Monterey Park, California Totally Explained

Everything about Monterey Park California totally explained

Monterey Park (Chinese: 蒙特利公园市) (Japanese: モントレーパーク市) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2005 estimate, the city had a total population of 63,928.
   Monterey Park's city motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future". Up in the hills near Monterey Highlands Elementary School, Brightwood Elementary School, Repetto Elementary School and Garvey Ranch Park, well-to-do families live out the So-Cal dream in beautifully landscaped homes featuring quiet, winding streets, expansive views of city lights, skyscrapers of Downtown LA and the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance. Down below, the rest of Monterey Park (along the main arteries of Garvey Avenue, Garfield Blvd. and Atlantic Blvd.) features a mix of residential living, within close proximity to well recognized brand stores and services (for example VANS, Starbucks Coffee, Ralph's, CVS), unique mom and pop shops, as well as some of the best resturants in LA. Indeed, almost everyone who is familiar with Monterey Park will recommend to you "their place" for dim sum, "their place" for the best Char-Siu chow fun. While Monterey Park's dim sum is well known throughout Los Angeles (Monterey Park was even named as a dining destination by the kids on the 1990s cult classic TV show Beverly Hills, 90210), Japanese sushi restaurants, Vietnamese pho noodle and sandwich shops, Hong Kong style cafes, Mexican restaurants as well as myriad other cool, unique "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants hold their own.
   One of the best aspects of Monterey Park's location is its proximity to the heart of Los Angeles - Downtown LA. Bound by the 60 Freeway and the 10 Freeway, one can be at City Hall, Little Tokyo, Old Chinatown, Walt Disney Concert Hall or the Museum of Contemporary Art in 10 minutes if you time it right (otherwise, unfortunately traffic can easily double or triple that commute).
   The Metro 70 bus passes through Garvey Avenue and connects Monterey Park to Downtown Los Angeles to the west (and El Monte Station to the east) 24 hours a day. From the intersection of Garvey Avenue and Atlantic Avenue it takes approx. 18 minutes to get to Union Station (Los Angeles). Heading west, the Metro 70 bus makes stops at California State University Los Angeles and goes directly by Union Station (Los Angeles), City Hall, the western border of Little Tokyo (before turning on 1st Street), then continues down Grand Avenue past Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall and MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles).
   Monterey Park is well known for its authentic cultural celebrations with a casual, family friendly neighborhood feel - the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, Lunar New Year's Celebration and Cinco De Mayo Festival.
   Monterey Park is home to a Farmer's Market, located at the corner of Lincoln and Garvey Avenues. It's open every Saturday, rain or shine, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and features organic and pesticide free fruits and vegetables, organic oriental vegetables, fresh flowers, flowering and fruit plants, orchids, kettle corn, roasted peanuts and specialty Mediterranean foods.

History

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the land was populated by the Tongva (Gabrielino) Native Americans. The Tongva 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'd wear animal skin capes.
   By the early 19th century the area was part of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel mission system and later, the Rancho San Antonio. The area first received a separate identity when Alessandro Repetto purchased 5,000 acres (20 km²) of the rancho and built his home, not far from where the Edison substation is now located on Garfield Avenue.
   By this time Old World diseases had killed off many of the Tongva, and by 1870 the area had few left.
   It was at this time, Richard Garvey, a mail rider for the U.S. Army whose route took him through Monterey Pass, a trail that's now Garvey Avenue, settled down in the King's Hills. Garvey began developing the land by bringing in spring water from near the Hondo River and by constructing a high dam to form Garvey Lake located where Garvey Ranch Park is now. To pay for his development and past debts, Garvey began selling portions of his property. In 1906, the first subdivision in the area, Ramona Acres, was developed north of Garvey and east of Garfield Avenues.
   In 1916, the new residents of the area initiated action to become a city when the cities of Pasadena, South Pasadena, and Alhambra proposed to put a large sewage treatment facility in the area. The community voted itself into city hood on May 29, 1916, by a vote of 455 to 33. The City's new Board of Directors immediately outlawed sewage plants within city boundaries and named the new city Monterey Park. The name was taken from an old government map showing the oak-covered hills of the area as Monterey Hills. In 1920, a large area on the south edge of the city broke away and the separate city of Montebello was established.
   By 1920, the white and Spanish-surname settlers were joined by Asian residents who began farming potatoes and flowers and developing nurseries in the Monterey Highlands area. They improved the Monterey Pass Trail with a road to aid in shipping their produce to Los Angeles. The nameless pass, which had been a popular location for western movies, was called Coyote Pass by Pioneer Masami Abe.
   In 1926, near the corner of Atlantic and Garvey Boulevards, Laura Scudder invented the first sealed bag of potato chips. In an effort to maintain quality and freshness, Laura's team would iron sheets of wax paper together to form a bag. They would fill these bags with potato chips; iron the top closed, and then delivered them to various retailers.
   Real estate became a thriving industry during the late 1920s with investors attracted to the many subdivisions under development and increasing commercial opportunities. One such development was the Midwick View Estates by Peter N. Snyder, a proposed garden community that was designed to rival Bel Air and Beverly Hills. Known as the "Father of the East Side", Mr. Snyder was a key player in the vast undertaking in the 1920s of developing the East Side as part of the industrial base of Los Angeles. His efforts to build Atlantic Boulevard, his work with the East Side organization to bring industry to the East Side and his residential and commercial development projects along Atlantic Boulevard (Gardens Square, Golden Gate Square, and the Midwick View Estates) were a major influence to the surrounding communities. The focal point of the Midwick View Estates was Jardin del Encanto, otherwise known as "El Encanto", a Spanish style building that was to serve as the administration building and community center for Midwick View Estates and an amphitheater to be nestled into the hillside above Kingsford Street. Although the amphitheater was never built, the observation terrace from which viewers could look down to Jardin del Encanto and the fountain with cascading water going down the hillside in stepped pools to De La Fuente remains and is now known as Heritage Falls Park or "the Cascades". It was result of the Depression that brought an abrupt end to the real estate boom and the Midwick proposal. The City had little development for nearly two decades.
   The end of World War II resulted in a revived growth trend and explosive population gains during the 1940s and 1950s. Until this time, the population was concentrated in the northern and southern portions of the city, with the Garvey and Monterey Hills forming a natural barrier. With the renewed growth, many new subdivisions were developed, utilizing even the previously undeveloped central area to allow for maximum growth potential. A series of annexations of surrounding land also occurred.

Recent history

In the 1980s, Monterey Park was billed as "Little Taipei". Many businesses from Chinatown, Los Angeles began to open up stores in Monterey Park, such as the Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant. In the 1970s and 1980s, many affluent waisheng ren Taiwanese immigrants moved abroad from Taiwan and began settling into Monterey Park. Mandarin Chinese was dominant in the city during that time period. By the late 1980s, affluent immigrants from Mainland China and Vietnam began moving into Monterey Park. In the 1990 census this city had the first Asian descent majority population in the continental United States.
   From the late 1970s, with a combined influx of Vietnamese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong immigrant students at the time, Mark Keppel High School (constructed during the New Deal era and located in Alhambra, but also serving most of Monterey Park and portions of Rosemead) felt the impact of this new immigration as the student population increased dramatically. This led to overcrowding. Today, many students are largely second- or third-generation Asian Americans.
   In the late 1980s the city of Monterey Park passed an ordinance requiring signs to be posted in English, as well as a moratorium on new building in an attempt to regulate to massive growth the city experienced as a result of the influx of Asian immigrants. This controversial move caused many Asian residents and businesses to shift focus, establishing themselves in the neighboring city of Alhambra. These actions were subsequently rescinded once the potential loss of business revenue was recognized.
   Since early 1990s, the Taiwanese have been no longer dominant in the city and Cantonese Chinese is now widely spoken and heard in most Chinese businesses of Monterey Park. The construction boom of shopping centers has declined. High property values and overcrowding in Monterey Park have contributed to a secondary movement. Furthermore, most established, wealthy Taiwanese immigrants have since relocated out of Monterey Park and northward on to wealthier suburbs of San Marino, Arcadia, Temple City, South Pasadena and eastward to Rowland Heights (called the "new Little Taipei" by a local Chinese-language newspaper), Diamond Bar, Hacienda Heights, and Walnut with many Chinese-speaking businesses started in those suburbs to accommodate this particular movement. This path exactly follows the White Flight of the late 1970s. There are still countless Chinese-oriented businesses in Monterey Park. Development of new buildings in Monterey Park have come to a standstill and several overgrown weedy lots still remain undeveloped. Upcoming commercial developments include the Atlantic Times Square

, a of commercial/retail space including a 14-screen theater within a mixed use project at the southeast corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Hellman Avenue, and the Garvey Villas at the southwest corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Garvey Avenue.

Today

Monterey Park is 42.32% Chinese, making it the community in the United States with the largest population of Chinese descent. Unknown to most non-Asian locals, the "Chinese" population in Monterey Park and San Gabriel Valley is fairly diverse, in terms of linguistics, socio-economics and region of origin. Monterey Park originally attracted immigrants from Taiwan, as well as Mainland Chinese and the overseas Chinese from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Myanmar.
   Monterey Park hasn't been called Chinatown as such; instead, the Chinese-dominant business district, around Garfield Avenue and Garvey Avenue, is now called Downtown Monterey Park. In 2005, the large ginseng store Wing Hop Fung (a favorite in Chinatown) opened in Monterey Park, which replaced a defunct Rite-Aid store in an aging but popular strip mall anchored by the Taiwanese American supermarket chain 99 Ranch Market. In the mid-1980s, Lincoln Plaza Hotel was built to service tourists from Taiwan and Hong Kong, with original plans to have it also serve as a venue as a Chinese convention center.
   Monterey Park has several choices of Hong Kong fusion cafes (in fact, the first Hong Kong-style cafe opened in San Gabriel Valley actually started in Monterey Park, but it has since closed due to intense competition) and Cantonese seafood restaurants as well as some choices of restaurants offering Mainland Chinese noodles and dumplings. Interestingly, as the activity of Taiwanese immigrant activity shifted to San Gabriel, Arcadia and Rowland Heights in the 1980s and 1990s, very few trendy Taiwanese restaurants have opened in Monterey Park.
   While the multigenerational American-born Latino population was generally declining in Monterey Park, there has been some new incoming of Mexican immigrants.
   Monterey Park is home to the Garvey Ranch Observatory, located in Garvey Ranch Park, which is operated by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS). It adjoins a telescope construction workshop, a historical museum and a library. The observatory houses an refractor, and the grounds are open to the public for astronomical observation (hosted by LAAS members) on Wednesday evenings.
   The Sybil Brand Institute, the county jail for women, was located in the city, but closed in 1994 after the facility had been damaged in the Northridge earthquake.
   Currently, several major construction projects are taking place in Monterey Park. Four plans have been made available for viewing on the Monterey Park website:
The Monterey Park Garvey Villas offers of retail space. The mixed-use development also features 98 condominiums near the San Bernardino I-10 Freeway. Residents will enjoy such amenities as recreation facilities and private, secured parking.
   The Atlantic Times Square (External Link

) is a mixed-use project located along Atlantic Boulevard, at the southeast corner of Atlantic and Hellman Avenue. The Atlantic Times Square will offer over of retail and entertainment space adjacent to the I-10 San Bernardino Freeway. The complex is slated to feature a 14-screen AMC Theater Cineplex, a Chili's restaurant, a Cold Stones Creamery, and a Quizno's, among others. 210 condominiums will be integrated into the development.
The Monterey Park Towne Centre offers of retail space in the heart of Monterey Park's Downtown revitalization. Integrated into a mixed-use development with 109 high quality condominiums, the Towne Centre features a palm court entry surrounded by major anchors, specialty shops and outdoor dining. Residents will enjoy such amenities as a community clubhouse, recreation facilities and private, secured parking.
Cascades Market Place will be located next to the State Highway 60, Pomona Freeway, is the future site of the Monterey Park Market Place power center. This 45 acre project site has grade level visibility from the freeway unmatched by any retail project in the region. :)

Location

Monterey Park is located on the western part of the San Gabriel Valley, near Downtown Los Angeles.
The city boundaries include Los Angeles to the west, unincorporated East Los Angeles to the south, Alhambra to the north, Rosemead to the northeast, Montebello to the South, and unincorporated South San Gabriel to the southeast.

Transportation

Monterey Park is served by the I-710, the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10), SR 60.
Additional transportation is provided by the city government (Spirit bus service

and Metrolink feeder bus

), the city of Montebello

and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

. China Airlines operates private bus services to Los Angeles International Airport from ABC Café at 100 North Garfield Avenue, Monterey Park, 91754 to feed its flight to Taipei, Republic of China.

Geography

Monterey Park is located at (34.049199, -118.135561).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.7 square miles (19.9 km²), of which, 7.6 square miles (19.8 km²) of it's land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.39%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 60,051 people, 19,564 households, and 15,240 families residing in the city. The population density was 7,869.5 people per square mile (3,038.8/km²). There were 20,209 housing units at an average density of 2,648.3/sq mi (1,022.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 21.29% White, 0.38% African American, 0.65% Native American, 61.82% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 12.45% from other races, and 3.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.91% of the population.
   There were 19,564 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.43.
   In the city the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
   The median income for a household in the city was $40,724, and the median income for a family was $43,507. Males had a median income of $32,463 versus $29,057 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,661. About 12.4% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature Monterey Park is located in the 24th Senate District, represented by Democrat Gloria Romero, and in the 49th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Mike Eng (also a former mayor of Monterey Park). Federally, Monterey Park is located in California's 29th and 32nd congressional districts, which have Cook PVIs of D +12 and D +17 and is represented by Democrats Adam Schiff and Hilda Solis respectively.

Education

Four school districts all serve different areas of Monterey Park. They include Alhambra Unified School District, Garvey School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Montebello Unified School District (External Link

Colleges and universities

East Los Angeles College is a community college that's located in Monterey Park in an area that was once East Los Angeles (unincorporated).

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Alhambra USD

K-8 schools serving AUSD Monterey Park include:

Brightwood School (Monterey Park)
Monterey Highlands School (Monterey Park)
Repetto School (Monterey Park)
Ynez School (Monterey Park)

Mark Keppel High School, located in Alhambra serves Monterey Park.

Garvey School District

Two elementary schools, Hillcrest

and Monterey Vista

(both are in Monterey Park), serve this portion. Monterey Vista is a blue ribbon school. Garvey Intermediate School

(Rosemead) also serves this portion.
Once residents graduate from grade 8, they're zoned to Alhambra's Mark Keppel HS.

Los Angeles USD

Robert Lane Elementary School

(Monterey Park), Griffith Middle School (Unincorporated Los Angeles County), and Garfield High School (Unincorporated Los Angeles County) serve the LAUSD portion.

Montebello USD

Bella Vista Elementary School

(Monterey Park), Potrero Heights Elementary School

(South San Gabriel), Macy Intermediate School

(Monterey Park), and Schurr High School (Montebello) serve the Montebello USD portion.

Private schools

There are a few private schools in Monterey Park, including New Avenue School.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Monterey Park California'.

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