Sierra Madre, California

Sierra Madre is a small city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 10,578 at the 2000 census. It is in the Foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains below the Angeles National Forest with the city of Pasadena to the west, and Arcadia to the south and east.

1 History and culture
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Education
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History and culture

Sierra Madre is historically linked to the old mountain resorts of the San Gabriel Mountains and Valley. The Sierra Madre Villa Hotel was a pioneer of summer resorts that populated the late-1800s San Gabriel Valley. The Adams' Pack Station is the last remaining pack station in Southern California. The municipality also operates maintains the landmark Lizzie's Trail in at the head of Old Mount Wilson Trail.

Sierra Madre is known for its annual Wistaria Festival, which celebrates its 112 year old, 1+ acre wisteria vine, which is named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest blooming plant and one of the seven horticultural wonders of the world. The city is also home to the only remaining volunteer fire department in the Greater Los Angeles area, and has no traffic signals within city limits.

Another striking feature of this small city's culture is the unusual community of the Sierra Madre Canyon. The Canyon is physically marked by a small market (Mary's Market), narrow and winding roads, very wild and verdant vegetation, striking vistas of Los Angeles County, and small bungalows or cabins; culturally, it is marked by a stark aversion to new construction, a strong sense of environmental responsibility, social cohesion through "Taco Tuesdays", and an affinity for cannabis. Though the Canyon's unique characteristics are often attributed to a strong Hippie presence leftover from the 1960s, many Canyon residents are newcomers, attracted to the Canyon's off-the-beaten-path, wild, and breathtakingly natural aura. Barring a massive wildfire in the area, the Sierra Madre Canyon will continue to thrive as one of the quirkiest and yet most exhilarating getaways of the Los Angeles County.^{[citation needed]}

With the appointment of Marilyn Diaz as Police Chief on March 14, 2006, the City of Sierra Madre's Police Department became the first municipal police department in Los Angeles County to have a female Chief. There are currently 17 sworn members of the Sierra Madre Police Department.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Geography

Sierra Madre is located at 34°9′53″N, 118°3′3″W (34.164806, -118.050907)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.8 km² (3.0 mi²). 7.8 km² (3.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.33% is water.

[edit] Demographics

The Sierra Madre Villa Hotel, 1884.

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 10,578 people, 4,756 households, and 2,739 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,361.4/km² (3,522.9/mi²). There were 4,923 housing units at an average density of 633.6/km² (1,639.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.81% White, 1.14% African American, 0.35% Native American, 9.60% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 3.02% from other races, and 3.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.96% of the population.

There were 4,756 households out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.4% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $75,900, and the median income for a family was $89,588. Males had a median income of $61,635 versus $42,527 for females. The per capita income for the city was $41,104. About 1.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.