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 L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...

, 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, su ...

(CDP). It is the second largest CDP in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is t ...

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. During Spanish rule, the land around Hacienda Heights was operated by the nearby

Mission San Gabriel Arcángel Mission San Gabriel Arcángel ( es, Misión de San Gabriel Arcángel) is a Californian mission and historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. It was founded by Spaniards of the Franciscan order on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary," September ...

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 (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Pre-Columb ...

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 ...

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 tru ...

orchards. However, from the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The Financial contagion, ...

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, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separat ...

. 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 Lo ...

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 metropoli ...

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 th ...

, 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 ha ...

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

, 0.3% Native American, 39.3% Asian, 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 form ...

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 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 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 organiza ...

(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 is ...

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

, is the largest

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

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-speak ...

(1644–1911 AD) 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 Chinese emperors and members of the imperial family, built for pleasure and to impress, and the more intimate ...

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 Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

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, Hacienda Heights is located in California's 32nd State Senate district, California's thirty-second state senate district is currently represented by Democrat Bob Archuleta. In the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Asse ...

it is located in California's 57th State Assembly district, represented by Democrat Lisa Calderon. Federally, Hacienda Heights is located in California's 39th congressional district, which has an Even

Cook PVI The Cook Partisan Voting Index, abbreviated Cook PVI, CPVI, or PVI, is a measurement of how strongly a United States congressional district or U.S. state leans toward the Democratic or Republican Party, compared to the nation as a whole, based ...

and is represented by Republican

Young Kim Young Oak Kim (; born October 18, 1962) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the U.S. representative for California's 39th congressional district. Her district includes northern parts of Orange County. In the 2020 United Sta ...

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 ...

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

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (abbreviated DHS and LADHS) operates the public hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles County, and is the United States' second largest municipal health system, after NYC Health + Hospitals. DHS o ...

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 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 Ralph William John Brown (born 18 June 1957) is an English actor and writer, known for playing Danny the drug dealer in ''Withnail and I'', the security guard Aaron (a.k.a. "85") in ''Alien 3'', DJ Bob Silver in '' The Boat That Rocked'' aka ...

, 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 * Gary Jones, former national champion motocross racer *

Josh Keaton Joshua Luis Wiener (born February 8, 1979), known by his stage name Josh Keaton, is an American voice actor. He is known for his roles as Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane in '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'', Spider-Man in various media in addition to ...

, 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 Shane Kalani del Rosario (September 23, 1983 – December 9, 2013) was an American professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Heavyweight division, Strikeforce, M-1 Global, ShoXC, and ...

, 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 league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

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

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

* Jill Sterkel, 2-time Olympic champion freestyle swimmer * Kevin Song, professional poker player * Troy Tanner, professional volleyball player *

Brian Tee , known professionally as Brian Tee, is a Japanese film and television actor. He is known for playing Dr. Ethan Choi on the NBC medical drama '' Chicago Med'' and its spin-offs, and has starred in such films as '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo ...

, actor * Scott Williams, professional

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

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 Los Angeles County, California Puente Hills 1913 establishments in California