Montebello is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 62,150.
Montebello is located 8 miles east of downtown Los Angeles at the southwestern part of the San Gabriel Valley near Monterey Park, California . Montebello is located at 34°0'52" North, 118°6'52" West (34.014412, -118.114501).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.6 km2 (8.4 mi2). 21.4 km2 (8.2 mi2) of it is land and 0.3 km2 (0.1 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 1.32% water.
The city is easily accessible to the Long Beach (710) , San Gabriel (605) , Pomona (60) and Santa Ana (5) Freeways.
As of the census of 2000, there are 62,150 people, 18,844 households, and 14,867 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,908.6/km (7,536.9/mi2). There are 19,416 housing units at an average density of 908.7/km2 (2,354.6/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 46.82% White, 0.90% African-American, 1.23% Native American, 11.64% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 33.85% from other races, and 5.48% from two or more races. 74.57% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 18,844 households out of which 40.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% are married couples living together, 20.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% are non-families. 17.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.28 and the average family size is 3.67.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $38,805, and the median income for a family is $41,257. Males have a median income of $30,423 versus $26,590 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,125. 17.0% of the population and 14.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.3% of those under the age of 18 and 10.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Though its residents are predominantly Latino and Asian, Montebello also has a significant Armenian population.
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the land along the Rio Hondo River was populated by the Tongva (Gabrielino) Native Americans. The Tongva occupied much of the Los Angeles basin and the islands of Santa Catalina, San Nicolas, San Clemente and Santa Barbara. When the Spanish explorer Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo arrived off the shores of Santa Catalina, the Tongva came out in their canoes to meet with him in 1542. The language of the Tongva was different from the neighboring Indian tribes and it was called Gabrielino by the Spanish.
The Gabrielinos lived in dome like structures with thatched exteriors. Both sexes wore long hair styles and tattooed their bodies. During warm weather the men wore little clothes but the women would wear minimal skirts made of animals hides. During the cold weather they would wear animal skin capes.
European diseases killed many of the Tongva and by 1870 the area had few left.
Franciscan Missionaries, Fathers Angel Somera and Pedro Cambon, founded the original San Gabriel Mission on September 9, 1771, near where San Gabriel Boulevard now crosses the Rio Hondo River which is also near the present day Sanchez Adobe Mansion. This marked the beginning of the Los Angeles region's settlement by Spaniards.
The San Gabriel Mission was number three of 21 missions that were to be established along the Camino Real. The San Gabriel mission did well as a cattle ranch and farm. Six years later a great flood caused the mission to be relocated to its current location farther north in present day San Gabriel City. It was known by European settlers as the mother of agriculture in California.
During the early years of the mission, the region operated under a Rancho system. The city of Montebello was originally part of Rancho San Antonio, Rancho La Merced and Rancho Paso de Bartolo. The oldest house in Los Angeles county is the old San Antonio Ranch Gage Mansion located in present day Bell Gardens. The Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe mansion is also still standing at the center of old La Merced Rancho in Eastern Montebello in the La Merced area.
Another important event that took place in Montebello was the Battle of the Rio San Gabriel on January 8, 1847. This battle is re-enacted every year in September. It was this battle that gave the United States the opportunity to win California in the Mexican-American war. Today there are two old canons and a plaque commemorating the battle overlooking the river on Bluff Rd and Washington Blvd. Following the American Civil War, most of the East Los Angeles region was owned by Alessandro Repetto. The land was carved into smaller areas after his death. Montebello, meaning beautiful hills in the Italian language, was named at the suggestion of a gentleman named William Mulholland. It was Mulholland who developed the Los Angeles region water system, which was incorporated as the Montebello Land and Water Company in 1900.
Montebello was originally an agricultural community. The discovery of oil by Standard Oil Company on the Anita Baldwin property in 1917 brought about a revolutionary change to Montebello. The agricultural hills soon became a major contributor to oil production. By 1920, Montebello oil fields were producing one-eighth of California's crude oil. On October 19, 1920, Montebello was incorporated as the 35th of the present cities in Los Angeles County.
Montebello is also home to a significant Japanese-Peruvian and Japanese-Hawaiian community; who settled in the area after WWII and the internment camps.
Source:
MontebelloCalifornia.com
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