El Monte's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte" and is historically known as "The End of the Santa Fe Trail". As of the2020 census, the city had a total population of 109,450, down from 113,475 at the2010 census. As of 2020, El Monte was the66th-most populous city in California.
El Monte is situated between the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo Rivers; a marshy area roughly where theSanta Fe Dam Recreation Area is now located. Residents claimed that anything could be grown in the area. Between 1770 and 1830, Spanish soldiers and missionaries often stopped here for respite. They called the area 'El Monte,' which in Spanish means 'the mountain' or 'the mount'.[9] Most people assume the name refers to a mountain, but there were no mountains in the valley. The word is an archaic Spanish translation of that era, meaning "the wood". The first explorers had found this a rich, low-altitude land blanketed with thick growths of wispy willows, alders, and cattails, located between the two rivers. Wild grapevines and watercress also abounded. El Monte is approximately 7 miles long and 4 miles wide.[10] When the State Legislature organized California into more manageable designated townships in the 1850s, they called it the El Monte Township. In a short time the name returned to the original El Monte.[11]
Modern-day El Monte sits on land that was originally part ofRancho La Puente, a Mexican-erarancho grant.Oldest home in El Monte, built 1849 (photo 1922)
TheOld Spanish Trail trade route was first established byAntonio Armijo in 1829. It passed through El Monte to its terminus at the Mission San Gabriel via what is nowValley Boulevard. The trade was woolen and other products from New Mexico for California horses and mules.
From 1847, the Santa Fe Trail was also connected westward through theSouthern Emigrant Trail, and in 1848 by theMormon Road from Utah, passing by the El Monte area, to the Pueblo of Los Angeles. Immigrant settlement began in 1848, El Monte was a stopping place for the American immigrants going to the gold fields during theCalifornia Gold Rush. The first permanent residents arrived in El Monte around 1849–1850 mostly fromTexas,Arkansas andMissouri, during a time when thousands migrated to California in search of gold. The first settlers with families were Nicholas Schmidt, Ira W. Thompson, G. and F. Cuddeback, J. Corbin, and J. Sheldon.
These migrants ventured upon the bounty of fruitful, rich land along theSan Gabriel River and began to build homesteads there. The farmers were very pleased at the increasing success of El Monte's agricultural community, and it steadily grew over the years.[13]
In the 1850s the settlement was briefly named Lexington by American settlers, but soon returned to being called El Monte or Monte. It was at the crossroad of routes between Los Angeles,San Bernardino, and the natural harbor atSan Pedro. In the early days, it had a reputation as a rough town where men often settled disputes with knives and guns in its gambling saloons. Defense against Indian raids and the crimes of bandit gangs, such as that ofJoaquin Murrieta, led to the formation of a local militia company called theMonte Rangers in February 1854.[14] After the Monte Rangers disbanded, justice forLos Angeles County, in the form of volunteerposses, as in the 1857 hunt for the bandit gang ofJuan Flores andPancho Daniel, or alynching, was often provided by the local vigilantes called the "El Monte Boys".
By 1861 El Monte had become a sizeable settlement, and during theAmerican Civil War was considered a Confederate stronghold sympathetic to thesecession of Southern California from California to support theConfederate States of America.[15]A. J. King an Undersheriff of Los Angeles County (and former member of the earlier "Monte Rangers" or "Monte Boys") with other influential men in El Monte, formed a secessionist militia company, like theLos Angeles Mounted Rifles, called the Monte Mounted Rifles on March 23, 1861. However, the attempt failed when following thebattle of Fort Sumter, A. J. King marched through the streets with a portrait of the Confederate GeneralP. G. T. Beauregard and was arrested by aU.S. Marshal. State arms sent from GovernorJohn G. Downey for the unit were held up by Union officers at the port ofSan Pedro. Union troops establishedNew Camp Carleton near the town in March 1862 to suppress any rebellion, it was shut down three years later at the end of the war.[16]
El Monte was listed as a township in the 1860 and 1870 Censuses, with a population of 1,004 in 1860 and 1,254 in 1870.[17][18] The 1860 township comprised several of the old ranchos in the El Monte area, includingRancho Potrero Grande,Rancho La Puente andRancho La Merced. (This area presently includes the cities of El Monte,Monterey Park andLa Puente, among others). The 1870 census added in the former Azusa township.
Southern Pacific built a railroad depot in town in 1873, stimulating the growth of local agriculture.[19][20]
El Monte was incorporated as a municipality in 1912. During the 1930s, the city became a vital site for theNew Deal's federal Subsistence Homestead project, aResettlement Administration program that helped grant single-family ranch houses to qualifying applicants. It became home to many 1930s white Americans from theDust Bowl Migration.
PhotographerDorothea Lange took over a dozen photographs of the newly built Homestead homes for her work for theFarm Security Administration in Feb. 1936. Lange stopped in El Monte a month before she took her most well-known photograph from the period, theMigrant Mother.[21] "In contrast to the apparently positive scene in El Monte... in San Luis Obispo County, Lange captured a far gloomier scene of a Native-American mother with her children." San Gabriel Valley in Time observed.[21]
The area also experienced social and labor conflict during this period, such as the1933 El Monte berry strike, which shed light uponinstitutional racism experienced by Japanese tenant farmers and Latino farm laborers.[22]
The city has evolved into a majorityHispanic community.[23] Representing the historical significance of theSanta Fe Trail, El Monte built theSanta Fe Trail Historical Park in 1989, at Valley Blvd and Santa Anita Ave.[13] The trail remained America's greatest route for several decades thereafter.[24] The El Monte Historical Museum[25] at 3150 Tyler Avenue is considered to be one of the best community museums in the state of California.[10]
The Asian population of El Monte grew significantly between 1980 and 2008, and continued to grow.[26] According to a former El Monte resident, this may have been because of overpopulation inAlhambra,Monterey Park, and other nearby heavily Asian municipalities; causing people to move to less densely populated areas like El Monte, where the cities are still accessible by freeway.[26]
The population has increased by more than 40% since the 1970s, with homes replacing the walnut groves for which the city was known. There is historically a large Mexican and Latino community in El Monte.[30]
El Monte city, 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 98.6% of the population lived in households, 0.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.8% were institutionalized.[36]
There were 29,137 households, out of which 42.8% included children under the age of 18, 48.0% were married-couple households, 7.6% werecohabiting couple households, 26.6% had a female householder with no partner present, and 17.8% had a male householder with no partner present. 12.6% of households were one person, and 6.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.71.[36] There were 23,965families (82.2% of all households).[37]
The age distribution was 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.4% aged 18 to 24, 27.5% aged 25 to 44, 25.2% aged 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 36.3years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males.[36]
There were 29,893 housing units at an average density of 3,127.9 units per square mile (1,207.7 units/km2), of which 29,137 (97.5%) were occupied. Of these, 39.9% were owner-occupied, and 60.1% were occupied by renters.[36]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $64,484, and theper capita income was $24,356. About 13.5% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line.[38]
The2010 United States census[39] reported that El Monte had a population of 113,475. The population density was 11,761.6 inhabitants per square mile (4,541.2/km2). The racial makeup of El Monte was 44,058 (38.8%)White (4.9% Non-Hispanic White),[8] 870 (0.8%)African American, 1,083 (1.0%)Native American, 28,503 (25.1%)Asian (13.5% Chinese, 7.4% Vietnamese, 1.2% Filipino, 0.4% Cambodian, 0.2% Burmese, 0.2% Japanese, 0.2% Korean, 0.2% Indian, 0.2% Thai), 131 (0.1%)Pacific Islander, 35,205 (31.0%) fromother races, and 3,625 (3.2%) from two or more races. 78,317 (69.0%) of the population isHispanic orLatino of any race (60.9% Mexican, 2.3% Salvadoran, 1.2% Guatemalan, 0.4% Nicaraguan, 0.3% Honduran, 0.3% Cuban, 0.2% Puerto Rican, and 0.2% Peruvian).
The Census reported that 112,395 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 317 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 763 (0.7%) were institutionalized.
There were 27,814 households, out of which 14,557 (52.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15,087 (54.2%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 5,298 (19.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,962 (10.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,061 (7.4%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 161 (0.6%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,130 households (11.3%) were made up of individuals, and 1,539 (5.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.04. There were 23,347families (83.9% of all households); the average family size was 4.23.
The population was spread out, with 32,234 people (28.4%) under the age of 18, 12,814 people (11.3%) aged 18 to 24, 33,263 people (29.3%) aged 25 to 44, 24,567 people (21.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 10,597 people (9.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.
There were 29,069 housing units at an average density of 3,013.0 per square mile (1,163.3/km2), of which 11,740 (42.2%) were owner-occupied, and 16,074 (57.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%. 46,802 people (41.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 65,593 people (57.8%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, El Monte had a median household income of $39,535, with 24.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[8]
Mapping L.A. reported that at the 2000 census, Mexican (62.0%) and Chinese (10.1%) were the most common ancestries. Mexico (63.6%) and Vietnam (13.5%) were the most common foreign places of birth.[40]
The El Monte City Council has seven members—an elected Mayor and six council members elected by districts. The Mayor and City Council are elected by the voters of El Monte and are responsible for overseeing the delivery of local government services to the residents of the city.
The City of El Monte has its own police department[45] and contracts with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for fire services and emergency medical response.
The El Monte Police Department consists of 117 sworn police officers who provide emergency services to the citizens of El Monte. The current Chief of Police is Jake Fisher
The City of El Monte Neighborhood Services Division provides enforcement of health and safety, municipal codes, zoning and building codes. Five Neighborhood Services Officers respond to complaints and pro-actively address violations. The Animal Control Division is also part of the Neighborhood Services Division. Animal Control Officers respond to all calls related to animals.
TheEl Monte City School District contains 17 elementary schools:[56] one serving grades K-4, one serving grades K-5, ten serving grades K-6, and six serving grades K-8. The district also administers four Head Start (preschool) sites, which are located at the elementary schools.
The Mountain View School District[65] is a K-8 school district comprising ten elementary schools, one intermediate school, one middle school, an alternative education program for students in grades 5–8, and a Children's Center and Head Start/ State Preschool program. The district has an enrollment of 8,600 students.
TheLos Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Monrovia Health Center inMonrovia, serving El Monte.[66] The El Monte Comprehensive Health and Mammography Center is located on Ramona Blvd. in El Monte. It offers medical and dental services for low-income individuals, but is not an emergency center.[67]
El Monte community news is provided by theSan Gabriel Valley Tribune which is published daily. Other local newspapers includeMid-Valley News andEl Monte Examiner which are both published weekly.[68][69][70]
El Monte is credited with being the birthplace of TV variety shows.Hometown Jamboree, a KTLA-TV Los Angeles-based show, was produced atEl Monte Legion Stadium in the 1950s.[71] The Saturday night stage show was hosted and produced byCliffie Stone, who helped popularize country music in California.[72]
In the 1950s, as the unstable racial climate and the hostility toward rock & roll started to emerge, rock & roll shows were forced from the City of Los Angeles by police pressure. TheEl Monte Legion Stadium, outside the city limits, became the site of a series for rock and roll concerts byJohnny Otis and other performers. (Johnny Otis along withAlan Freed andDick Clark were the major powers in the growing rock and roll industry.) During the fifties, teenagers from all over Southern California flocked to El Monte Legion Stadium every Friday and Saturday night to see their favorite performers. Famous singers who performed there include:Ritchie Valens,Rosie & the Originals,Brenton Wood,Earth, Wind & Fire,The Grateful Dead,[73]Dick Dale and his Del-Tones andJohnny "Guitar" Watson. Disc jockeysArt Laboe andHuggy Boy enhanced the stadium's popularity with their highly publicized Friday Night Dances with many popular record artists of the late 1950s and 1960s. "El Monte Legion Stadium", as it was often called, was the "Happening" place to be for the teenagers of that era.[74] In a closed-circuit telecast, a recorded performance ofThe Beatles, theBeach Boys, andLesly Gore aired in the El Monte Legion Stadium from Mar 14–15, 1964.[75]
El Monte is known for the long-time rock & roll hit "Memories of El Monte",[76] written byFrank Zappa and originally recorded byThe Penguins, one of the localDoo-wop groups from the 1950s that became famous nationwide. The song is in remembrance of The El Monte Legion Stadium and can be heard on many albums includingArt Laboe's Memories of El Monte. Although the stadium closed their doors nearly 50 years ago, the music continues to live on.[77]El Monte was the birthplace of singer–guitaristMary Ford, ofLes Paul and Mary Ford fame. John Larkin, known as (Scatman John), is also a native. El Monte was home to musicians Gregg Myers andJoe McDonald, who performed in the 1960s withCountry Joe and the Fish.
Photo of "Leo the Lion" being recorded for his roar to be heard at the beginning of MGM films.
A popular attraction from 1925 to 1942 wasGay's Lion Farm. Two European retired circus stars, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gay, operated this tourist attraction, which has been called "the Disneyland of the 1920s and 1930s" by historian Jack Barton,[10] and many others of that era. The Gays raised wild animals for use in the motion picture industry and housed over 200 African lions. Many of the lions starred in films during the 1920s and 1930s, including theTarzan films starringElmo Lincoln andJohnny Weissmuller. TheMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion logo was made with two lions from the farm, "Slats" (1924–1927), and his lookalike successor "Jackie" (1928-1956). Another one of the farm's famous lions was Numa, who appeared in several films throughout the 1920s, including Charlie Chaplin's "The Circus."[78] In 1925, El Monte Union High School adopted "The Lions" name for its teams, and the Gays provided a lion mascot for big games. The famous live lion farm was closed temporarily due to wartime meat shortages. It never reopened, but a life-sized memorial statue can be seen next to I-10 on the SE corner ofValley Boulevard and Peck Road. The original lion statue, commissioned for the Farm, stands in front of nearbyEl Monte High School.[79]
Horse racing's most famous jockey,Willie Shoemaker, was a resident and attended El Monte High School, until he dropped out to work in the nearby stables.[80]El Monte was also briefly the home to authorJames Ellroy until his mother Geneva was murdered there in 1958.[81]Former baseball playerFred Lynn was a resident of El Monte. Actor-filmmakerTimothy Carey filmed much of his underground featureThe World's Greatest Sinner (1962) in El Monte. Modern authors Salvador Plascencia, 33, and Michael Jaime-Becerra, 36, both grew up in El Monte and each references El Monte in his novels.[82]Mister Ed, the palomino of the classic 1960s television show, was foaled in 1949 in El Monte and named "Bamboo Harvester".[83]
