Hacienda Heights () is an unincorporated suburban community in

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the community had a total population of 54,191, up from 54,038 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the Census Bureau has defined Hacienda Heights as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

(CDP). It is the third largest CDP in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

by area, behind

Topanga Topanga (Tongva: ''Topaa'nga'') is an unincorporated community in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow southern ...

and Rowland Heights, and the county's fourth largest CDP by

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

History

Hacienda Heights sits on land that was originally part of Rancho La Puente. During Spanish rule, the land around Hacienda Heights was operated by the nearby

Mission San Gabriel Arcángel Mission San Gabriel Arcángel () is a Californian mission and historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. It was founded by the Spanish Empire on the Nativity of Mary September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become twenty-one Spanish mi ...

in San Gabriel. The Rancho was eventually acquired by John A. Rowland and William Workman in 1845 via a Mexican land grant, 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, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...

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

and

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

orchards. However, from the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

era to the early 1940s,

growing became unprofitable because of pests and diseases, setting the impetus for the area's transformation into a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

. 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 1960, 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 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 to the South, and Rowland Heights 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, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the community has a total area of , of which only 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, Los Angeles County, California, in the United States. The western end of the range is often referred to ...

forming its '

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

' southern border and much of its western border. The highest point is Workman Hill at . Coyotes are common concern among residents.

Demographics

Hacienda Heights first appeared as an unincorporated place in the 1970 U.S. Census as part of the East San Gabriel Valley census county division; and as a

in the

1980 U.S. Census The 1980 United States census, conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4% over the 203,184,772 persons Enumeration, enumerated dur ...

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Hacienda Heights had a population of 54,191. The racial makeup of Hacienda Heights was 26.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

(12.3% Non-Hispanic White), 0.8%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.1% Native American, 41.7% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 9.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 43.2%.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Hacienda Heights had a population of 54,038. The population density was . The racial makeup of Hacienda Heights was 38%

(12.6% Non-Hispanic White), 1.1%

, 0.3% Native American, 39.3% Asian, 0.3%

, and 2.8% from two or more races.

or Latino 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 ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(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 and Hellman Park.

Hsi Lai Temple

Hsi Lai Temple Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple () is a mountain monastery in the northern Puente Hills, Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County, California. The name ''Hsi Lai'' means "coming west". Hsi Lai Temple is a branch of Fo Guang Shan, a Buddhist organiz ...

(meaning "Coming West"), a branch of Fo Guang Shan of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, is the largest

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

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 Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

(1368–1644) and

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

(1644–1911) architecture is faithful to the traditional style of buildings,

Chinese garden The Chinese garden is a landscape garden style which has evolved over three thousand years. It includes both the vast gardens of the Emperor of China, Chinese emperors and members of the imperial family, built for pleasure and to impress, and t ...

s, and statuary of ancient Chinese monasteries. Hsi Lai was built to serve as a spiritual and cultural center for

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the Cradle of civilization#Ancient China, world's earliest cultures, said to originate five thousand years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia called the Sinosphere as a whole ...

Government

Representation

* Hacienda Heights is within

's first supervisorial district, represented by Hilda Solis. * In the

state senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

, Hacienda Heights is in . * In the state assembly, Hacienda Heights is in . * Federally, Hacienda Heights is located in .

Services

The

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the United States a ...

operates the Industry Station in the City of Industry, serving Hacienda Heights. The

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Health Services Los Angeles County, officially the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, operates the public hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and is the United States' second largest municip ...

operates the Pomona Health Center in 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 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 * Glen A. Wilson High School * Valley Alternative High School

Middle schools

*Newton Middle School *Orange Grove Middle School *Cedarlane 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

* Phillip Bladh, Sound Engineer, 93rd Academy Awards Oscar winner for best Sound for movie Sound of Metal *

Caprice Bourret Caprice Bourret (born October 24, 1971) is an American businesswoman, singer, model, actress and television personality. She runs her companies, By Caprice and JJLove Productions. She has appeared in over 300 Films and TV Shows Modelling Bour ...

, actress and model * Ralph Brown, football player * William Campbell, California state legislator * Shaun Cody, football player * Andy DeMize, rock musician * Fergie, singer and actress * Jeff Garcia, voice actor and comedian * Rob Hertel, football player * Hsin Bau, Buddhist monk, former abbot of

* Gary Jones, former national champion motocross racer * Josh Keaton, actor and singer, '' The Spectacular Spider-Man'' * Dong Kim, neurosurgeon * 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 * Michael Smith, former All-America basketball player at BYU and first-round pick of the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

(13th overall), current television and color announcer for

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

* Jill Sterkel, 2-time Olympic champion freestyle swimmer * Kevin Song, professional poker player * Troy Tanner, professional volleyball player * Brian Tee, actor * Scott Williams, professional

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

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 Communities in the San Gabriel Valley Census-designated places in California Census-designated places in Los Angeles County, California Puente Hills 1913 establishments in California