Hacienda Heights () is an

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

suburban community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the community had a total population of 54,038, up from 53,122 at the 2000 census. For statistical purposes, the Census Bureau has defined Hacienda Heights as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP). It is the second largest CDP in Los Angeles County by area and the county's fourth largest CDP by

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

History

Hacienda Heights sits on land that was originally part of

Rancho La Puente Rancho La Puente was a ranch in the southern San Gabriel Valley that measured just under , and remained intact from its establishment in the late 1700s as an outpost of Mission San Gabriel until about 1870. By modern landmarks, the ranch extended ...

. During Spanish rule, the land around Hacienda Heights was operated by the nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in San Gabriel. The Rancho was eventually acquired by John A. Rowland and William Workman in 1845 via a

Mexican land grant The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...

, and eventually acquired by Elias "Lucky" Baldwin in the mid-1870s. In 1912, his descendant, Anita Baldwin, sold the property to Edwin Hart and Jet Torrance. In 1913 the pair subdivided the area and named it North Whittier Heights, which became known for

avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

and

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

orchards. However, from the Great Depression era to the early 1940s,

growing became unprofitable because of pests and diseases, setting the impetus for the area's transformation into a suburb. Accelerating in the 1950s, suburban residential development transformed Hacienda Heights into a residential or

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

. In 1961, the Hacienda Heights Branch of the Los Angeles County Public Library opened. The following year, in 1961, the area was renamed Hacienda Heights. In 1964, the local newspaper, the
Hacienda Heights Highlander
', was established. The hills surrounding Hacienda Heights have a history of brush fires, especially in 1978, 1989 and in 2020.

Geography

Hacienda Heights is in the eastern San Gabriel Valley bordering City of Industry to the North, Whittier to the West,

La Habra Heights La Habra Heights is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2010 census, down from 5,712 at the 2000 census. La Habra Heights is a suburban canyon community located on the border of Orange and L ...

to the South, and

Rowland Heights Rowland Heights is an unincorporated area in and below the Puente Hills in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 48,231 at the 2020 census. Rowland Heights is in the Los Angeles metropol ...

to the East along the Pomona Freeway - Route 60. Hacienda Heights is a predominantly residential neighborhood. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the community has a total area of . of it is land and 0.06% is water. Hacienda Heights also has the

Puente Hills The Puente Hills are a chain of hills, one of the lower Transverse Ranges, in an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County, California, in the United States. The western end of the range is often referred to locally as the Whittier Hills. ...

forming its '

green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which ...

' southern border and much of its western border. The highest point is

Workman Hill Workman may refer to: * Workman (horse) * Workman (surname), an English surname * Workman keyboard layout, an alternative English keyboard layout for ergonomic usage * Workman Publishing Company, an American publisher * Workman Township, Minnesota, ...

at . Coyotes are common concern among residents.

Demographics

2010

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

reported that Hacienda Heights had a population of 54,038. The population density was . The racial makeup of Hacienda Heights was 38%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

(12.6% Non-Hispanic White), 1.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.3% Native American, 39.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, and 2.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 46%. The census reported that 53,928 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 70 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 40 (0.1%) were institutionalized. There were 16,193 households, out of which 6,185 (38.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,151 (62.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,331 (14.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,024 (6.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 555 (3.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 93 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,111 households (13.0%) were made up of individuals, and 1,047 (6.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33. There were 13,506

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

(83.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.59. The CDP population contained 11,864 people (22.0%) under the age of 18, 5,184 people (9.6%) aged 18 to 24, 13,597 people (25.2%) aged 25 to 44, 15,071 people (27.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 8,322 people (15.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.1 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. There were 16,650 housing units at an average density of , of which 12,720 (78.6%) were owner-occupied, and 3,473 (21.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.6%. 42,189 people (78.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 11,739 people (21.7%) lived in rental housing units. Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2013-2017 was $545,400 with medium gross rent of $1,734.

Landmarks

West of Hacienda Heights is the former Puente Hills Landfill, which was at one time the largest landfill in the U.S. until its closure in 2013. It is now used as a gas-to-energy facility, as well as part of the Puente Hills Habitat Authority. The "Puente Hills Landfill Native Habitat Preservation Authority" supports public enjoyment and access of the nearby parkland in the

. Some of the hiking trails they offer are Hacienda Hills, Sycamore Canyon,

Turnbull Canyon Turnbull Canyon is a 4 mile loop trail located near Whittier, California and is part of Puente Hills Preserve. It lies in the northern-central part of the preserve, and is an east-west canyon with relatively steep drainage. The canyon has a creek ...

and Hellman Park.

Hsi Lai Temple

Hsi Lai Temple (meaning "Coming West"), a branch of

Fo Guang Shan Fo Guang Shan (FGS) () is an international Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhist organization and monastic order based in Taiwan that practices Humanistic Buddhism. The headquarters, Fo Guang Shan Monastery is located in Dashu District, Kaohsiung, and ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, is the largest Buddhist temple in North America. The temple was completed in 1988 and encompasses and a floor area of . The temple's

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

(1368–1644 AD) and

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

(1644–1911 AD) architecture is faithful to the traditional style of buildings, Chinese gardens, and statuary of ancient Chinese monasteries. Hsi Lai was built to serve as a spiritual and cultural center for

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

and

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...

Government

Representation

In the

state senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

, Hacienda Heights is located in

California's 32nd State Senate district California's 32nd State Senate district is one of 40 California California State Senate, State Senate districts. It is currently represented by California Democratic Party, Democrat Bob Archuleta of Pico Rivera, California, Pico Rivera. Distr ...

, California's thirty-second state senate district is currently represented by Democrat Bob Archuleta. In the California State Assembly it is located in

California's 57th State Assembly district California's 57th State Assembly district is one of 80 California State Assembly districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Lisa Calderon. District profile The district encompasses an eastern portion of the Gateway Cities region as ...

, represented by Democrat Lisa Calderon. Federally, Hacienda Heights is located in California's 39th congressional district, which has an Even Cook Partisan Voting Index, Cook PVI and is represented by Republican Young Kim.

Services

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department operates the Industry Station in the City of Industry, serving Hacienda Heights. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Pomona Health Center in Pomona, California, Pomona, serving Hacienda Heights.

Cityhood

In 2003, voters were asked to decide whether the community should incorporate and become a city. Proponents argued that a new city would be able to better control development and provide increased police and fire service, while opponents argued that the new city would increase taxes and redevelop residential neighborhoods for revenue-generating businesses. Most of the prime commercial land had already been annexed by the City of Industry, California, City of Industry to escape taxes levied by the County on unincorporated areas. Ultimately the measure failed by about a 2-1 margin.

Education

The city is served by the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District.

High schools

* Los Altos High School (Hacienda Heights, California), Los Altos High School * Glen A. Wilson High School * Valley Alternative High School

Middle schools

Newton Middle SchoolOrange Grove Middle SchoolCedarlane Academy

K-8 schools

* Mesa Robles School * Cedarlane Academy * St. Marks Lutheran School

Elementary schools

* Bixby Elementary * Grazide Elementary * Kwis Elementary * Los Altos Elementary * Los Molinos Elementary * Los Robles Academy * Palm Elementary * Wedgeworth Elementary * Hillgrove Elementary at 1234 Valencia Ave (1953-1984) Glenelder Elementary School was merged with Cedarlane and Shadybend was closed down, too.

Notable people

*Caprice Bourret, actress and model *Ralph Brown (cornerback), Ralph Brown, football player *William Campbell (California politician), William Campbell, California state legislator *Shaun Cody, football player *Andy DeMize, rock musician *Fergie Duhamel, Fergie, singer and actress *Jeff Garcia (voice actor), Jeff Garcia, voice actor and comedian *Rob Hertel, football player *Gary Jones (motorcyclist), Gary Jones, former national champion motocross racer *Josh Keaton, actor and singer, ''The Spectacular Spider-Man (TV series), The Spectacular Spider-Man'' *Dong Kim, neurosurgeon *David Lee (photographer), David Lee, photographer and film director, Publisher of Destination Luxury *Esperanza Martinez, painter *Sona Movsesian, executive assistant and television personality *Shane del Rosario, MMA fighter *Ryan Sakoda, professional wrestler *Mike Smith (basketball, born 1965), Michael Smith, former All-America basketball player at BYU and first-round pick of the Boston Celtics (13th overall), current television and color announcer for Los Angeles Clippers *Jill Sterkel, 2-time Olympic champion freestyle swimmer *Kevin Song, professional poker player *Troy Tanner, professional volleyball player *Brian Tee, actor *Scott Williams (basketball), Scott Williams, professional NBA basketball player *Marc Yu, child musician

Community Events

Since 1966, St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights has hosted a carnival event called "Early California Days", (also known as 'Harvest in the Heights') usually held for a week each summer. The festivities consists of rides, games, food, music and a grand raffle with cash prizes. Since the 1970s, there has been an annual football derby between rival high schools, Los Altos and Glen A. Wilson for control of a trophy that resembles a wagon wheel.

References

External links

Puente Hills Preserve Park - activities and homepage

Regional Chamber of Commerce - San Gabriel Valley

Hacienda Heights Improvement Association
{{Authority control Hacienda Heights, California, Communities in the San Gabriel Valley Census-designated places in Los Angeles County, California Puente Hills 1913 establishments in California