- Covina
-
City of Covina — City — 
SealMotto: "One Square Mile and All There", "Where Friendship is Traditional" (1965) Location of Covina in Los Angeles County, California
Coordinates: 34°5′30″N 117°52′45″W / 34.09167°N 117.87917°WCoordinates: 34°5′30″N 117°52′45″W / 34.09167°N 117.87917°W Country 
United StatesState 
CaliforniaCounty Los Angeles Settled 1882 Incorporated (city) 1901-08-14 [1] Government - Mayor Peggy Delach [2] - City manager Daryl J. Parrish Area[3] - Total 7.041 sq mi (18.236 km2) - Land 7.026 sq mi (18.196 km2) - Water 0.015 sq mi (0.039 km2) 0.22% Elevation 558 ft (170 m) Population (2010) - Total 47,796 - Density 6,788.2/sq mi (2,621/km2) Time zone PST (UTC-8) - Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7) ZIP Code 91722, 91723, 91724 [4] Area code(s) 626 [5] FIPS code 06-16742 GNIS feature ID 1652693 Website http://www.ci.covina.ca.us/ Covina is a small city in Los Angeles County, California about 22 miles (35 km) east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Valley region. The population was 47,796 at the 2010 census, up from 46,837 at the 2000 census. The city's slogan, "One Mile Square and All There" was coined when the incorporated area of the city was only (some say slightly less than) one square mile, making it the smallest city in area in the country.
Covina is often confused with West Covina which is actually larger in both area and population, located to its south and westside. Irwindale lies to the west, as well as the unincorporated area of Vincent, and the city of Baldwin Park. Azusa and Glendora are to the north, the unincorporated community of Charter Oak to the northeast, San Dimas to the east, the unincorporated areas of Ramona and Via Verde, and the city of Pomona to the southeast.
Contents
History
The city was founded in 1882 by Joseph Swift Phillips, on a 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) tract that was purchased from the John Edward Hollenbeck holdings. The City of Covina was named by a young engineer, Frederick Eaton, who was hired by Phillips to survey the area. Impressed by the way in which the valleys of the adjacent San Gabriel Mountains formed a natural cove around the vineyards that had been planted by the region's earlier pioneers, Eaton merged the words "cove" and "vine", and in 1885, created the name Covina for the new township.[6]
The city's slogan, "One Mile Square and All There" [6] was coined by Mrs F. E. Wolfarth, the winner of a 1922 slogan contest sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, when the incorporated area of the city was only (some say slightly less than) one square mile, making it the smallest city in area in the country.
The city was incorporated in 1901. It would be orange and grapefruit trees, not vineyards, that would soon blanket the area and make it famous. By 1909, the city was the third largest orange producer in the world,[6] and it still claimed to have "the best oranges in the world" as late as the 1950s. Since World War II, however, the orange groves have been largely replaced by single family and multiple family dwellings.[7]
The Covina Valley Historical Society maintains an extensive archive illustrating the city's history in the 1911-built Firehouse Jail Museum, Covina's first municipal building, located immediately behind City Hall in Covina's Old Town.[6]
Currently
Today, Covina claims to have the largest movie multiplex in Los Angeles County. Opened in 1997, the Covina AMC 30 located at Arrow Hwy. and Azusa Ave. is one of the busiest theatres in America.[8] The movie theater was built on the site of a former Sears building.
It has been a sister city of Jalapa, Mexico since 1964. A replica of a giant stone Olmec head, located in front of the city police station, was given to the city in 1989 by the state of Veracruz, Mexico.[9]
During the election held March 6, 2007, nine candidates ran for two of the five positions on the city council. The voters then rejected the 10-year renewal of a 6% Utility Users Tax the city has had since 1999. Only 3,797 ballots were cast out of 21,633 registered voters. The Utility Users Tax was subsequently renewed at the June 3, 2008 election which attracted 5,032 voters.
2008 marked both the opening as well as charter season of the Covina Center for the Performing Arts, a newly remodeled multimillion dollar theatrical venue in downtown Covina.
Geography
Covina is located at 34°5′30″N 117°52′45″W / 34.09167°N 117.87917°W (34.091609, -117.879193).[10]
No freeways pass through the city limits, although it is centered in the midst of Interstate 210 (Foothill Freeway) to the north, Interstate 10 (San Bernardino Freeway) to the south, Interstate 605 (San Gabriel River Freeway) to the west, and the State Route 57 (Orange Freeway) to the east.[9]
The Southern Pacific Railroad, which reached Covina in 1884, and the Metrolink San Bernardino Line pass through the city just north of the downtown area. The town is located at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley. [9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.0 square miles (18 km2). 7.0 square miles (18 km2) of it is land and 0.22% of it is water.
Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census[11] reported that Covina had a population of 47,796. The population density was 6,788.3 people per square mile (2,621.0/km²). The racial makeup of Covina was 27,937 (58.5%) White, 2,013 (4.2%) African American, 532 (1.1%) Native American, 5,684 (11.9%) Asian, 104 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 9,230 (19.3%) from other races, and 2,296 (4.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25,030 persons (52.4%).
The Census reported that 47,361 people (99.1% of the population) lived in households, 68 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 367 (0.8%) were institutionalized.
There were 15,855 households, out of which 6,396 (40.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,931 (50.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,815 (17.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,072 (6.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 978 (6.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 94 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,153 households (19.9%) were made up of individuals and 1,179 (7.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99. There were 11,818 families (74.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.43.
The population was spread out with 11,896 people (24.9%) under the age of 18, 5,043 people (10.6%) aged 18 to 24, 13,113 people (27.4%) aged 25 to 44, 12,174 people (25.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,570 people (11.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.7 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
There were 16,576 housing units at an average density of 2,354.2 per square mile (909.0/km²), of which 9,256 (58.4%) were owner-occupied, and 6,599 (41.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%. 28,707 people (60.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 18,654 people (39.0%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 46,837 people, 15,971 households, and 11,754 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,723.7 inhabitants per square mile (2,594.5/km²). There were 16,364 housing units at an average density of 2,349.1 per square mile (906.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.10% White, 5.03% Black or African American, 0.90% Native American, 9.82% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 17.18% from other races, and 4.78% from two or more races. 40.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[9]
There were 15,971 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.36.[9]
In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.[9]
The median income for a household in the city was $48,474, and the median income for a family was $55,111. Males had a median income of $40,687 versus $32,329 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,231. About 8.9% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.[9]
An additional 30,000 residents live in unincorporated areas of the three zip codes associated with Covina but outside the city limits, making the total Covina area population 76,417.
Government and infrastructure
Local government in Covina is run by an elected city council through their hired city manager. Covina residents are represented at-large, currently by the following elected officials: Mayor Peggy Delach, Mayor Pro Tem John King, Councilmember Walt Allen, III, Councilmember Bob Low, Councilmember Kevin Stapleton, City Clerk Toni J. Taber, City Treasurer John (Jack) B. Fielding.
In the state legislature, Covina is located in the 24th Senate District, represented by Democrat Gloria Romero, and in the 57th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Edward P. Hernandez. In the United States Congress, Covina is located in California's 32nd congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +17[13] and is represented by Democrat Judy Chu.
Covinians who access county health services may use the Pomona Health Center in Pomona or the Monrovia Health Center in Monrovia, both operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services [14][15]
Economy
Top employers
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[16] the top employers in the city are:
# Employer # of Employees 1 Covina Valley Unified School District 1,291 2 Citrus Valley Medical Center 1,139 3 Charter Oak Unified School District 584 4 Wal-Mart 286 5 Magan Medical Clinic 270 6 City of Covina 268 7 Bert's Mega Mall 220 8 Pall Medical 202 9 MedLegal 193 10 IKEA 186 Christmas Massacre
Main article: Covina massacreOn December 24, 2008, a shooting and arson occurred in Covina, in which a man, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, dressed in a Santa Claus costume entered a Christmas party at his ex-wife's residence and proceeded to open fire. After the shootings, Pardo unwrapped a Christmas package containing a homemade flamethrower, and used it to spray racing fuel gasoline to set the home ablaze. At least 9 people were believed to have been killed as a result of the massacre. Nine bodies were found in ruins of 'Santa massacre' home. After the attack, Pardo put on his street clothes and drove his rental car to his brother's house in Sylmar, approximately 30 miles (48 km) away from the crime scene, where he was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.[17]
Appearances in fiction
Covina is the fictional setting for the Harold Teen comic strip and 1934 movie that depicted several teenagers from Covina High School. A downtown Covina malt shop was named the Sugar Bowl (with the permission of the artist Carl Eds), imitating the after-school gathering place in the comic strip.
Movie locations
Scenes from several movies were filmed in Covina, including:
- The television series Roswell was filmed in various location in Covina[18] including the downtown area on North Citrus Avenue. City Hall, Charter Oak High School and several other businesses and residences served as locations for the fictional version of the town of Roswell, NM.
- Multiple episodes of the hit television series Knight Rider were filmed in Downtown "Old" Covina, including an episode coincidentally shot at Knight's Photo Studio on Citrus, where David Hasselhoff greeted fans and passed out signed photographs.
- One of the ending shots of the movie Frailty was filmed on Center St. off of Hollenbeck.
- The Bohemian Rhapsody scene from the film Wayne's World was filmed on Citrus Ave. in downtown Covina, although some external shots were filmed in other locations.
- The interior of Covina Public Library served as the Baltimore County Public Library for the 2004 television movie Back When We Were Grownups.
- An episode of Tabatha's Salon Takeover was filmed in Downtown "Old" Covina at Tantrum on Citrus Avenue.
- The theater in downtown Covina (refurbished in 2008), the library and neighborhood streets around downtown were used in the filming of "High School USA" - a movie starring Michael J. Fox and Nancy McKeon in 1983.
Notable residents
- Lacey Baker-Professional Skateboarder currently attending Northview High School.
- Rick Baker - Seven time Academy Award winning Make-Up artist. Movies include, "American Werewolf In London," "Ed Wood," "Men In Black" and "The Wolfman."
- Irma Blanco-L.A. radio personality resided in Covina
- Tom Brunansky-Major League Baseball pitcher who was born in Covina. He played from 1985-2000 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox,and Chicago Cubs. He was an American League All Star in 1985 with the Minnesota Twins and was a member of the 1987 World Series champion Minnesota Twins.
- Art Clokey-Creator of Gumby. Clokey and his wife,Ruth,invented Gumby in the early 1950s at their Covina home shortly after Art had finished film school at USC.
- Donald W. Evans, Jr., Sp4., (July 23, 1943–January 27, 1967) A United States Army medic who was born in Covina and was awarded the United States military's highest decoration the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Vietnam War. He was also awarded the Purple Heart.
- Donna Fargo-A major country singer who taught English at Northview High School in the 1960s and 1970s
- Hussein Mohamed Farrah-Son of Mohamed Farrah Aidid and former President of Somalia, graduated from Covina High School.
- Jason David Frank-who has played Tommy Oliver in the Power Rangers series.
- Roy Harris-Composer,grew up on a strawberry farm in Covina and attended Covina High School.
- Ward Kimball-One of the original Disney animators, and leader of the Dixieland band Firehouse Five Plus Two, was a member of the Covina High School class of 1929.
- Bob Lorenz-Primary anchor and studio host,NY Yankees TV Network (YES Network), previously sports anchor and studio host for CNN, CNNSI and Turner Sports.
- Jeremy Miller of the ABC-TV comedy Growing Pains was born and raised in Covina.
- Corey Nakatani, jockey, was born and raised in Covina.
- Vince Neil (born Vincent Neil Wharton) attended Charter Oak High School and Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe met while attending Royal Oak High School (now Royal Oak Middle School) in Covina. Tommy Lee did not graduate.Vince Neil has a son who also grew up in Covina.
- Alice Huyler Ramsey-The first woman to drive across America from coast to coast. On June 9, 1909, the 22-year-old housewife and mother from Hackensack, New Jersey completed the 3,800 miles (6,100 km) from Manhattan, New York to San Francisco, California in a Maxwell. She was accompanied on her fifty-nine day trek by three female companions, none of whom could drive a car.[19]
- Willie Shoemaker, (1931–2003) Jockey, went to Covina High School.
- Jean Stafford, writer.
- Chris Woodward-A Major League Baseball player who was born in Covina and attended Northview High School. He played from (1999–2010) for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, and Seattle Mariners.
- Ellen Beach Yaw-Known as Lark Ellen,an internationally famous coloratura soprano during the late 19th and early to mid-20th century. She toured the world singing opera for over 40 years and chose to retire in Covina. A street in Covina is named for her.
- Michael Young-Major League Baseball third basemen who was born in Covina and is currently a third basemen for the Texas Rangers. He is a 7x All-Star selection with the Rangers (2004–2009, 2011),2005 American League batting champion,2006 MLB All-Star Game MVP,and a Gold Glove Award winner in 2008.
References
- ^ "Incorporation Dates of California Cities". http://www.cacities.org/resource_files/20457.IncorpDateLO.doc. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- ^ "City of Covina - Mayor and City Council Members". http://www.ci.covina.ca.us/council/. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- ^ U.S. Census
- ^ "USPS - ZIP Code Lookup - Find a ZIP+ 4 Code By City Results". http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/zcl_1_results.jsp?visited=1&pagenumber=0&state=ca&city=Covina. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- ^ "Number Administration System - NPA and City/Town Search Results". http://www.nanpa.com/nas/public/npa_city_query_step2.do?method=displayData&cityToNpaModel.stateAbbr=CA&cityToNpaModel.city=Covina. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- ^ a b c d http://www.covina.com/about.htm
- ^ Pitt, Leonard, and Dale Pitt. Los Angeles A to Z : an encyclopedia of the city and county. Berkeley, Calif. : University of California Press, 1997. ISBN 0-520-20274-0
- ^ "North Azusa". City of Covina: The Tour. http://ecdev.covina.ca.us/hotspots/ed-nazusa.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-04. "During the summer of 1999 the Covina AMC 30 Theater was ranked 28th in the nation in attendance."
- ^ a b c d e f g http://www.covinacalifornia.com/local/cityinfo.html
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ All data are derived from the United States Census Bureau reports from the 2010 United States Census, and are accessible on-line here. The data on unmarried partnerships and same-sex married couples are from the Census report DEC_10_SF1_PCT15. All other housing and population data are from Census report DEC_10_DP_DPDP1. Both reports are viewable online or downloadable in a zip file containing a comma-delimited data file. The area data, from which densities are calculated, are available on-line here. Percentage totals may not add to 100% due to rounding. The Census Bureau defines families as a household containing one or more people related to the householder by birth, opposite-sex marriage, or adoption. People living in group quarters are tabulated by the Census Bureau as neither owners nor renters. For further details, see the text files accompanying the data files containing the Census reports mentioned above.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?". Campaign Legal Center Blog. http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
- ^ "Pomona Health Center." Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Retrieved on March 27, 2010.
- ^ "Monrovia Health Center." Retrieved on March 27, 2010.
- ^ City of Covina CAFR
- ^ "Coroner: Ninth body found in ruins of 'Santa massacre' home". CNN. 2008-12-26. http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/26/santa.shooting/index.html. Retrieved 2008-12-26. "The car was parked outside a Sylmar, California, home where Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, committed suicide hours after he opened fire at a holiday party and then started a raging blaze inside a Covina, California, home, police said."
- ^ Roswell Filming Locations
- ^ Ramsey, Alice Huyler. Veil, duster and tire iron. Covina, Calif. : Printed at the Castle Press, 1961.
External links
- City of Covina Official Web Site
- Covina Chamber of Commerce
- Covina Concert Band
- Covina Downtown Association
- Covina Economic Development Web Site
- Covina Valley Historical Society
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