La Puente, California | |
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 La Puente's Star Theater in May 2008 (prior to demolition in 2019) | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: Where the Past Meets the Future | |
 Location of La Puente in Los Angeles County, California. | |
  La Puente, California Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°1′57″N117°57′19″W / 34.03250°N 117.95528°W /34.03250; -117.95528 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Los Angeles |
| Incorporated | August 1, 1956[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Valerie Muñoz[2] |
| • Mayor Pro Tem | Charlie Klinakis |
| • City Council | David E. Argudo Nadia Mendoza Gabriel Quiñones |
| • City Manager | Bob Lindsey |
| • City Treasurer | Troy Grunklee, CPA |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.48 sq mi (9.01 km2) |
| • Land | 3.48 sq mi (9.01 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0.02% |
| Elevation | 351 ft (107 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 38,062 |
| • Density | 10,900/sq mi (4,220/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 91744-91749[4] |
| Area code | 626[5] |
| FIPS code | 06-40340 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1660865,2411581 |
| Website | www |
La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge")[6] is a city in eastLos Angeles County,California,United States. The city had a population of 38,062 at the2020 census and is approximately 20 miles (32 km) east of downtownLos Angeles.
The original inhabitants of the area now occupied by the city of La Puente were theTongva lived in a village calledAwingna, which linguists translate as "abiding place." The Awingna chief Matheo (who also held sway over several other nearby villages) was baptized at Mission San Gabriel in 1774.[7]
In 1769, the SpanishPortolá expedition became the firstEuropeans to see inland portions ofAlta California.On July 30, the party camped on the east side of theSan Gabriel River, in today's unincorporated area ofBassett. FatherJuan Crespi wrote in his diary that, the next day, they had to build a bridge (Spanish "puente") to cross the miry San Gabriel River.[8]
With the establishment ofMission San Gabriel, the area encompassing Awingna and what is now the city of La Puente became part ofRancho La Puente, established as a mission outpost and ranch. The rancho was visited by theJedediah Smith party in November 1826, the first Americans to travel overland to California.[9]
Following secularization of the missions in the 1830s, former mission ranchos passed into private ownership. In 1842,John Rowland andWilliam Workman were granted the 48,000-acre (190 km2) Rancho La Puente. In 1884, the area was namedPuente (bridge in Spanish; in old Spanish the noun was often feminine,[10] as opposed to modern Spanishel puente). In Crespi's diary, it was written as "la puente",[11] and that spelling has persisted.
The area was known for its fruit andwalnut groves during the 1930s. The city was even home to the world's largest walnut packing plant.[12] A small airport called the 'Skyranch' operated in La Puente from 1944 to 1951 before it was closed and developed for housing.[13]Today, the city is heavily urbanized, but the area still has some historical landmarks from its founding days nearby, for instance, theWorkman and Temple Family Homestead Museum in neighboringCity of Industry.
Redevelopment of the business districts in La Puente have been ongoing. However, the local government has been relatively unsuccessful in its attempts to attract big-box retailers and restaurant chains. La Puente retains many aging 1950s-era strip malls.
La Puente is located at34°1′57″N117°57′19″W / 34.03250°N 117.95528°W /34.03250; -117.95528 (34.032410, -117.955195).[14] The city, which is mostly flat, covers about 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) of land in theSan Gabriel Valley.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 24,723 | — | |
| 1970 | 31,092 | 25.8% | |
| 1980 | 30,882 | −0.7% | |
| 1990 | 36,955 | 19.7% | |
| 2000 | 41,063 | 11.1% | |
| 2010 | 39,816 | −3.0% | |
| 2020 | 38,062 | −4.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[15] 1860–1870[16][17] 1880-1890[18] 1900[19] 1910[20] 1920[21] 1930[22] 1940[23] 1950[24] 1960[25][26] 1970[27] 1980[28] 1990[29]2000[30] 2010[31] 2020[32] | |||
La Puente first appeared as a city in the1960 U.S. census[25] as part of the East San Gabriel Valley census county division.[26] Prior to 1960, the area was part of the unincorporated portion of the now-defunct El Monte Township.[24]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[33] | Pop 2010[34] | Pop 2020[32] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 2,749 | 1,835 | 1,257 | 6.69% | 4.61% | 3.30% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 688 | 451 | 386 | 1.68% | 1.13% | 1.01% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 139 | 75 | 44 | 0.34% | 0.19% | 0.12% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 2,865 | 3,270 | 4,846 | 6.98% | 8.21% | 12.73% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 40 | 31 | 46 | 0.10% | 0.08% | 0.12% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 48 | 47 | 133 | 0.12% | 0.12% | 0.35% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 412 | 211 | 270 | 1.00% | 0.53% | 0.71% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 34,122 | 33,896 | 31,080 | 83.10% | 85.13% | 81.66% |
| Total | 41,063 | 39,816 | 38,062 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The2020 United States census reported that La Puente had a population of 38,062. The population density was 10,940.5 inhabitants per square mile (4,224.2/km2). The racial makeup of La Puente was 16.7%White, 1.2%African American, 2.1%Native American, 13.0%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 47.4% fromother races, and 19.4% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 81.7% of the population.[35]
The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.[35]
There were 9,703 households, out of which 45.9% included children under the age of 18, 51.6% were married-couple households, 6.8% werecohabiting couple households, 26.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 11.3% of households were one person, and 5.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.92.[35] There were 8,139families (83.9% of all households).[36]
The age distribution was 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.4% aged 18 to 24, 28.0% aged 25 to 44, 25.6% aged 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males.[35]
There were 9,919 housing units at an average density of 2,851.1 units per square mile (1,100.8 units/km2), of which 9,703 (97.8%) were occupied. Of these, 58.5% were owner-occupied, and 41.5% were occupied by renters.[35]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $84,811, and theper capita income was $26,501. About 8.1% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line.[37]
The2010 United States census[38] reported that La Puente had a population of 39,816. The population density was 11,443.2 inhabitants per square mile (4,418.2/km2). La Puente is 49.4% White (4.6% Non-Hispanic White), 1.4% Black or African American, 1.1% Native American, 8.4% Asian, and 0.1% Pacific Islander.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 33,896 persons (85.1%).[39]
The Census reported that 39,773 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 43 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 9,451 households, out of which 5,186 (54.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,367 (56.8%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 1,824 (19.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 930 (9.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 584 (6.2%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 65 (0.7%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 989 households (10.5%) were made up of individuals, and 472 (5.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.21. There were 8,121families (85.9% of all households); the average family size was 4.34.
The population was spread out, with 11,423 people (28.7%) under the age of 18, 4,640 people (11.7%) aged 18 to 24, 11,468 people (28.8%) aged 25 to 44, 8,619 people (21.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,666 people (9.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
There were 9,761 housing units at an average density of 2,805.3 per square mile (1,083.1/km2), of which 5,693 (60.2%) were owner-occupied, and 3,758 (39.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.9%. 24,961 people (62.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 14,812 people (37.2%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States census, La Puente had a median household income of $53,794, with 14.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[39]
In theCalifornia State Legislature, La Puente is inthe 30th senatorial district, represented byDemocrat Bob Archuleta, and inthe 56th Assembly district, represented byDemocrat Lisa Calderon.[40]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, La Puente is inCalifornia's 31st congressional district, represented byDemocrat Gil Cisneros.[41]
TheLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department operates the Industry Station in theCity of Industry, serving La Puente.[42]
TheLos Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Pomona Health Center inPomona, serving La Puente.[43]
The city is served byLos Angeles County Fire Department Battalion 12's Fire Stations 26 and 43.
The income per capita of the city of La puente is $16,899, which includes all children and adults. The city's median household income is $62,709.
According to the city's Annual Budget for FY2020–21,[44] the top employers in the city are:
| Rank | Employer | No. of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northgate González Markets | 120 |
| 2 | Bodega Latina Corp (El Super) | 111 |
| 3 | Alert Insulation Co., Inc. | 88 |
| 4 | Walmart | 80 |
| 5 | Food 4 Less | 75 |
| 6 | McDonald's | 68 |
| 7 | Big Saver Foods | 60 |
| 8 | Ed Butts Ford | 59 |
| 9 | Ross Dress for Less | 46 |
| 10 | El Sushi Loco | 43 |
School districts include:
Elementary (primary) schools: Lasallette Elementary School, Temple Academy (Closed starting 2021-22), Baldwin Academy, Nelson Elementary School, Sparks Elementary School, CaliforniaElementary School, Sunkist Elementary School, Del Valle Elementary School, Northam Elementary School
Private (primary) schools: Saint Joseph School, Saint Louis of France, Saint Martha's Catholic School
High (secondary) schools:Bassett High School,La Puente High School,Nogales High School,William Workman High School (in the City of Industry)
Private high schools:Bishop Amat Memorial High School
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Places adjacent to La Puente, California | |
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