Duarte, California | |
|---|---|
 Helford Clinical Research Hospital at theCity of Hope National Medical Center | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: "City of Health" | |
 Location of Duarte in Los Angeles County, California. | |
  Duarte, California Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°8′25″N117°57′42″W / 34.14028°N 117.96167°W /34.14028; -117.96167 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Los Angeles |
| Incorporated | August 22, 1957[1] |
| Named after | Andrés Duarte |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Tera Martin Del Campo[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.71 sq mi (17.38 km2) |
| • Land | 6.71 sq mi (17.38 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 512 ft (156 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 21,727 |
| • Density | 3,238.5/sq mi (1,250.39/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 91008-91010 |
| Area code | 626 |
| FIPS code | 06-19990 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1652699 |
| Website | www |
Duarte (/ˈdwɑːrti,duˈɑːrteɪ/) is a city inLos Angeles County, California, United States. As of the2020 census, the city population was 21,727. Duarte is located on historicU.S. Route 66, which today follows Huntington Drive through the middle of the city. It is bounded to the north by theSan Gabriel Mountains, to the north and west by the cities ofBradbury andMonrovia, to the south by the city ofIrwindale, and to the east by the cities of Irwindale andAzusa. The town is named after Andrés Avelino Duarte, aCalifornioranchero (rancher) who founded the community on hisland grant,Rancho Azusa de Duarte.
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Around 500 B.C., a band ofShoshonean-speaking Indians established settlements in what is now theSan Gabriel Valley. TheseNative Americans were dubbed the Gabrieliño Indians (after San Gabriel, the local mission) by early Spanish colonial explorers, but now generally prefer to be called theTongva. Since the San Gabriel Valley area was home to large numbers of oak trees such ascoast live oak andinterior live oak, a staple of the Tongva diet was anacorn meal made by boiling acorn flour.
Duarte's history with Europeans dates back to 1769, when all land in California was claimed by theking of Spain. The first Europeans visited the San Gabriel Valley during a 1769 expedition fromSan Diego toMonterey Bay commanded byDon Gaspar de Portolà. Accompanying Portolà was aFranciscan priest fromJunípero Serra's order inMexico,Juan Crespí, who served as the diarist of the expedition. Much of what is known of early California is known only from the detailed descriptions recorded by Crespi.
On September 8, 1771, the Franciscans established theMission San Gabriel Arcangel in the San Gabriel Valley.[5] The mission was a resting point for early California travelers and gathered most of the native Tongva into an agricultural lifestyle. FollowingMexican independence in 1821, the mission lands were nationalized.
On May 10, 1841, the governor ofAlta California,Juan Bautista Alvarado, granted to former Mexican corporal Andrés Avelino Duarte and his wife nearly 7,000 acres (28 km2) of prime land in the central-northern San Gabriel Valley. Duarte named his new holdings "Rancho Azusa de Duarte". The nameAzusa was derived fromAsuksa-gna, meaning "skunk place,"[6] the name of the Tongva settlement on thefoothills of the San Gabriel Valley, on the western side of the alluvial fan where theSan Gabriel River exits the San Gabriel Mountains; a portion of this area forms the northeastern-most corner of Duarte. That land grant now comprises portions ofArcadia, portions ofMonrovia, all ofBradbury, all of Duarte, portions ofIrwindale, portions ofAzusa and a portion ofBaldwin Park. Corporal Duarte had the local Indians build a small hut for his family and help him plant a kitchen garden and orchards near "the Indian Springs of the Asuksas" (in what is now Fish Canyon[7][8][9][10][11]).
Following the AmericanConquest of California, the territory was ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848 at the end of theMexican–American War. In 1851, Congress passed a bill that established aBoard of Land Commissioners whose duty was to determine the validity of all grants of Alta California land by Spanish and Mexican authorities.
Corporal Duarte began incurring legal expenses and other debts, which he defrayed by selling portions of his Rancho. This first sale was a 225-acre (0.91 km2) parcel at the southern end of the Rancho to Michael Whistler and two unidentified colleagues. Whistler later bought out his colleagues and sold the entire parcel to Dr. Nehemiah Beardslee, who started the first school in Duarte (which now bears his surname) and laid out the first section of Duarte's water lines. Corporal Duarte divided much of the Rancho's remainder into 40-acre (16 ha) plots and sold them individually. Corporal Duarte finally won a favorable ruling from theSupreme Court for his land grant case in 1878, but by then he had sold the entire Rancho.
Many of Duarte's earliest pioneer families came to Duarte in the mid-19th century for their health, the pleasant climate, and the fertile soil. English settlers, Americans from theMidwest andDeep South,Latinos who remained from the Rancho days, and Japanese immigrants enabled Duarte to grow into a thriving agricultural community specializing in citrus production. The first recordedavocado tree grown in California was planted in Duarte by William Chappelow, Sr. grown from one of four seeds sent to him by the Division ofPomology of theUnited States Department of Agriculture in 1893.[12][13]
Two medical institutions were started in Duarte in the early part of the 20th century. In 1913, the Jewish Consumptive Relief Association started a tuberculosis sanitarium in the form of a smalltent city on 40 acres (16 ha) of land south of Duarte Road. This later evolved into theCity of Hope National Medical Center. In 1930, a group ofCarmelite nuns known as theCarmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles established what is now the Santa Teresita Rest Home, known until recently as Santa Teresita Medical Center. After decades as a full-service hospital, Santa Teresita was downgraded to "medical center" in the early 21st century, after financial problems, caused both by administrative missteps as well as the costs of providing medical coverage to the uninsured, forced the hospital to close its emergency room. Santa Teresita now operates as an "outpatient services only" facility.
In 1957, a group of community members, fearing annexation by neighboring cities, led a fight for incorporation. Indeed, parts of the original Rancho had already been annexed by neighboring Monrovia, Azusa, Irwindale, and Baldwin Park. At the same time, a rival group representing an affluent enclave in the foothills started a competing drive for incorporation and broke off to form the separate city of Bradbury. A 2001Los Angeles Times article stated that their petition for incorporation arrived inSacramento on August 22, 1957, "mere moments" before the petition that would have included what is now Bradbury in the city of Duarte. Still, many ties between the two communities remain in that they both form the Duarte Unified School District; they both share the same post office and the 91008 ZIP code; and they both share combined public services such as theLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department andLos Angeles County Fire Department, and garbage pickup (provided by Burrtec Waste Services).
The original city logo was created by Bill Botts Sr. in 1957. It consisted of a double-circular seal, with the inner circle containing an adobe arch featuring the Rancho Azusa de Duarte "d" brand (inside the arch is the original date of the Rancho's establishment, 1841) while the outer circle features the year of Duarte's incorporation (1957). The current city logo was created in early 1982 to mark Duarte's 25th anniversary of cityhood.
Like many of its neighbors, modern Duarte is abedroom community. The city of Duarte is geographically isolated from population centers to the east and south due to theSan Gabriel River and rock quarry operations inIrwindale andAzusa. To the north, the San Gabriel Mountains, including areas in theSan Gabriel Mountains National Monument remain closed to development or habitation. These factors have proven to be an ongoing economic challenge for local businesses as the city attracts little outside spending, and most residents spend their money elsewhere. Due to air quality and noise concerns, the city of Duarte has sought repeatedly to halt the expansion of neighboring quarry operations but has had no success against the monied interests behind the quarries and the neighboring city governments beholden to them. Still, over the past few decades, the city leadership has succeeded in bringing retail development to the western portion of Duarte.
In September 2010,Forbes magazine placed the ZIP code of 91008 at #1 on its annual list of America's most expensive ZIP codes, containing the parts of Duarte immediately north of neighboring Bradbury.[14][15]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17 km2), all land.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 13,962 | — | |
| 1970 | 14,981 | 7.3% | |
| 1980 | 16,766 | 11.9% | |
| 1990 | 20,688 | 23.4% | |
| 2000 | 21,486 | 3.9% | |
| 2010 | 21,321 | −0.8% | |
| 2020 | 21,727 | 1.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[16] 1860–1870[17][18] 1880-1890[19] 1900[20] 1910[21] 1920[22] 1930[23] 1940[24] 1950[25] 1960[26][27] 1970[28] 1980[29] 1990[30]2000[31] 2010[32] 2020[33] | |||
Duarte first appeared as a city in the1960 U.S. census.[25][26]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[34] | Pop 1990[35] | Pop 2000[36] | Pop 2010[37] | Pop 2020[33] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 9,430 | 9,380 | 6,895 | 5,729 | 4,892 | 56.39% | 45.34% | 32.09% | 26.87% | 22.52% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,495 | 1,766 | 1,894 | 1,486 | 1,126 | 8.94% | 8.54% | 8.82% | 6.97% | 5.18% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 63 | 76 | 94 | 63 | 59 | 0.38% | 0.37% | 0.44% | 0.30% | 0.27% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 669 | 2,268 | 2,669 | 3,287 | 4,507 | 4.00% | 10.96% | 12.42% | 15.42% | 20.74% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 18 | 24 | 15 | 0.08% | 0.11% | 0.07% | ||||
| Other race alone (NH) | 23 | 38 | 49 | 60 | 101 | 0.14% | 0.18% | 0.23% | 0.28% | 0.46% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x | x | 541 | 482 | 591 | x | x | 2.52% | 2.26% | 2.72% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5,044 | 7,160 | 9,326 | 10,190 | 10,436 | 30.16% | 34.61% | 43.41% | 47.79% | 48.03% |
| Total | 16,724 | 20,688 | 21,486 | 21,321 | 21,727 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The2020 United States census[38] reported that Duarte had a population of 21,727. The population density was 3,186.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,230.4/km2). The racial makeup of Duarte was 57.8%White (24.7% Non-Hispanic White),[39] 6.1%African American, 1.3%Native American, 17.2%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, and 6.4% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 49.9% of the population.
The Census reported that 63.1% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing.
There were 7,132 households, with an average household size of 2.98.
The population was 4.5% persons under 5 years old, 17.6% between the ages of 6 and 17, 58.5% ages 18 to 65, and 19.4% 65 years of age or older. The population of Duarte was 54.8% female.
According to the 2020 United States census, Duarte had a median household income of $75,083, with 10.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
The2010 United States census[40] reported that Duarte had a population of 21,321. The population density was 3,186.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,230.4/km2). The racial makeup of Duarte was 11,076 (51.9%)White (26.9% Non-Hispanic White),[41] 1,587 (7.4%)African American, 179 (0.8%)Native American, 3,361 (15.8%)Asian, 26 (0.1%)Pacific Islander, 4,108 (19.3%) fromother races, and 984 (4.6%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 10,190 persons (47.8%).
The Census reported that 20,914 people (98.1% of the population) lived in households, 19 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 388 (1.8%) were institutionalized.
There were 7,013 households, out of which 2,458 (35.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,597 (51.3%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 1,004 (14.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 363 (5.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 285 (4.1%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 66 (0.9%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,666 households (23.8%) were made up of individuals, and 888 (12.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98. There were 4,964families (70.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.54.
The population was spread out, with 4,737 people (22.2%) under the age of 18, 1,863 people (8.7%) aged 18 to 24, 5,567 people (26.1%) aged 25 to 44, 5,776 people (27.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,378 people (15.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
There were 7,254 housing units at an average density of 1,084.3 per square mile (418.7/km2), of which 4,703 (67.1%) were owner-occupied, and 2,310 (32.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%. 14,796 people (69.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 6,118 people (28.7%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States census, Duarte had a median household income of $62,250, with 13.4% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[41]
According toMapping L.A., in 2000, Mexican (31.6%) and Filipino (6.6%) were the most common ancestries. Mexico (44.1%) and the Philippines (15.7%) were the most common foreign places of birth.[42]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Duarte is inCalifornia's 31st congressional district, represented byDemocrat Gil Cisneros.[43]
Duarte has acouncil-manager government with a city council whose seven members are directly elected by residents. As of 2025[update], the current mayor is Bryan Urias.[2]
[44][45][46][47][48]| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 3,402 | 35.52% | 5,857 | 61.16% | 318 | 3.32% |
| 2020 | 3,238 | 31.00% | 7,005 | 67.07% | 202 | 1.93% |
| 2016 | 2,341 | 27.63% | 5,670 | 66.91% | 463 | 5.46% |
| 2012 | 2,575 | 32.19% | 5,205 | 65.06% | 220 | 2.75% |
| 2008 | 2,783 | 33.35% | 5,371 | 64.36% | 191 | 2.29% |
TheDuarte Unified School District serves students from Duarte,Bradbury, andunincorporated communities to the south of Duarte and Monrovia. The district contains fourelementary schools (Maxwell, Beardslee, Royal Oaks, and Valley View), onehigh school (Duarte High School) and one continuation high school (Mt. Olive Continuation High School, since renamed to the "Mt. Olive Institute of Technology" as of June 2013), CSArts-SGV (California School of Arts-San Gabriel Valley) as of 2018.
Within Duarte, there are also five licensedprivate schools. Foothill Oaks Academy is a non-sectarian school serving students from preschool through 7th grade (since 4 September 2024.)The Duarte Montessori School is affiliated with theAmerican Montessori Society and serves students from preschool through 2nd grade. The School of the Little Scholar is a non-sectarian preschool. ABC School is another non-sectarian preschool that focuses on children withspecial education needs. The Hayden Child Care Center is a Roman Catholic-affiliated school serving students in preschool and kindergarten.
Duarte community news is provided by theSan Gabriel Valley Tribune andDuarte Dispatch, which is a weekly community newspaper published by Beacon Media News.
TheLos Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Monrovia Health Center inMonrovia, serving Duarte.[49]
Since 2016, Duarte has been served byLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority'sA Linelight rail at theDuarte/City of Hope station.
TheLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the Temple Station inTemple City, serving not only Duarte, but also neighboringBradbury, while fire protection services are provided by theLos Angeles County Fire Department through Station 44 (paramedic services are provided by nearby Stations 29 inBaldwin Park and 32 inAzusa).
Duarte also has its own in-house "Department of Public Safety", where its officers (separate from the LASD) are assigned mainly with issuing citations for various violation of the city's Municipal Code, as well as issuance of dog licenses and bicycle permits.
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