, Rubottom built the Spadra Hotel and Tavern to serve travelers, and by 1870, Spadra had 400–500 residents, three stores, a school, and a post office. In 1873, Phillips convinced theSouthern Pacific Railroad to build a line to Spadra. Phillips thought Spadra would become a great town, and built hisPhillips Mansion there in 1875, which together with theSpadra Cemetery are the only two remnants of the town that still exist today.Fullerton's Main north–south road was named Spadra Road for its first 75 years, as long before the 57 Freeway it was the road throughBrea Canyon to Spadra, and was later renamedHarbor Boulevard. The Southern Pacific Railroad had a terminus at Spadra, but the line was extended east toColton, and Spadra lost momentum. In 1964, the area was annexed by Pomona.[15][16]
By the 1880s, the arrival ofCoachella Valley water, together with railroad access, made it the western anchor of thecitrus-growing region. Pomona was officially incorporated on January 6, 1888.[2]
In the 1920s Pomona was known as the "Queen of the Citrus Belt", with one of the highest per-capita levels of income in the United States. In the 1940s it was used as a movie-previewing location for major motion picture studios to see how their films would play to modally middle-class audiences around the country (for which Pomona was at that time viewed as an idealized example).[17]
Religious institutions are deeply embedded in the history of Pomona. There are now more than 120 churches, representing most religions in today's society. The historical architectural styles of these churches provide glimpses of European church design and architecture from other eras.[14]
Pomona is approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of downtown Los Angeles, 27 miles (43 km) north ofSanta Ana, 26 miles (42 km) west ofRiverside, and 33 miles (53 km) west ofSan Bernardino.
Pomona has aMediterranean climate (Köppen climate classificationCsa) with hot, dry summers and mild, damp winters, and a large amount of sunshine year-round. Summers are characterized by sunny days and very little rainfall during June through September. Fall brings cooler temperatures and occasional showers, as well as seasonalSanta Ana winds originating from the northeast.
Climate data for Pomona, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1949–2017
Pomona, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The census reported that 97.3% of the population lived in households, 1.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.0% were institutionalized.[45]
There were 42,050 households, out of which 42.0% included children under the age of 18, 47.3% were married-couple households, 8.1% werecohabiting couple households, 26.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 17.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 15.8% of households were one person, and 6.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.51.[45] There were 32,778families (78.0% of all households).[46]
The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 12.0% aged 18 to 24, 28.6% aged 25 to 44, 24.2% aged 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 34.1years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males.[45]
There were 43,352 housing units at an average density of 1,886.1 units per square mile (728.2 units/km2), of which 42,050 (97.0%) were occupied. Of these, 53.0% were owner-occupied, and 47.0% were occupied by renters.[45]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $78,869, and theper capita income was $28,131. About 11.5% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line.[47]
The2010 United States census[48] reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population.[49] The population density was 6,491.2 inhabitants per square mile (2,506.3/km2). The racial makeup of Pomona was 71,564 (48.0%)White (12.5% Non-Hispanic White),[8] 10,924 (7.3%)African American, 1,763 (1.2%)Native American, 12,688 (8.5%)Asian of which is 2,217(1.48%) Chinese, 2,938(1.97%) Filipino, 443 (0.3%) Japanese, 633(0.42%) Korean, 1,643 (1.1%) Vietnamese ,[50] 282 (0.2%)Pacific Islander, 45,171 (30.3%) fromother races, and 6,666 (4.5%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 105,135 persons (70.5%).
The Census reported that 144,920 people (97.2% of the population) lived in households, 2,782 (1.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,356 (0.9%) were institutionalized.
There were 38,477 households, out of which 19,690 (51.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 19,986 (51.9%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 6,960 (18.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3,313 (8.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,823 (7.3%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 299 (0.8%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,810 households (15.1%) were made up of individuals, and 2,010 (5.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.77. There were 30,259families (78.6% of all households); the average family size was 4.15.
The population was spread out, with 43,853 people (29.4%) under the age of 18, 20,155 people (13.5%) aged 18 to 24, 42,311 people (28.4%) aged 25 to 44, 31,369 people (21.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 11,370 people (7.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.5 years. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.
There were 39,620 housing units[51] at an average density of 1,771.8 per square mile (684.1/km2), of which 21,197 (55.1%) were owner-occupied, and 17,280 (44.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 80,968 people (54.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 63,952 people (42.9%) lived in rental housing units.
During 2009–2013, Pomona had a median household income of $49,474, with 21.6% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[8]
According toMapping L.A.,Mexican andGerman were the most common ancestries in 2000. Mexico andEl Salvador were the most common foreign places of birth in Pomona.[52]
The most common ancestries in Pomona are German, English, Italian, Irish, and French.[53]
Since the 1980s, Pomona's newest neighborhoodPhillips Ranch, experienced rapid growth with homes still being built in the hilly area between Downtown andDiamond Bar. Today, Phillips Ranch is nearly all residential.[55]
The city is the site of the Fairplex, which hosts theL.A. County Fair and the Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show. Theswap meet (for car parts and accessories) is part of the car show, which is a single-day event held seven times throughout the year.[57]
Pomona was incorporated on January 6, 1888, and adopted a charter in 1911, making it a charter city.[3]
The city is governed by a seven-member city council. Regular municipal elections are held on a Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. Councilmembers serve four-year terms, and the mayor is the presiding councilmember, elected at-large. The other six members are elected by districts. Every eight months, the council appoints a new vice mayor from among its members.[65] The mayor is Tim Sandoval.[65]
According to the city's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's various funds had $220.3 million in revenues, $225.5 million in expenditures, $818.3 million in total assets, $520 million in total liabilities, and $80.6 million in cash and investments.[56]
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) is located southwest of the junction of the 10 and 57 freeways. The university was established on the site ofbreakfast cereal magnateW.K. Kellogg's ranch located on the city's western corner. The university has over 24,000 students and covers an area of over 1,437 acres (5.82 km2). The university is known for itsagricultural, hospitality,engineering and architectural[73] programs. Some campus areas are also located inWalnut, and the unincorporated community ofRamona.
The major daily newspaper in the area isInland Valley Daily Bulletin.La Opinión is the city's major Spanish-language paper. There are also a wide variety of smaller regional newspapers, alternative weeklies and magazines, including:
In an episode ofI Love Lucy, the main characters of the show "go out to the country" on a day trip to Pomona.[115]
The Fox Theater in Pomona was frequently used by Hollywood during theGolden Age fortest screenings. InSunset Blvd., a character comments: "They'll love it in Pomona".
^Valenzuela, Beatriz E. (July 22, 2017)."Did you know these Comic-Con faves are from the Inland Empire?".Press-Enterprise. pe.com. Archived fromthe original on September 20, 2020. RetrievedOctober 10, 2019.Chances are Ryan O'Donohue's voice played a major part in many a nerd's childhood. The veteran voice actor born in Pomona has been in such film and television favorites as 'The Iron Giant,' 'Pepper Ann,' 'Recess,' 'A Bug's Life' and 'Batman Beyond' to name a few.
^Ballard, Chris (April 23, 2001)."Bob Seagren, Pole Vaulter".Sports Illustrated. SI Vault. Archived fromthe original on June 14, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2015.
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