West Covina, California

West Covina is a city located in eastern Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 105,080. As of 2002, it is the 50th largest city in California.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Education
5 Business
6 Trivia
7 External links

[edit] Geography

West Covina is located at 34°3′24″N, 117°55′7″W (34.056660, -117.918617)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.7 km² (16.1 mi²), all land.

West Covina is mostly flat land, except in the eastern portion where there are hills and small mountains. There are no bodies of water in the city except for one pond that is surrounded by residential homes.

[edit] History

West Covina was incorporated as an independent city in 1923 to keep the city of Covina from building a sewage farm there. For several years in the 1950s, it was the fastest-growing city in the United States, with suburban development completely replacing the area's agricultural base.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 105,080 people, 31,411 households, and 25,254 families residing in the city. The current approximate population as of 2004 is 111,404. The population density was 2,518.4/km² (6,524.6/mi²). There were 32,058 housing units at an average density of 768.3/km² (1,990.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 43.86% White, 6.37% African American, 0.78% Native American, 22.70% Asian (mainly Filipino), 0.22% Pacific Islander, 21.22% from other races, and 4.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 45.73% of the population.

There were 31,411 households out of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.32 and the average family size was 3.67.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,002, and the median income for a family was $57,614. Males had a median income of $38,160 versus $31,138 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,342. About 6.8% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Over the past two decades, West Covina has experienced significant demographic change. The Hispanic proportion of its population has increased from 21% in 1980 to 45.7% in 2000, while the white non-Hispanic proportion has decreased from 64.8% to 23% in that period. The proportion of the population that is Asian or Pacific Islander increased from 3.8% to 22.6% from 1980 to 2000. At the same time, the population of the city as a whole has grown:

1980 - 80,291
1990 - 96,086
2000 - 105,080
2004 - 111,404
2006 - 111,400 (estimate)

[edit] Education

West Covina has 13 public and seven private elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools: West Covina High School and South Hills High School, one continuation high school and one adult school. Approximately 35,000 students were enrolled in West Covina public schools during the 2001-2002 school year. While there are no universities within the city, there are several colleges and universities within a few miles of the city including Azusa Pacific University, Mt. San Antonio College, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

[edit] Business

As part of the pro-active redevelopment efforts of the city's business districts, it has successfully attracted many popular restaurant chains (Hooters, Elephant Bar, TGI Friday's, Chili's), big-box retailers, and auto dealers (Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Hummer, Jaguar). The city also boasts of two fairly large shopping malls, Westfield West Covina and Westfield Eastland, both of which are owned by Westfield Shoppingtown. A Hong Kong Supermarket replaced a Ralphs supermarket and strip mall and was completely remodeled to include many Asian cuisine restaurants — mostly Chinese with some Filipino, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese — and shops. Similar developments have occurred in other parts of the city, albeit with more Filipino businesses centered in the intersection of Amar and Azusa Ave. The BKK Landfill on Azusa Avenue was closed in the early 1990s and a Home Depot store will be located on the site. There is a weekday shuttle bus system called GO WEST, which helps the flow around the city. There is also a free shuttle bus to the Baldwin Park Metrolink station for those who park in the West Covina Civic Center parking structure.

West Covina's Restaurant Row is locate east of Citrus Avenue and north of the San Bernardino Freeway contains a mixture of restaurants including Hooter's. The city's Farmers Market is held every week in the parking lot of West Covina Parkway strip mall (where chain stores Good Guys and Pier 1 Imports used to anchor before), across from Westfield Shoppingtown and Firestone Tire.

[edit] Trivia

According to local historian Donald Pflueger, around the time of World War II, West Covina received much of its revenue from a speed trap on the main highway that went through town.