Country United States Elevation 774 ft (236 m) Population 51,074 (2013) | Incorporated November 13, 1911 Local time Tuesday 12:54 PM Mayor Gene Murabito | |
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Named for Leadora Bennett Whitcomb Weather 31°C, Wind SW at 8 km/h, 19% Humidity | ||
Glendora is a city in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California, 23 miles (37 km) east of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the population of Glendora was 50,073.
Contents
- Map of Glendora CA USA
- History
- Geography
- 2010
- Municipal Government
- State and Federal Government
- Education
- Elementary Schools
- Middle Schools
- High Schools
- Continuation High Schools
- Private Schools
- Universities Colleges
- Public Health
- Cultural Facilities
- Festivals
- Parks and Trails
- Public Transit
- Freeways and Highways
- Airports
- Top employers
- Television
- News Media
- Filming
- Notable people
- Sister cities
- References
Map of Glendora, CA, USA
Known as the "Pride of the Foothills", Glendora is an affluent city with a diverse housing stock and a consistently high-ranking school district. Its quaint downtown area, better known as Glendora Village, is consistently voted as one of the best downtowns in the San Gabriel Valley. There are dozens of restaurants, cafes, shops and boutiques along the the main street, Glendora Boulevard, and the Village is a source of pride for the friendly locals. Glendora has its own police force, and the town's crime rate is very low.
Residences in Glendora reflect the city's history and range from Queen Annes, to Folk Victorians, early 20th-century bungalows, to ranch style homes, to mid-rise Multi-family residential complexes, to modern mansions. Glendora's most expensive neighborhoods contain many very large, secluded, estate homes with sweeping views across the San Gabriel Valley to Downtown Los Angeles. These neighborhoods include: Morgan Ranch, Gordon Highlands, Bluebird Hill, Silent Ranch, Oak Tree Rancho, Hidden Springs, Oakhart Estates, and Easley Canyon Estates. Membership in the Glendora Country Club is by invitation only. The Club's 18-hole golf course has been played by many professional golfers.
Glendora celebrated its centennial as an incorporated city in 2011.
Glendora lies within the San Gabriel Valley, and it is bordered by Azusa to the west, San Dimas to the east and south, Covina to the south, and the San Gabriel Mountains range to the north. The area code is area code 626 with at small portion of southeast Glendora sharing area code 909 with the eastern Los Angeles County cities, such as Claremont, and western San Bernardino County.
History
Ygnacio Palomares received the 22,000-acre (89 km2) land grant Rancho San Jose from Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado in 1837. The land included the present day cities of Pomona, Claremont, La Verne, San Dimas, and Glendora.
Located at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, modern Glendora was founded on April 1, 1887 by George D. Whitcomb who moved to California from Illinois in the early 1880s. Whitcomb was the founder of the Whitcomb Locomotive Works in Chicago and Rochelle, Illinois. He devised the name Glendora by combining the name of his wife, Leadora Bennett Whitcomb, with the location of his home in a glen of the San Gabriel Mountains. Prior to its 1911 incorporation, Glendora's administrator officially occupied the office of President of Glendora.
The downtown area as it appears now is the product of years of renovation and maintenance by the city. There once stood a movie theatre, various banks, and playhouses downtown but all were converted into more modern commercial buildings. The original layout can be read about on the Downtown Glendora Historical Walk, by reading placards placed along Glendora Avenue (previously called Michigan Avenue). The original townsite was bounded by Sierra Madre Avenue on the north, Minnesota Avenue on the east, Ada Avenue, & the railroad on the south, & Pennsylvania Avenue on the west.
Glendora used to be home to many military academies, which have since been converted into either churches or private school facilities. These academies included Brown Military Academy, now St. Lucy's Priory High School and Church of the Open Door on Sierra Madre, and Harding Military Academy, whose property is now home to North Glendora Private, a prestigious private community adjacent to Easley Canyon atop Glendora Avenue.
From 1960 to 1978, Glendora was home to Clokey Productions which produced 85 episodes of Gumby and 65 episodes of Davey and Goliath in town. In celebration of this history, Glendora hosted the first Gumby Fest in 2014 which brought thousands of people from around the country and Canada. In 2015 the 2nd GumbyFest was held at Citrus College over an entire weekend.
Several wildfires have affected the city in recent years, the most notable being the Colby Fire, which displaced hundreds of Glendora residents. A relief concert titled "Glendora Band Aid" was held shortly after the fire to help raise funds to assist the homeowners who lost their homes in the fire.
Glendora has an active Chamber of Commerce, established in 1903. The mission of the Glendora Chamber is to provide tools and resources to assist the business community in prospering and adapting to the economic climate, while growing membership and promoting local purchasing.
Geography
Glendora is located at 34°7′51″N 117°51′15″W (34.130957, -117.854127). The city lies in the eastern end of the San Gabriel Valley between the San Gabriel Mountains range to the north and the South Hills to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.6 square miles (51 km2), of which 19.4 square miles (50 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), or 0.84%, is water.
2010
As of the census of 2010, there were 50,073 people, 16,819 households, and 12,866 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,581.5 inhabitants per square mile (996.8/km²). There were 17,145 housing units at an average density of 895.7 per square mile (345.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.1% White (57.0% Non-Hispanic White), 1.9% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 8.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.2% from other races, and 4.8% from two or more races. 30.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 16,819 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the city, the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Glendora had a median household income of $74,615, with 7.8% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
Municipal Government
Glendora is run by a City Council of five members. The members are elected at large and serve four-year (staggered) terms of office. Following each election, the Council selects from its membership a Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem. The current Mayor is Gene Murabito.
Public safety services are provided by the Glendora Police Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
State and Federal Government
In the California State Legislature, Glendora is in the 25th Senate District, represented by Democrat Anthony Portantino, and in the 48th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Blanca Rubio.
In the United States House of Representatives, Glendora is split between California's 27th congressional district (North of I-210) and California's 32nd congressional district (South of I-210), which are represented by Judy Chu (D–Monterey Park) and Grace Napolitano (D–Norwalk), respectively.
Education
The city has two public school districts: Glendora Unified and Charter Oak Unified School Districts. These systems are considered two of the best in the state and the country, consistently ranking in the top performing brackets. Each Glendora school in these two school districts are designated as California Distinguished Schools.
Elementary Schools
Middle Schools
High Schools
Continuation High Schools
Private Schools
Universities & Colleges
Public Health
There are two hospitals in the city:
Los Angeles County also offers community health services for Glendora residents at the Monrovia Health Center and Pomona Health Center.
Cultural Facilities
Festivals
Parks and Trails
Glendora is an active community and it has an extensive system of parks, trails, and recreational programs for the community.
The Glendora Mountain Road is also a popular road for cyclists and sightseers offering spectacular views through the San Gabriel Mountains.
Public Transit
Glendora is served by Foothill Transit which provides connections through the city and express service to downtown Los Angeles. The Metro Gold Line termini station at APU/Citrus College in the adjacent city of Azusa also provides a transit link to the rest of the Metro system of trains and buses. A future extension of the Gold Line, from its current termini in Azusa to the City of Montclair in San Bernardino County, will include a station in Glendora to be located in the southeast corner of the intersection of Ada Ave and Vermont St. The station is not expected to be in service until 2026.
Glendora also runs its own weekday transportation shuttle service, the Glendora Mini Bus, with shuttles to the Metrolink Commuter Rail Station in nearby Covina, the APU/Citrus College Metro station, and an inter-school service connecting some of the city's schools. The Mini Bus also provides curb-to-curb transportation services for senior citizens and permanently disabled persons of Glendora. The bus operates: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m–5:00 p.m. Saturday–Sunday, 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. The cost is 50¢ each way. Most of the Mini Buses have been recently acquired by the city, and are new and very modern (as well as fuel-efficient).
Freeways and Highways
Glendora lies at the intersection of two major freeways, the 210 and the 57. These two freeways conveniently connect the city with the rest of the Southern California region. Historic U.S. Route 66 also traverses the city from east to west and it is an important corridor for businesses. Other major roads and highways include Foothill Blvd, Grand Ave, Arrow Hwy, and Lone Hill Ave.
Airports
There are no airports within the city limits. However, Glendora is within an hour drive from all major area airports including, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), Ontario International Airport (ONT), Long Beach Airport (LGB), and John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County.
Top employers
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
Television
KGLN TV Station is a governmental programming channel under the exclusive editorial control of the City of Glendora. By law, programming and information appearing on this channel is limited to City-originated programming of Public Meetings, City-sponsored events/activities, City-originated information, and the California legislative network live cablecast for a portion of each program day.
News Media
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune, based in Monrovia, provides news coverage in Glendora.
Filming
The Glendora Village, Citrus College Campus and the Rebel Castle are popular filming locations in the city. Some movies and TV shows that have been fully or partially filmed in Glendora include: