Lemon Grove, California
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Lemon Grove is a city in
San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...
, United States. The population was 27,627 at the 2020 census, up from 25,320 at the 2010 census.


History

The area that eventually became Lemon Grove was part of
Mission San Diego de Alcalá Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá (, lit. The Mission of Saint Didacus of Acalá) was the second Franciscan founded mission in the Californias (after San Fernando de Velicata), a province of New Spain. Located in present-day San Diego, C ...
, one of the
Spanish missions in California The Spanish missions in California () formed a List of Spanish missions in California, series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. The missions were established by ...
. After Mexico became independent from Spain, the
Californio Californios (singular Californio) are Californians of Spaniards, Spanish descent, especially those descended from settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries before California was annexed by the United States. California's Spanish language in C ...
s (residents of
Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...
) ranched on various
land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
s. The area that now includes Lemon Grove was granted to Santiago Argüello, who received more than 59,000 acres.Helen M. Ofield & Pete Smith, ''Images of America: Lemon Grove, Lemon Grove Historical Society'' (Arcadia: 2010). The first proprietor of Lemon Grove, Robert Allison, arrived in the region in 1850, coming from
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
. He purchased thousands of acres from Santiago Argüello's heirs; this land eventually became Lemon Grove, La Mesa,
Encanto ''Encanto'' is a 2021 American animated Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, co-directed by Charise Castro Smith, and ...
, and part of Spring Valley. Allison became a director and stockholder of the San Diego and Cuyamaca Railroad in 1886 and built the Allison Flume. Allison's son Joseph filed subdivision maps for "Lemon Grove" in 1892. The name is attributed to Joseph's mother, Tempa Waterman Allison. The climate was suitable for the cultivation of subtropical fruits and vegetables, and farmers from the East and Midwest flocked to the region. The Lemon Grove Fruit Growers Association was formed in 1893; in 1894, the ''
San Diego Union ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
'' newspaper referred to Lemon Grove as "a sea of lemon trees." Joseph and Anton Sonka, immigrants from Bohemia, moved to Lemon Grove after stints in Seguin, Texas, and San Diego. The brothers opened a well-known
general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...
, A. Sonka and Son. In 2023, the historical building that was once Sonka's general store becam
Lemon Grove Bistro
Anthony "Tony" F. Sonka, the eldest son of Anton Sonka and his
German American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...
wife Anna Klein Sonka, was also a local notable. He was a key supporter of the huge lemon that became the town's symbol and landmark. Sonka and a committee of local ranchers hired local architect Alberto Treganza to build the huge lemon to "make the ultimate statement about the town's purpose, prosperity, and optimism." In the Lemon Grove Incident in 1931, Juan De Dios Gonzalez led fellow
Mexican American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexico, Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the Unite ...
parents in Lemon Grove and pursued a successful judicial challenge against the decision of the local school board to build a separate school for Mexican American pupils. The decision of the
Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...
for San Diego County in ''Roberto Alvarez vs. the board of trustees of the Lemon Grove School District'' was the first major successful lawsuit against school segregation. By
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, most of the citrus groves had disappeared and
suburbanization Suburbanization (American English), also spelled suburbanisation (British English), is a population shift from historic core cities or rural areas into suburbs. Most suburbs are built in a formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence ...
had begun. There had been four elections on incorporation from the 1950s to the 1970s; the issue caused heated debate in the town. The city was finally incorporated on July 1, 1977, becoming California's 414th city. Lemon Grove was incorporated as a general-law city; however, it continues to receive law enforcement services, via contract, from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.


Geography

Lemon Grove is located at (32.733451, −117.033702). 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 city has a total area of , all land.


Transportation

The city is served by California State Routes 94 and
125 125 may refer to: *125 (number), a natural number *AD 125, a year in the 2nd century AD *125 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *125 (dinghy), a two person intermediate sailing dinghy *125 (New Jersey bus), a New Jersey Transit bus route *125 Liberatr ...
. It is also served by the
San Diego Trolley The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system serving San Diego County, California. The trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. , is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical componen ...
's Orange Line, at Lemon Grove Depot as well as at Massachusetts Avenue Station.


Demographics


2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Lemon Grove had a population of 27,627. The population density was . The racial makeup of Lemon Grove was 35.3%
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 ...
, 12.1%
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 ...
, 1.4% Native American, 9.0% Asian, 1.0%
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 ...
, 22.9% from other races, and 18.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 46.5% of the population. The census reported that 97.9% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.9% were institutionalized. There were 9,002 households, out of which 37.0% included children under the age of 18, 44.7% were married-couple households, 7.7% were cohabiting couple households, 28.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 18.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 21.6% of households were one person, and 10.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.0. There were 6,323
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 ...
(70.2% of all households). The age distribution was 22.1% under the age of 18, 9.3% aged 18 to 24, 28.5% aged 25 to 44, 24.5% aged 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 37.6years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. There were 9,345 housing units at an average density of , of which 9,002 (96.3%) were occupied. Of these, 53.3% were owner-occupied, and 46.7% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 17.2% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 61.4% spoke only English at home, 30.4% spoke Spanish, 1.2% spoke other
Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
, 5.6% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.4% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 89.1% were high school graduates and 20.3% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income in 2023 was $79,278, and the
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
was $35,402. About 7.3% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line.


2010

At the 2010 census Lemon Grove had a population of 25,320. The population density was . The racial makeup of Lemon Grove was 8,545 (33.3%) White, 3,495 (13.8%) African American, 225 (0.9%) Native American, 1,628 (6.3%) Asian, 275 (1.1%) Pacific Islander, 4,828 (19.1%) from other races, and 1,801 (7.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11,635 persons (45.2%). The census reported that 24,974 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 200 (0.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 146 (0.6%) were institutionalized. There were 8,434 households, 3,295 (39.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,863 (45.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,419 (16.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 601 (7.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 516 (6.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 94 (1.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,928 households (22.9%) were one person and 734 (8.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.96. There were 5,883 families (69.8% of households); the average family size was 3.51. The age distribution was 6,458 people (25.5%) under the age of 18, 2,583 people (10.2%) aged 18 to 24, 6,900 people (27.3%) aged 25 to 44, 6,550 people (25.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,829 people (11.2%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males. There were 8,868 housing units at an average density of 2,285.4 per square mile, of the occupied units 4,609 (54.6%) were owner-occupied and 3,825 (45.4%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%. 13,984 people (55.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 10,990 people (43.4%) lived in rental housing units.


Current estimates

According to estimates by the
San Diego Association of Governments The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for San Diego County, California. It is an association of local county governments, with policy makers consisting of mayors, councilmembers, and Coun ...
, the
median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...
of Lemon Grove in 2005 was $55,436 (not adjusted for
inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...
). When adjusted for
inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...
(1999 dollars; comparable to
Census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
data above), the median household income was $45,016.


Government

, the city council includes Mayor Racquel Vasquez, and council members George Gastil, Alysson Snow, Liana LeBaron and Jennifer Mendoza. The City Manager is Lydia Romero. In the
California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
, Lemon Grove is in , and in the 79th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Akilah Weber. In the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, Lemon Grove is in .


Notable people

*
Rob Crow Robertdale Rulon Crow Jr. (born February 21, 1971) is an American singer and musician from San Diego, California, known for his involvement with the bands Pinback, Heavy Vegetable, Physics (band), Physics, Optiganally Yours, Goblin Cock, and Thi ...
, American musician * Rob $tone, rapper * John Forester, cycling activist, author and cycling transportation engineer * Actor
Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. He was considered one of the key figures of New Hollywood. He earned prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Internatio ...
, around age 13 * Mary Moore (1922–1962), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, a native of Lemon Grove * Bobby Sones, American singer-songwriter and social media personality * Abdussattar Shaikh, cofounder of San Diego's Islamic Center *
"Shotgun Tom" Kelly Thomas Joseph Irwin (born August 8, 1949), known professionally as "Shotgun Tom" Kelly, is an American radio and television personality. He is a two-time Emmy award winner, ''Billboard'' Air Personality of the Year winner, an inductee into the C ...
, radio personality * Lalo Alcaraz, cartoonist *
Boyd Rice Boyd Blake Rice (born December 16, 1956) is an American experimental sound/noise musician using the name of NON since the mid-1970s. A pioneer of industrial music, Rice was one of the first artists to use a sampler and turntable as an instrum ...
, Far Right American musician, artist, and author, recounts vandalising the lemon grove sign as a teenager in an interview for Re:Search magazine. * Mark Williamson, former pitcher for the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
* Rodrigo Toscano, poet * Conan Gray, American singer-songwriter, born in Lemon Grove


"The World's Biggest Lemon"

Weighing some 3000 pounds, and approximately 10 feet long and six feet wide, the lemon sculpture—affectionately known as the World's Biggest Lemon—sits on a concrete base at the corner of Broadway and Lemon Grove Avenue, adjacent to 3361 Main Street. It lies before a small lemon grove beside the Orange Line Trolley tracks near the local trolley station and downtown bus stop. Written across the base of this monument are the words "Best Climate On Earth". Designed by Lemon Grove architect Alberto O. Treganza, the lemon was originally built as a parade float for the 1928 Fourth of July Fiesta de San Diego parade, carrying the town's first Miss Lemon Grove, Amorita Treganza, Alberto's 16-year-old daughter. In 1930, the float was plastered to create a permanent sculpture and displayed near its current location.


Education

Public primary education in the city is provided by the Lemon Grove School District. Grossmont Union High School District provides secondary and adult education.


High schools

Eligible students are sent outside the town for secondary education.


Middle schools

*Lemon Grove Academy Middle School


K-8 schools

*Vista La Mesa Academy *Mount Vernon School


Elementary schools

*Lemon Grove Academy Elementary School *Monterey Heights Elementary School *San Altos Elementary School *San Miguel Elementary School


See also

*


References


External links

*
City Data

Lemon Grove Historical Society
- Official Website {{authority control Cities in San Diego County, California East County (San Diego County) San Diego metropolitan area Incorporated cities and towns in California Chicano and Mexican neighborhoods in California