In the founding days of Whittier, when it was a small, isolated town, Jonathan Bailey and his wife, Rebecca, were among the first residents. They followed theQuaker religious faith and practice and held religious meetings on their porch. Other early settlers, such as Aquila Pickering, also espoused the Quaker faith. As the city grew, the citizens named it afterJohn Greenleaf Whittier, a respected Quaker poet, and deeded a lot to him. Whittier wrote a dedication poem and is honored today with statues and a small exhibit at the Whittier Museum; a statue of him sits in Whittier's Central Park, and another representing his poem "The Barefoot Boy"[7] used to reside by the City Hall and is now in front of the main library. Whittier never set foot there, but wrote the poem "My Name I Give to Thee" about the city.[6] Many of the streets in Uptown Whittier bear the names of Quaker settlers of Whittier or other prominent Quakers, such as Greenleaf Avenue (for Whittier), Bailey Street, Pickering Avenue, Penn Street (forWilliam Penn), Hadley Street and Washington Avenue (both for Washington Hadley), and Painter Avenue (forJohn Hunt Painter).
Whittier's roots can be traced to Spanish soldierManuel Nieto.[9] In 1784, Nieto received aSpanish land grant of 300,000 acres (1,200 km2),Rancho Los Nietos, as a reward for his military service and to encourage settlement in California.[6] The area of Nieto's land grant was reduced in 1790 as the result of a dispute withMission San Gabriel. Nonetheless, Nieto still had a claim to 167,000 acres (680 km2) stretching from the hills north of Whittier,Fullerton, andBrea, south to the Pacific Ocean, and from what is known today as theLos Angeles River east to theSanta Ana River. Nieto built a rancho for his family near Whittier, purchased cattle and horses for his ranch, and planted cornfields. When he died in 1804, his children inherited his property.
At the time of the 1840sMexican–American War, much of the land that became Whittier was owned byPio Pico, a rancher and the last Mexican governor of Alta California.[6] Pio Pico built a hacienda on the San Gabriel River, known today asPio Pico State Historic Park.[6] After the war, German immigrantJacob F. Gerkens paid the U.S. government $234 to acquire 160 acres (0.6 km2) of land under theHomestead Act and built the cabin known today as theJonathan Bailey House.[10] Gerkens later become theLos Angeles Police Department's first chief of police. His land was owned by several others before a group of Quakers purchased it and expanded it to 1,259 acres (5 km2), intending to found a Quaker community. The area soon became known as a thriving citrus ranching region, with "Quaker Brand" fruit shipped all over the United States. Beginning in 1887,walnut trees were planted, and Whittier became the nation's largest walnut grower.[6][9] In addition to walnuts and citrus, Whittier was also a significant producer ofpampas grass.
For many years, the sole means of transport from this area to Los Angeles was by foot or horse and wagon over rough dirt roads, impeding settlement, development, and the export of agriculture.[11] Thus in 1887 "enterprising and aggressive businessmen" contracted with theSouthern Pacific Railroad to build the first railroad spur to Whittier, including a depot.[12] The businessmen covered the $43,000 construction cost for the six-mile spur, which branched off from the Southern Pacific mainline at a junction near what is now Studebaker Road between Firestone Boulevard and Imperial Highway.[13] By 1906, 650 carloads of oranges and 250 carloads of lemons were shipped annually by rail. In 1904, thePacific Electric opened the trolley line known as "Big Red Cars" from Los Angeles to Whittier. In the first two decades, over a million passengers a year rode to and from Los Angeles on theWhittier Line.[6]
During the 1920s and 1930s, Whittier was a conservativesundown town. New housing tracts such as College Hills were developed underrestrictive covenants and minorities were restricted to areas outside the city limits such as Jimtown (portions of which were destroyed by the building of the605 Freeway).[14] Whittier even had a branch of theSilver Shirts.[15] Liquor sales were forbidden in the city; Bailey's Liquor Store was just outside the city limits.Richard Nixon, though born and buried inYorba Linda, grew up in East Whittier.[16] He attended and played football at Whittier High School (1928–1930) and Whittier College (1930–1934)[17] In the 1930s, Nixon's law office was in theNational Bank of Whittier Building in Uptown Whittier. Upon Nixon's return from World War II service, conservative Whittier businessman Herman Perry, Nixon's former landlord at the bank, spearheaded an effort to form a Committee of 100 Republicans in Eastern Los Angeles County to get Nixon elected to Congress in 1946.
AfterWorld War II, Whittier grew rapidly. The subdividing of orange groves began, driven by housing shortages in southern California. In 1955, the Civic Center complex was completed, and the City Council met in new chambers for the first time on March 8, 1955. The city continued to grow as it annexed portions of Whittier Boulevard and East Whittier. The 1961 annexation added over 28,000 people to the population, bringing the total to about 67,000.[6]South andWest Whittier remained unannexed by the city.
The first Quaker meetings were held on the front porch of theJonathan Bailey House.[10] As more Quakers arrived, the need for an actualQuaker meeting house arose, and the first one was built in 1887 on the corner of Comstock Avenue and Wardman Street. The meeting soon outgrew this 100-seat meeting house, and a larger building was erected on the corner of Philadelphia Street and Washington Avenue in 1902. By 1912, membership had grown to 1,200, and a third building was dedicated on the same site in 1917. With a capacity of 1,700, the 1917 meeting house had a balcony and was constructed of brick with mahogany paneling and pews. The present meeting house, dedicated in 1975, has many architectural elements and materials from the 1917 building, including the stained glass windows and mahogany interior.[18] The Quakers also founded Whittier Academy (later Whittier College), and additional meetings met in East Whittier and at Whittier College's Mendenhall. The Mendenhall and East Whittier meetings kept the silent meeting longer than the main church.
Cover of a Whittier Chamber of Commerce brochure,c. 1920
In 1887, the Pickering Land and Water Company set aside a 20-acre (81,000 m2) parcel of land to develop a college, but a collapse in the land boom stalled construction. Progress on developing a college was sporadic, but on July 30, 1896, the Whittier Academy, operating since 1891, officially changed its name toWhittier College and enrolled 100 students. The school mascot is "The Poet". By 1906, Whittier College was an educational institution with laboratories, boarding halls, a large gymnasium, and athletic fields. Due to an economic depression in the 1890s, the first bachelor's degrees were not awarded at the college for 17 years.[6]
Leona May Mendenhall donated the Mendenhall Building at Whittier College in honor of her husband, Oscar. The Mendenhalls were among Whittier's founding families. Oscar's brother, Samuel Mendenhall, helped bring in the water system and post office. The Mendenhalls were major growers ofSunkist oranges andBlue Diamond walnuts.
Whittier was the first home toAzusa Pacific University, established in 1899 by the Quaker community and a Methodist evangelist under the name Training School for Christian Workers.[19]
On October 1, 1987, at 7:42 a.m., theWhittier Narrows earthquake struck, the epicenter six miles (9.7 km) north-northwest of Whittier. The seismic event, which registered 5.9 on the moment magnitude scale, killed eight people and damaged many of uptown Whittier's historic buildings. Three days later, on October 4 at 3:59 a.m., a major aftershock measuring 5.2 caused further damage. Buildings and residential structures that were already borderline unsafe were now deemed unsafe or uninhabitable. In the years following the earthquake, the city's deteriorating uptown business district became the focus of renewed development, meeting opposition from many Whittier citizens. TheWhittier Conservancy was formed in 1987 to stop the demolition of many historic buildings and residences after the disaster. The city also created aHistoric Resources Commission to oversee the approval of landmark designations, historic districts, andMills Act proposals. The Whittier Narrows earthquake destroyedThe Quad at Whittier, a shopping mall that was rebuilt.
Whittier has several neighborhoods. The area around Philadelphia Street and Greenleaf Avenue is known as Uptown Whittier and contains the traditional central business core. Just north of it are the neighborhoods known as Central Park and Hadley-Greenleaf. They have been designated historic districts by the city Historic Resources Commission and comprise most of the Whittier Historic Neighborhood Association area.[20] These districts contain many Craftsman and Spanish Colonial Revival homes.[21] In and abutting the hills north of the historic districts is Starlite Estates. The area surrounding Whittier College is known as College Hills and was also designated a historic district, as has a small cluster of homes along Earlham Drive.[20] The area east of College Avenue is calledEast Whittier. It was an unincorporated agricultural community until the postwar era. The eastern part of East Whittier, developed in the 1950s and 1960s, is known as Friendly Hills, and was developed at the same time as Murphy Ranch and Leffingwell Ranch. Friendly Hills and Murphy Ranch are generally considered north of Whittier Boulevard, while Leffingwell Ranch is south of it. The area at the extreme east of Whittier is occasionally called Sunglow.
Whittier is about 15 miles (24 km) inland of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in higher daytime temperatures, and since it lies at a higher elevation than the cities further west, cold air drains into the lower elevation of theLos Angeles Basin, causing warmer nighttime lows, an example ofthermal inversion. Winter daytime highs typically range from 57 to 72 °F (14 to 22 °C) with overnight lows dropping to about 41 °F to 50 °F (6° to 12 °C). In the summer highs range from 84 to 97 °F (29 to 36 °C) and corresponding overnight lows in the 62 to 70 °F (17 to 21 °C). Rainfall follows a Mediterranean pattern, with most falling during winter, while summers tend to be rather dry. The mean annual rainfall is about 14 inches (360 mm).
Climate data for Whitter CA (Wx-Station located 4.5mi NNW at Montebello, CA 1971–2000 Normals)
There were 27,093 households, of which the average size was 3.07 persons. The median household income during 2016–2020 was $76,026, and 9.5% of the population was living inpoverty.
The population was spread out, with 23.0% of the population under the age of 18 and 15.1% above the age of 65. Of all people aged above 25 years, 88.5% werehigh school graduates, and 26.7% had abachelor's degree or higher. 61.5% of people aged above 16 years were in the civilianlabor force.[4]
Whittier, 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.
The2010 United States census[42] reported that Whittier had a population of 85,331. The population density was 5,818.6 inhabitants per square mile (2,246.6/km2). The racial makeup of Whittier was 55,117 (64.6%)White (28.3% Non-Hispanic White, 36.3% White Hispanic),[43] 1,092 (1.3%)African American, 1,093 (1.3%)Native American, 3,262 (3.8%)Asian, 123 (0.1%)Pacific Islander, 20,848 (24.4%) fromother races, and 3,796 (4.4%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 56,081 persons (65.7%).
The Census reported that 83,696 people (98.1% of the population) lived in households, 1,083 (1.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 552 (0.6%) were institutionalized.
There were 28,273 households, out of which 11,289 (39.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 14,152 (50.1%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 4,566 (16.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,896 (6.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,770 (6.3%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 247 (0.9%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 6,096 households (21.6%) were made up of individuals, and 2,495 (8.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96. There were 20,614families (72.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.46.
The population was spread out, with 21,686 people (25.4%) under the age of 18, 9,198 people (10.8%) aged 18 to 24, 23,627 people (27.7%) aged 25 to 44, 20,819 people (24.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 10,001 people (11.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
There were 29,591 housing units at an average density of 2,017.8 per square mile (779.1/km2), of which 16,207 (57.3%) were owner-occupied, and 12,066 (42.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%. 49,393 people (57.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 34,303 people (40.2%) lived in rental housing units.
During 2009–2013, Whittier had a median household income of $68,522, with 12.4% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[43]
Whittier's Redevelopment Agency has numerous projects underway to revitalize the community. This includes a $7 million project near theHoover Hotel and development of a 480-acre (1.9 km2) project area near Whittier Blvd. The city council adopted the master plan in 2005. In 2019, Whittier's firstfood hall,Poet Gardens, opened in Uptown Whittier.[46]
On April 17, 1900, the Whittier Public Library Board of Trustees held its first meeting in Landrum Smith's drugstore. With an initial collection of 60 books and 200 magazines, the library facilities began in the Woody Building as a reading room maintained by Hester in exchange for space for his telegraph office. In 1907, a Carnegie grant funded building construction at Bailey and Greenleaf that many Whittierites fondly remember. As the city expanded, a more extensive library was needed, and the Friends of the Library was organized in 1956 to raise money for a new building. Through their efforts and those of the board members, librarians, and citizen fundraising groups, the new library was completed at the Washington Avenue site in May 1959. In 1968, service was further expanded with the construction of the Whittwood Branch Library on Santa Gertrudes Avenue.[48]
California State Reform School at Whittier, c. 1901 (CHS-1157)Whittier Village ClockStandard Oil Building
Rose Hills Memorial Park, the largest single-location cemetery in the world, is located just outside the city western edge in unincorporated Whittier.[49]
California Historical Landmark No. 947: Reform School for Juvenile Offenders (Fred C. Nelles School — Closed May 27, 2004, and redeveloped for business and residential use.)
Whittier Museum - 6755 Newlin Ave, Whittier 90601. Open for public tour Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. and is free of charge[51]
Whittier uses acouncil–manager form of government. Until 2014, all five city council members were elected at-large, with the mayor being elected by the council. Following the 2016 elections, four city council members were elected to four-year terms in districts, whereas the mayor was directly elected to two-year terms. The council also appoints a city manager.[52]
The current mayor of Whittier is Joe Vinatieri.[53] The city council is currently made up of Fernando Dutra, Mary Ann Pacheco, Cathy Warner, and mayorpro tempore Octavio Martinez.[54] Conal McNamara is serving as the city manager and Shannon DeLong as the assistant city manager.[55]
Five high schools,California High School,La Serna High School,Pioneer High School,Santa Fe High School, andWhittier High School comprise the Whittier Union High School District. There is one alternative continuation high schoolFrontier High School and a homeschooling hq, Sierra Vista High School. Although they still have Whittier postal addresses, both California High School and Pioneer High School lie outside the city limits in unincorporated Los Angeles County. Santa Fe High School is located within the City of Santa Fe Springs. Adults may attend the Whittier Adult School, which belongs to theWhittier Union High School District. The city also has three private Catholic elementary schools, K-8:
The schools are operated by theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. One (St. Mary of the Assumption School) is one of the largest Catholic elementary schools inLos Angeles County. St Gregory The Great School has been Number One in their deanery for the Academic Decathlon two consecutive years.
Whittier Friends School[62] is a member of the Friends Council on Education[63] and associated with First Friends Church of Whittier,[64] the founding Quaker meeting of Whittier. Whittier Friends School includes a licensed preschool and an elementary school (TK-6th grade).
Trinity Lutheran School,[65] a ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church, serves kindergarten through eighth grade.
Whittier Christian School,[66] a ministry of Calvary Baptist Church,Association of Christian Schools International serves the Whittier community. They have an elementary campus, two preschool campuses, a junior high school, and a high school.
Plymouth Christian School,[67] a ministry of Plymouth Church, serves preschool through sixth grade.
Various bus routes operate in Whittier.Metro,Foothill Transit,Montebello Bus Lines, and theNorwalk Transit are the main ones. Foothill Transit line 274 originates at Beverly & Norwalk and proceeds north to Baldwin Park via Workman Mill Road and Puente Avenue. Foothill Transit line 285 travels through Whittier on Whittier Boulevard and Colima Road between La Habra and Hacienda Heights. Montebello Transit Line 10 originates at Whittwood Mall and proceeds west to Montebello andthe Atlantic E Line station via Whittier Boulevard. Montebello 40 originates at Beverly and Norwalk and proceeds west to Montebello and Downtown Los Angeles via Beverly Boulevard and 4th Street. Montebello 50 travels through Whittier between La Mirada and Downtown Los Angeles. Metro Bus line 120 originates at Whittwood Mall and travels west tothe Norwalk C Line station, then tothe Aviation/Imperial C Line station via Imperial Highway.
Whittier also has a variety of roads. One freeway, the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605), runs along the city's northern end.State Route 72 runs via Whittier Boulevard and forms part ofEl Camino Real. Other major streets in Whittier includeBeverly Boulevard,Colima Road, Greenleaf Avenue, Lambert Road, Mar Vista Street, Mills Avenue, Norwalk Boulevard, Painter Avenue, Philadelphia Street, andWashington Boulevard.
There are three fire stations within Whittier city limits:Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 28 (Engine,Quint,Paramedic Squad, Mobile Aid, and the Battalion Chief), Station 17 (Engine), and Station 59 (Engine andIRT).[73]
The Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility served as a state reform school for boys and girls until 1916 when the girls were moved elsewhere. Opened in 1891, before Whittier was incorporated, Nelles was California's longest-running state school for juvenile offenders and has been declared a California State Historical Landmark. It closed in 2004, and the facility was used as a television filming site. In 2014,Brookfield Residential Properties announced plans for a large retail, commercial and residential project on the site. Much of Whittier is built out, so the 74-acre (30 ha) site brings a unique chance for growth in the city. Although over 50 buildings were demolished, discussions have focused on how many of the eight historic buildings should be preserved.[74] The administration building that was constructed in 1928–29 has a historical designation. Housing and commercial space are under construction on the site.[75]
Masters of the Universe (1987) - Film starringFrank Langella. Key battle scenes in a music store and on rooftops during Skeletor's invasion of Earth were shot here, among others.[82]
Amish Grace (2010) – Television film. The carriage procession was filmed on Greenleaf St. in Uptown Whittier, and the funeral home scene was filmed at The Good Shepherd Family Bible Church, across the street from the post office on Bailey St.
True Blood (2008–2014) – Several scenes involving The Fellowship of the Sun church were filmed at the chapel atRose Hills Memorial Park. On the DVD commentary of Season 3,Stephen Moyer says several local girls came to the filming with shirts saying, "The girls are prettier in Whittier".
Roadracers (1994) – Film starringDavid Arquette,John Hawkes, andSalma Hayek; directed byRobert Rodriguez. Much of the filming occurred in Uptown, the nearby residential neighborhoods, andTurnbull Canyon Road. John Hawkes describes in an interview, "We shot anywhere we could find something that looked like the 1950s. It was difficult near L.A. It was hard to find things that looked authentic to the period and a small Texas town. I think they did a good job finding [the locations]."[83]
The Muppets (2011) – Film starringAmy Adams andJason Segel. Scenes at the beginning of Walter and Gary's hometown were shot in a historic Uptown Whittier residential area.
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