Duarte () is a city 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 th ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 21,727. It is bounded to the north by the San Gabriel Mountains, to the north and west by the cities of Bradbury and Monrovia, to the south by the city of Irwindale, and to the east by the cities of Irwindale and Azusa. Duarte is located on historic U.S. Route 66 which today follows Huntington Drive through the middle of the city. The town is named after Andrés Avelino Duarte, a Californio ranchero who founded the community.

History

Statue of Andrés Avelino Duarte (2414614711)

Around 500 B.C., a band of

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, e ...

an-speaking Indians established settlements in what is now the

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, lying immediately to the east of the eastern city limits of the city of Los Angeles, and occupying the vast majority of the eastern part ...

. These Native Americans came to be called the Gabrieliño Indians (after San Gabriel, the local mission) by early Spanish explorers, but now prefer to be called the

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . Some descendants of the people prefer Kizh as an endonym that, they argue, is more historica ...

. Since the San Gabriel Valley area was home to large numbers of oak trees such as coast live oak and interior live oak, a staple of the Tongva diet was an

acorn The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera '' Quercus'' and ''Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and bo ...

meal made by boiling acorn flour.

Spanish era

Duarte's history with Europeans dates back to 1769, when all land in California was claimed by the king of Spain. The first Europeans visited the San Gabriel Valley, including Duarte, during a 1769 expedition from

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica ...

commanded by Don Gaspar de Portolà. Accompanying Portolà was a

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

priest from Junípero Serra's order in

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, Juan Crespí, who served as the diarist of the expedition. Much of what is known of early California is known only from the detailed descriptions recorded by Crespi. On September 8, 1771, the Franciscans established the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in the San Gabriel Valley. The mission was a resting point for early California travelers and gathered most of the native Tongva into an agricultural lifestyle. Following Mexican independence in 1821, the mission lands were nationalized.

Mexican era

On May 10, 1841, the governor of

Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New 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 ...

, Juan Bautista Alvarado, granted to former Mexican corporal Andrés Avelino Duarte and his wife nearly of prime land in the central-northern San Gabriel Valley. Duarte named his new holdings " Rancho Azusa de Duarte". The name ''Azusa'' was derived from ''Asuksa-gna'', the name of the Tongva settlement on the

Foothills of California The Foothills of the San Gabriel Valley are the foothills and hills in the San Gabriel Valley of eastern Los Angeles County, California. They include the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, and independent low mountain ranges of hills, in the ...

, on the western side of the alluvial fan where the San Gabriel River exits the San Gabriel Mountains; a portion of this area forms the northeasternmost corner of Duarte. That land grant now comprises portions of Arcadia, portions of Monrovia, all of Bradbury, all of Duarte, portions of Irwindale, portions of Azusa and a portion of Baldwin Park. Corporal Duarte had the local Indians build a small hut for his family and help him plant a kitchen garden and orchards near "the Indian Springs of the Asuksas" (in what is now Fish Canyon).

Post-Conquest era

Following the American

Conquest of California The Conquest of California, also known as the Conquest of Alta California or the California Campaign, was an important military campaign of the Mexican–American War carried out by the United States in Alta California (modern-day California), t ...

, the territory was given to the United States in 1848 at the end of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico f ...

. In 1851, Congress passed a bill that established a

Board of Land Commissioners Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard ...

whose duty was to determine the validity of all grants of Alta California land by Spanish and Mexican authorities. Corporal Duarte began incurring legal expenses and other debts, which he defrayed by selling portions of his Rancho. This first sale was a parcel at the southern end of the Rancho to Michael Whistler and two unidentified colleagues. Whistler later bought out his colleagues and sold the entire parcel to Dr. Nehemiah Beardslee, who started the first school in Duarte (which now bears his surname) and laid out the first section of Duarte's water lines. Corporal Duarte divided much of the Rancho's remainder into plots and sold them individually. Corporal Duarte finally won a favorable ruling from the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

for his land grant case in 1878, but by then he had sold the entire Rancho. Many of Duarte's earliest pioneer families came to Duarte in the mid-19th century for their health, the pleasant climate, and the fertile soil. English settlers, Americans from the Midwest and

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the war ...

, Latinos who remained from the Rancho and Japanese immigrants enabled Duarte to grow into a thriving agricultural community specializing in citrus production. The first recorded

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 ...

tree grown in California was planted in Duarte by William Chappelow, Sr. grown from one of four seeds sent to him by the Division of Pomology of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

in 1893.

Modern era

Two medical institutions were started in Duarte in the early part of the 20th century. In 1913, the Jewish Consumptive Relief Association started a tuberculosis sanitarium in the form of a small tent city on of land south of Duarte Road. This later evolved into the world-renowned City of Hope National Medical Center, a recognized leader in fighting cancer and other catastrophic diseases. In 1930, a group of

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

nuns known as the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles established what is now the Santa Teresita Rest Home, known until recently as Santa Teresita Medical Center. After decades as a full-service hospital, Santa Teresita was downgraded to "medical center" in the early 21st century, after financial problems, caused both by administrative missteps as well as the costs of providing medical coverage to the uninsured, forced the hospital to close its emergency room. Santa Teresita now operates as an "outpatient services only" facility. In 1957, a dedicated group of community members, fearing annexation by neighboring cities, led a fight for incorporation. Indeed, parts of the original Rancho had already been annexed by neighboring Monrovia, Azusa, Irwindale, and Baldwin Park. At the same time, a rival group representing an affluent enclave in the foothills started a competing drive for incorporation, and broke off to form the separate City of Bradbury. A 2001

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

article stated that their petition for incorporation arrived in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

on August 22, 1957, "mere moments" before the petition that would have included them in the City of Duarte. Still, many ties between the two communities remain in that they both form the Duarte Unified School District; they both share the same post office and the 91008 ZIP code; and they both share combined public services such as 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 ...

and Los Angeles County Fire Department, and garbage pickup (provided by Burrtec Waste Services). The original city logo was created by Bill Botts Sr. in 1957. It consisted of a double-circular seal, with the inner circle containing an adobe arch featuring the Rancho Azusa de Duarte "d" brand (inside the arch is the original date of the Rancho's establishment, 1841) while the outer circle features the year of Duarte's incorporation (1957). The current city logo was created in early 1982 to mark Duarte's 25th anniversary of cityhood. Like many of its neighbors, modern Duarte is a bedroom community. The City of Duarte is geographically isolated from population centers to the east and south due to the San Gabriel River and rock quarry operations in Irwindale and Azusa. These factors have proven to be an ongoing economic challenge for local businesses as the city attracts little outside spending, and most residents spend their money elsewhere. Due to air quality and noise concerns, the City of Duarte has sought repeatedly to halt the expansion of neighboring quarry operations, but has had no success against the monied interests behind the quarries and the neighboring city governments beholden to them. Still, over the past few decades, the city leadership has succeeded in bringing retail development to the western portion of Duarte. In September 2010, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' magazine placed the ZIP code of 91008 at #1 on its annual list of America's most expensive ZIP codes, containing the parts of Duarte immediately north of neighboring Bradbury.

Geography

Duarte is located at . 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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States Census reported that Duarte had a population of 21,727. The population density was . The racial makeup of Duarte was 57.8%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

(24.7% Non-Hispanic White), 6.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 1.3% Native American, 17.2% Asian, 0.1%

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 Ocea ...

, and 6.4% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 49.9% of the population. The Census reported that 63.1% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing. There were 7,132 households, with an average household size of 2.98. The population was 4.5% persons under 5 years old, 17.6% between the ages of 6 and 17, 58.5% ages 18 to 65, and 19.4% 65 years of age or older. The population of Duarte was 54.8% female. According to the 2020 United States Census, Duarte had a median household income of $75,083, with 10.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Duarte had a population of 21,321. The population density was . The racial makeup of Duarte was 11,076 (51.9%)

(26.9% Non-Hispanic White), 1,587 (7.4%)

, 179 (0.8%) Native American, 3,361 (15.8%) Asian, 26 (0.1%)

, 4,108 (19.3%) from other races, and 984 (4.6%) from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 10,190 persons (47.8%). The Census reported that 20,914 people (98.1% of the population) lived in households, 19 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 388 (1.8%) were institutionalized. There were 7,013 households, out of which 2,458 (35.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,597 (51.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,004 (14.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 363 (5.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 285 (4.1%)

unmarried opposite-sex partnerships POSSLQ ( , plural POSSLQs) is an abbreviation (or acronym) for "Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters", a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of ...

, and 66 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,666 households (23.8%) were made up of individuals, and 888 (12.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98. There were 4,964 families (70.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.54. The population was spread out, with 4,737 people (22.2%) under the age of 18, 1,863 people (8.7%) aged 18 to 24, 5,567 people (26.1%) aged 25 to 44, 5,776 people (27.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,378 people (15.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. There were 7,254 housing units at an average density of , of which 4,703 (67.1%) were owner-occupied, and 2,310 (32.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%. 14,796 people (69.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 6,118 people (28.7%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States Census, Duarte had a median household income of $62,250, with 13.4% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,486 people, 6,635 households, and 4,889 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 3,215.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,241.9/km²). There were 6,805 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 52.02%

, 9.08%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

, 0.94% Native American, 12.62% Asian, 0.11%

, 19.99% from other races, and 5.23% from two or more races, while 43.41% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 6,635 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 3.70. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,744, and the median income for a family was $56,556. Males had a median income of $39,812 versus $33,045 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $19,648. 11.3% of the population and 8.4% of families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. Out of the total population, 13.3% of those under the age of 18 and 10.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Government and infrastructure

In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

, Duarte is in . Duarte has a council-manager government with a city council whose seven members are directly elected by residents. The current mayor is Bryan Urias. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Monrovia Health Center in Monrovia, serving Duarte.Monrovia Health Center
" Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Retrieved on March 27, 2010.

Education

The Duarte Unified School District serves students from Duarte, Bradbury, and unincorporated communities to the south of Duarte and Monrovia. The district contains four elementary schools (Maxwell, Beardslee, Royal Oaks, and Valley View), one

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

( Duarte High School) and one continuation high school ( Mt. Olive Continuation High School, since renamed to the "Mt. Olive Institute of Technology" as of June 2013), CS Arts (California School of Arts) as of 2018. Within Duarte, there are also five licensed

private schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British En ...

. Foothill Oaks Academy is a non-sectarian school serving students from preschool through 8th grade. The Duarte Montessori School is affiliated with the American Montessori Society and serves students from preschool through 2nd grade. The School of the Little Scholar is a non-sectarian preschool. ABC School is another non-sectarian preschool that focuses on children with

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

needs. The Hayden Child Care Center is a Roman Catholic-affiliated school serving students in preschool and kindergarten.

Places of worship

Christian

Baptist

* First Baptist Church of Duarte * Grace Fellowship * Berean Bible Baptist Church * New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

* Duarte 1st and 2nd ward

Evangelical

* Christian Alliance Bible Church (Chinese Evangelical) * Covenant Life Ministries

Methodist

* Church of The Foothills: United Methodist Church of Duarte

Pentecostal

* New Life Assembly of God * New Hope Church of God in Christ

Roman Catholic

* St. Joseph's Chapel of Santa Teresita Medical Center which offers

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...

in both the pre-

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

and the post-Vatican II form * Carmelite Healthcare Apostolate convent (branch

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

of Discalced Carmelites - not open to the public) Most Catholic residents attend mass at Immaculate Conception Church just outside city limits in Monrovia, which serves Monrovia, Duarte and Bradbury.

Other non-denominational

* Duarte Christian Church * Joy Christian Center * Church of Christ (

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

)

Islamic

* Masjid Qurtubah

Public safety

The

(LASD) operates the Temple Station in Temple City, serving not only Duarte, but also neighboring Bradbury, while fire protection services are provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department through Station 44 (paramedic services are provided by nearby Stations 29 in Baldwin Park and 32 in Azusa). Duarte also has its own in-house "Department of Public Safety", where its officers (separate from the LASD) are assigned mainly with issuing citations for various violation of the city's Municipal Code, as well as issuance of dog licenses and bicycle permits.

Media

Duarte community news are provided by the '' San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' and ''Duarte Dispatch'', which is a weekly community newspaper published by Beacon Media News.

Notable people

Donna Adamek Donna Adamek (born February 1, 1957 in Duarte, California is an American tenpin bowler who was named WIBC Bowler of the Year four times (1978–1981). She competed nationally on the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour. Adamek g ...

, professional bowler, born in Duarte * Andrew Cherng and Peggy Cherng, founders of Panda Express * Hardiman Cureton, football player, born in Duarte *

Margaret Finlay Margaret Finlay is a former three-term mayor of Duarte, California. Finlay, currently serving on the Duarte City Council, graduated from St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, earning a bachelor's degree in marketing, and received her maste ...

, former mayor of Duarte * Carlos Fisher, pitcher for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Lois Gaston Lois Gaston (born 1937) is a former Mayor and City Councilmember for City of Duarte, California. Biography Gaston was born in Arkansas in 1937. She was an only child and she and her mother moved to Monrovia, California in 1949. She is a graduat ...

, first African-American mayor of Duarte *

Garrett K. Gomez Garrett Keith Gomez (January 1, 1972 – December 14, 2016) was an American Thoroughbred jockey who won two Eclipse Awards and thirteen Breeders' Cup races during his career. Racing career Early career Gomez learned to ride by watching his fathe ...

, thoroughbred jockey * Bill Melton, professional baseball player (1971 American League home run leader with 33) * Glenn Miller, jazz musician, bandleader * Sam Shepard, playwright, writer and actor (described Duarte as a "weird accumulation of things, a strange kind of melting pot – Spanish, Okie, Black, Midwestern elements all jumbled together. People on the move who couldn't move anymore, who wound up in trailer parks.")''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'', 1986 *

William A. Spinks William Alexander Spinks Jr. (July 11, 1865 – January 15, 1933) was an American professional player of carom billiards in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was often referred to as W. A. Spinks, and occasionally Billy Spinks. In ad ...

(1865–1933), carom billiards player * Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, actor

References

External links

*
Duarte Chamber of Commerce

Duarte Historical Society
{{authority control 1957 establishments in California Cities in Los Angeles County, California Communities in the San Gabriel Valley Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1957