Montebello (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

for "Beautiful Mountain") is a city 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, located just east of

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, East Los Angeles is designated as ...

and southwest of

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...

. It is an independent city east of

downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

. It is considered part of the

Gateway Cities The Gateway Cities region, or Southeast Los Angeles County, is an urbanized region located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, between the City of Los Angeles proper, Orange County, and the Pacific Ocean. The cluster of cities has ...

and San Gabriel Valley Cities, and is a member of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments. In the early 20th century, Montebello was a well-known source for oil reserves. At the 2020 census, the population estimate was 63,833. The population estimate for July 1, 2022, was 60,569.

History

Historic occupants of the land along the Rio Hondo River were the indigenous

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands of California, Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the peop ...

(also known as Gabrielino), a portion of the

Uto-Aztecan The Uto-Aztecan languages are a family of native American languages, consisting of over thirty languages. Uto-Aztecan languages are found almost entirely in the Western United States and Mexico. The name of the language family reflects the common ...

family of Native Americans. The Tongva occupied much of the Los Angeles basin and the southern Channel Islands - Santa Catalina, San Nicolas,

San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the O ...

and Santa Barbara. When the explorer

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (; 1497 – January 3, 1543) was a Portuguese maritime explorer best known for investigations of the west coast of North America, undertaken on behalf of the Spanish Empire. He was the first European to explore presen ...

arrived off the shores of Santa Catalina in 1542, he was met by the Tongva people. Because the language of the Tongva was different from the neighboring tribes, the Spanish called them ''"Gabrielino"''. As more non-natives arrived and established settlements, diseases that were endemic among them caused high mortality among the Tongva and other indigenous peoples. These were new infectious diseases to them. By 1870, the area had few remaining

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

inhabitants. Father Angel Somera and Father Pedro Cambon, both Franciscan missionaries, founded the original

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 ...

, called Mission Vieja, on September 8, 1771. Today the site is near the intersection of San Gabriel Boulevard and the Rio Hondo River. The establishment of this mission marked the beginning of settlement by Spaniards in the Los Angeles region; it was the fourth of twenty-one missions that they ultimately established along California's El Camino Real. The mission did well initially as a farm and cattle ranch. Six years after its founding, however, a destructive flood led the mission fathers to relocate the mission farther north, to its current location in what is the present day city of San Gabriel. The original mission site is

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

#161. During the early years of the mission's operations, the region was managed by Spanish colonists who had a "Rancho" land grant system. The current city of Montebello consists of land from Rancho San Antonio, Rancho La Merced, and Rancho Paso de Bartolo. The Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe, built in 1844, still stands at the center of old Rancho la Merced in East Montebello. Rancho la Merced is the city's oldest standing structure. On January 8, 1847, the

Battle of Río San Gabriel The Battle of Río San Gabriel was fought on 8 January 1847 during the California campaign of the Mexican–American War. It took place at a ford of the San Gabriel River, at what are today parts of the cities of Whittier, Pico Rivera and ...

took place in what are today parts of the cities of Whittier, Pico Rivera and Montebello. The battle was a decisive, critical victory for the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. The United States took control of Los Angeles and Alta California. Today, the site is noted as California State Historical Landmark #385. Two cannons and a plaque commemorating the battle were installed overlooking the river at Bluff Road and Washington Boulevard. Following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, some of the East Los Angeles area was owned by Alessandro Repetto, an Italian immigrant from

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Following Repetto's death in 1885, his brother sold his rancho to a consortium of five Los Angeles businessmen, including banker Isaias W. Hellman and wholesale grocer/historian

Harris Newmark Harris Newmark (July 5, 1834 – 1916) was a Jewish American businessman, philanthropist, and historian. Newmark immigrated to the United States in 1853. He sailed from Europe to New York City, and then to San Francisco. He joined his older brothe ...

, for $60,000, or approximately $12 per acre. The land was later divided among the partners, one large parcel of approximately going to a partnership of Newmark and his nephew, banker Kaspare Cohn. The city of Montebello was developed in May 1899 from the Newmark and Cohn share of . After the partners received the advice of

hydraulic engineer Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the move ...

William Mulholland William Mulholland (September 11, 1855 – July 22, 1935) was an Irish American self-taught civil engineer who was responsible for building the infrastructure to provide a water supply that allowed Los Angeles to grow into the largest city in Cal ...

for the design and building of the town's water system, they subdivided the land. In 1900 the completed water system was incorporated as the Montebello Land and Water Company. An area of adjacent to the tracks of what was formerly the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad was developed into a townsite called Newmark. It was bounded by Los Angeles Avenue on the south, 1st Street on the east, Cleveland Avenue on the north, and 5th Street on the west. The remainder of the land was subdivided into lots suitable for small-scale agriculture. On

's suggestion, leaders of the city adopted Montebello as the name in 1920, replacing Newmark. Originally an agricultural community, the city was known for its prolific production of flowers, berries, fruits, and vegetables. The first public flower show in 1912 was sponsored by the Montebello Women's Club and held in the

Montebello High School Founded in 1909, Montebello High School is a public high school which is part of the Montebello Unified School District, and has an enrollment of approximately 2,600 students in grades 9-12. Its campus is located in Montebello, California, a sub ...

auditorium on Whittier Boulevard. The Montebello – El Carmel (South Montebello) Improvement Association, the predecessor of the Montebello Chamber of Commerce, operated from September 1907 to April 1912, with the purpose "to improve and beautify the community." Some of its early achievements included: paving Whittier Boulevard, having trees planted along the streets, establishing the city's first high school, and having the entire area incorporated as "The City of Montebello". On October 16, 1920, the city was incorporated. In honor of Montebello's agricultural roots, the city's official seal contains a red poinsettia in the center. In the first half of the 20th century, much of south Montebello was populated by Japanese-American farmers. During World War II, most were interned hundreds of miles away at camps in harsh areas under direction by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 was a President of the United States, United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. "This order authorized the fo ...

. Many of the displaced residents were unable to return to their homes; survivors and their descendants did not receive an official apology or compensation until the late 20th century. The family of M's Flowers can trace their history and participation in the growth of the flower industry, largely through their efforts. The

Standard Oil Company Standard Oil Company was a corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founded in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller. The ...

discovered oil in the Montebello hills in 1917 on the Baldwin and Temple properties; this discovery changed the face of the city. Oil fields replaced agriculture. Eventually, the oil pumped from this find produced one-eighth of the crude oil in California. Over the course of sixty years, the Montebello hills were filled with producing oil wells. On March 22, 2023, a high-end EF1 tornado struck the city, damaging 17 structures and injuring one person. According to the National Weather Service, it was the strongest tornado to hit the LA Metro area since March 1983.

Geography

Montebello is located east of

. The city is considered to be part of the

while the northern part of the city is in the

. The surrounding cities are Monterey Park, South San Gabriel, and Rosemead to the north,

Commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

to the south, Pico Rivera to the east, and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

to the west. The city is a member of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments. 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 , of which are land and or 1.32% is water.

Climate

Demographics

Montebello first appeared as a city in the 1930 U.S. Census as part of the newly-formed but now defunct Montebello Township (1930 pop. 38,641).

2020

The 2020 United States census reported Montebello had a population of 62,640. This corresponds to density of 7,521.6 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Montebello was 13,346 (21.3%)

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 ...

, 8,005 (12.8%) Asian, 614 (1.0%) Black or African American, 1,400 (2.2%)

American Indian and Alaska Native Native Americans (also called American Indians, First Americans, or Indigenous Americans) are the Indigenous peoples of the United States, particularly of the lower 48 states and Alaska. They may also include any Americans whose origins lie ...

, 82 (0.1%)

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Asian/Pacific American (APA) or Asian/Pacific Islander (API) or Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) or Asian American and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) is a term sometimes used in the United States when including both Asian A ...

, 26,259 (41.9%) some other race, and 12,934 (20.6%) people were of two or more races. Including all responses for people of two or more races, 25,562 (40.8%) were white alone or in combination with one or more other races, 8,597 (13.7%) were Asian alone or in combination with one or more other races, 1,015 (1.6%) were Black or African American alone or in combination, 2,421 (3.9%) were American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination, 214 (0.3%) were Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander alone or in combination, and 38,402 (61.3%) were some other race alone or in combination with one or more other races. 49,014 (78.2%) were

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. Of those, 8,886 (14.2% of the total population) were white alone, 142 (0.2%) were Black or African American alone, 1,294 (2.1%) were American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 212 (0.3%) were Asian alone, 16 (0.0%) were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, 26,063 (41.6%) were some other race alone, and 12,401 (19.8%) were two or more races. The census reported that Montebello had 20,308 housing units. Of those, 19,761 (97.3%) were occupied. 8,771 (44.4%) of the occupied units were owner-occupied and 10,990 (55.6%) were renter-occupied. Of the vacant units, 281 (1.4% of total) were for rent, 26 (0.1%) were rented but not occupied, 31 (0.2%) were for sale only, 20 (0.1%) were sold but not occupied, 12 (0.1%) were for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use, and 177 (0.9%) were otherwise vacant. The median household income between 2017 and 2022 was $72,317 (2022 dollars), with 13.0% of people living in poverty.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Montebello had a population of 62,500. The population density was . The racial makeup of Montebello was 33,633 (53.8%)

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 ...

, 567 (0.9%)

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 ...

, 634 (1.0%) Native American, 6,850 (11.0%) Asian, 58 (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 ...

, 18,431 (29.5%) from other races, and 2,327 (3.7%) from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 49,578 persons (79.3%).

Non-Hispanic Whites Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

were 8.5% of the population. Ethnic Latinos, mostly Mexican-American, make up the predominant group of residents in the city. Montebello borders

, and is well known for its Mexican-American history and culture. Montebello also has a significant Armenian-American community. In the 2010 census, 38.3% of Montebello residents identified as foreign born, with 75.6% speaking a language other than English in the home. There is also a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

community in Montebello. Armenian, Italian, German, Irish and Russian are the most common ancestries. Spanish and Chinese are the most common spoken non-English languages. The census reported that 62,100 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 39 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 361 (0.6%) were institutionalized. There were 19,012 households, of which 8,168 (43.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 9,088 (47.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 4,031 (21.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,651 (8.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,302 (6.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 134 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,350 households (17.6%) were made up of individuals, and 1,640 (8.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27. There were 14,770

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 ...

(77.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.67. The population was spread out, with 16,142 people (25.8%) under the age of 18, 6,414 people (10.3%) aged 18 to 24, 17,567 people (28.1%) aged 25 to 44, 13,857 people (22.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 8,520 people (13.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males. There were 19,768 housing units at an average density of , of which 8,766 (46.1%) were owner-occupied, and 10,246 (53.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.1%. 29,095 people (46.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 33,005 people (52.8%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States census, Montebello had a median household income of $47,488, with 15.4% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000

As of the 2000

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 ...

, there were 62,150 people, 18,844 households, and 14,867 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 19,416 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 46.82%

, 0.90%

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 1.23% Native American, 11.64% Asian, 0.08%

, 33.85% from other races, and 5.48% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 74.57% of the population, some of which are also included in the census of the white population. Mexican and

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

were the most common ancestries in Montebello.

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

were the most common foreign places of birth. There were 18,844 households, out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 20.1% had a female head of household and 21.1% were unrelated individuals. 17.1% of all households consisted of a single individual and 8.0% had persons who were 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 3.28 and the average family size was 3.67. The 2000 census data counted persons as 28.6% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.32 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median

income Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. F ...

for a household in the city was $38,805, and the median income for a family was $41,257. Males had a median income of $30,423 versus $26,590 for females. 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 ...

for the city was $15,125. 16.3% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher and 69% of residents have a high school degree. About 14.2% of families and 13.2% of the population were living 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 ...

, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Parks and recreation

Parks include: *

Grant Rea Park Montebello (Italian for "Beautiful Mountain") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located just east of East Los Angeles and southwest of San Gabriel Valley. It is an independent city east of downtown Los Angeles. It is c ...

, which features Montebello Barnyard Zoo, pony rides, train rides and a miniature water park. * Bicknell Park, which features the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument. * Montebello City Park, the oldest park, which featured fishponds in the 1950s, and now includes a skateboard park. * Sanchez Adobe Park, which includes Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe, built in 1845, the oldest extant structure in Montebello. * Ashiya Park, named for Montebello's sister city in Japan. * Henry Acuna Park, named for the only Montebello Police Department officer to die on duty. Memorials are located there. * The Reggie Rodriguez Park, which includes the Reggie Rodriguez Community Center, both named for a

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

hero. * Chet Holifield Park, which features the Chet Holifield Branch Library, both named for Congressman Chet Holifield.

Golf course

Montebello Municipal Golf Course, a , 18-hole course founded in 1928 as a private club, was purchased by the city in 1941, and features hotels and a conference center.

Government

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). ...

, Montebello is in , and in . 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 ...

, Montebello is in . Montebello utilizes a city council/city administrator form of government. The city council provides political leadership and policy direction. Montebello's current elected City Treasurer is Rafael Gutierrez. and the current elected City Clerk is Irma-Bernal Barajas. The city administrator works under the direction of the City Council, and functions as the manager of city employees and the department heads. Montebello has six department heads and some oversee more than one division. Previous Mayor Vanessa Delgado resigned in 2018 to serve on the California State Senate. The City Council is composed of five members elected at large by the citizens of Montebello to serve for four-year overlapping terms. Members include Scarlet Peralta (Mayor), Salvador Melendez (Mayor Pro Tem), Angie M. Jimenez, Georgina Tamayo, and David N. Torres. On January 24, 2024, Montebello became "at least" the fourth city in Southern California whose local governments passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza; the city council passed the resolution unanimously.

Education

Public

The city is served by the Montebello Unified School District. M.U.S.D. serves the city of Montebello, portions of the cities of Bell Gardens, Commerce, Downey, Rosemead, Pico Rivera, and Monterey Park, as well as the unincorporated community of South San Gabriel, and a part of the unincorporated community of East Los Angeles. The District is one of the largest and most diverse in Los Angeles County with an enrollment of more than 35,000 K–12 students and 30,000 adults enrolled in adult education. There are eighteen elementary schools, six intermediate schools, five high schools, and four adult schools. The five high schools are:

, founded in 1909;

Bell Gardens High School Bell Gardens High School is a public high school in Bell Gardens, California, part of the Montebello Unified School District. History The campus was built in the 1930s and 1940s. After years of development and construction, BGHS's new three stor ...

;

Schurr High School Schurr High School is a public high school in Montebello, California, United States, a suburb in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Part of the Montebello Unified School District, it has an enrollment of approximately 3,500 students in grades 9� ...

; Vail High School, an

alternative high school Alternative High School (AHS) is a public senior high (secondary) school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; which teaches grades 10 through 12. AHS is currently located at the Clinton Ford Centre, which was home to the former Clinton Ford Elementary Sc ...

for grades 10–12; Applied Technology Center, a $30 million facility opened in the fall of 2011, is a vocational high school with state-of-the-art technical training capable of accommodating up to 750 students. Students wishing to attend ATC are required to apply for admission. Board of education President Edwin Chau stated that ATC offers students a "rigorous academic curriculum and career technical education within a full-day schedule." Montebello Unified, has made it their goal to ensure students graduate ready and college prepared." The project was paid for with a $98 million Measure M bond, which voters passed in November 2004.

Private

Saint Benedict School, a private parochial grammar school, K-8, is operated on Saint Benedict Church property. It opened in September 1941 and was formally dedicated on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941. Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Parish School. The school first opened in 1954 through the leadership of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul. A private parochial high school,

Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary High School Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary High School (CSHM) is a private Roman Catholic high school located in Montebello, California, United States, precisely on the border of East Los Angeles and Montebello. It is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic ...

, is also located in Montebello. Originally two separate gender-segregated High Schools, they merged in the 1991, the Sacred Heart of Mary campus moving to the Cantwell campus. St. John's Lutheran Church has a Kindergarten-8th school on a site adjoining the church.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The city is easily accessible to the Long Beach- (I-710), San Gabriel River- (I-605), Pomona- (SR 60) and Santa Ana- (I-5) freeways.

Buses

Public transportation is provided by the city-owned

Montebello Bus Lines Montebello Bus Lines is a municipal bus operator in Montebello, California, USA, mainly serving East Los Angeles, Commerce, and Montebello. History Montebello Bus Lines began on 28 July 1931, with a small lot on the corner of Greenwood Avenu ...

; the service is the sixth largest public transit agency in Los Angeles County with an annual ridership of over 8.2 million. Starting in 1931 with a fleet of four buses, the agency now has a fleet of 66 buses, including five hybrid gasoline-electric buses and serves 14 communities.

Other public transportation

Montebello LINK is a transportation shuttle offering curb-to-curb service to and from the Montebello/Commerce station. Montebello also operates Montebello Dial-a-Taxi, a program offering transportation for senior residents and qualified disabled persons of any age. 15,000 residents utilize this service.

Law enforcement

Montebello has a police department consisting of 74 sworn officers, which includes the Chief of Police, two captains, five lieutenants, and ten sergeants. The department also employs 24 civilian personnel organized into three divisions: Field Services, Investigative Services, and Support Services. The Chief of Police is Paul Espinosa and is the eleventh police chief of the Montebello Police Department since 1920. Augmenting the department are a Reserve Officer Corps, a Police Explorer Program, a Police Chaplain Corps, and a civilian "Citizens on Patrol" program. The department provides a variety of services to citizens including Neighborhood Watch, the Citizen's Academy and a child seat loan program. The Crime prevention Bureau provides free security inspections to local businesses and residents.

Fire department

The Montebello Fire Department includes three fire stations, three paramedic engine companies, two paramedic rescue squads, one battalion chief unit, and one truck company.

Trees

The city maintains an estimated 20,000 city trees, and has received a "Tree City U.S.A." award since 1991.

Notable people

Alan Bannister Alan Bannister (born September 3, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies Chicago White Sox (1976–80), Cleveland Indians Houston Astros (1984) and Texas Rang ...

, born in Montebello, was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player *

Richard Cabral Richard Cabral (born August 28, 1984) is an American actor, occasional producer and writer. He is best known for his roles on '' Mayans M.C.'' on FX, the ABC television series '' American Crime'', which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nominat ...

, American actor and writer known for his role on the anthology series '' American Crime'' (2015), and his recurring role on the

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

action comedy The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

TV series ''

Lethal Weapon ''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American action film directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love, and Mitchell Ryan. In ''Lethal Weapon'', a pai ...

'', based on the action film series of the same name * Ken Davitian, actor, most notably played the role of Azamat in the movie "

Borat ''Borat'' (also known as ''Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'') is a 2006 mockumentary directed by Larry Charles, which stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat Sagdiyev, a fictional Kazakhs, Kazakh jou ...

" *

John DeCuir John DeCuir (June 4, 1918 – October 29, 1991) was a Hollywood art director and production designer known for his elaborate set designs that were illustrated with his own watercolor paintings.http://www.adg.org/?content=cm§ion=14 www.adg.org ...

, Oscar-winning art director; Montebello High School Class of 1936; earned eleven Oscar nominations, winning three: ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childr ...

'', ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

'', and '' Hello, Dolly!'' *

Oscar De La Hoya Oscar De La Hoya ( , ; born February 4, 1973) is an American Promoter (entertainment), boxing promoter and former professional boxing, professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 list of boxing sextuple ch ...

, 10-time boxing world champion and Olympic gold medalist *

Rodney Eastman Rodney Eastman (born July 20, 1967) is a Canadian actor best known for his role of Joey Crusel in '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' and '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master''. He is also a musician in a band named Kin ...

, actor, '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' and '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master''; graduate of Schurr High School Class of 1985 *

Deborah Foreman Deborah Lynn Foreman (born October 12, 1962) is an American photographer and actress. She is perhaps best known for her starring role in the 1983 film ''Valley Girl'' opposite Nicolas Cage. She is also regarded as a scream queen and known for p ...

, actress, star of film ''

Valley Girl A valley girl is a socioeconomic, linguistic, and youth subcultural stereotype and stock character originating during the 1980s: any materialistic upper-middle-class young woman, associated with unique vocal and California dialect features, f ...

'' as Julie Richman; born in Montebello *

Darlene Hard Darlene Ruth Hard (January 6, 1936 – December 2, 2021) was an American professional tennis player, known for her aggressive volleying ability and strong serves. She captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S. Cha ...

, tennis player, 2-time U.S. Nationals champion (1960, 1961), 1960 French champion,

Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...

champ 1963; won 18

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

titles in doubles and mixed doubles; born in Montebello and a 1953 graduate of Montebello High School * Ed Hernandez, California state senator and former state assembly member *

Jay Hernandez Javier Manuel "Jay" Hernandez (born February 20, 1978) is an American actor. After making his television debut in NBC's '' Hang Time'', he made his film debut opposite Kirsten Dunst in the romantic drama '' Crazy/Beautiful'' (2001). He has sin ...

, actor, has appeared in several major motion pictures, including playing the lead role in the 2005 horror film ''

Hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

'' and Chato Santana / El Diablo in 2016's ''

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

'' * Bobby Knoop, Major League Baseball player and coach, member Los Angeles Angels Hall of Fame; Montebello High School Class of 1956 *

Mickey Klutts Gene Ellis "Mickey" Klutts (born September 20, 1954) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 to 1983 with the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays. An inf ...

, Major League Baseball player, was born in Montebello *

Jack Larson Jack Edward Larson (February 8, 1928 – September 20, 2015) was an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer best known for his portrayal of photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the television series '' Adventures of Superm ...

, Actor, co-star in the Adventures of Superman (Jimmy Olsen), graduated from Montebello High School * Judi Evans Luciano, actress, was born in Montebello, star on ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

'' *

Robert Bruce Merrifield Robert Bruce Merrifield (July 15, 1921 – May 14, 2006) was an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1984 for the invention of solid phase peptide synthesis. Early life He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on 15 July 1921, ...

, Montebello High School class of 1939,

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

winner * Max Montoya, born in Montebello,

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player, 4-time Pro Bowl selection * Sergio Mora, professional boxer; Schurr High School class of 1997 * Sona Movsesian, born in Montebello, New York Times Best Selling author, podcast host, media personality, and

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'B ...

's executive assistant *

Mirai Nagasu is an American former competitive Figure skating, figure skater. She is a Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Team event, 2018 Olympic Games team event bronze medalist, three-time Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, Four Co ...

, born in Montebello, professional figure skater, national champion and Olympian *

Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective List of Blade Runner (franchise) characters#Gaff, Gaff in ''Blade Runner'' (1982) and its sequel ''Blade Runner 2049'' (2017), Lieuten ...

, actor and director; Montebello High School Class of 1964 * Ramona Pagel, athlete, held U.S. record in shot put, Pan-American Games gold medalist;

* Joshua Pérez, born in Montebello, professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player *

Jeffrey Lee Pierce Jeffrey Lee Pierce (June 27, 1958 – March 31, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and author. He was one of the founding members of the band The Gun Club, and released material as a solo artist. Early life Pierce was born ...

, born in Montebello, singer, songwriter, guitarist and author. Founding member and frontman of ''

The Gun Club The Gun Club were an American post-punk band from Los Angeles that existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to i ...

''. *

Jerry Pimm Jerry Pimm is an American former basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Utah from 1974 to 1983 and the University of California, Santa Barbara from 1983 to 1998, compiling career college basketball c ...

, college basketball coach, Montebello High School Class of 1956 * Carl Renezeder, off-road racing champion * Jack Russell, born in Montebello, lead vocalist for

Great White Great White is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band is named after both the shark with the same name, and guitarist Mark Kendall's former stage nickname. In August 2008, Great White estimated they had sold aroun ...

* Mark Salas, born in Montebello, former MLB player. * Hagop Sandaldjian, microminiature

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, lived and worked in Montebello after emigrating from

Yerevan, Armenia Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

(then part of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) in 1980. * Catherine Sandoval, first Latina

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...

, professor of law, California Public Utilities Commissioner * Tom Tellez, track star and coach; Montebello High School Class of 1951, Tom Tellez Track at Carl Lewis International Complex *

Nosaj Thing Jason W. Chung (born January 27, 1985), better known as Nosaj Thing, is an American artist, record producer, and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. He has produced tracks for Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Kid Cudi, Tinashe, Toro Y Moi, se ...

, hip-hop recording artist, is a native of Montebello *

Art Torres Arthur A. Torres (born September 24, 1946) is an American former politician who served as a member of the California State Legislature. He is the vice chair of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, the governing board of the California In ...

, politician, Montebello High School Class of 1964 * Michael Trevino, born in Montebello; actor, best known for his role in "

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...

" as Tyler Lockwood *

Eduardo Xol Eduardo Torres Xol (pronounced "soul"; February 19, 1966 – September 20, 2024) was an American television personality, designer, entertainer, social activist and businessman. He was most known to U.S. television audiences for his work as a des ...

, television personality; graduate of Schurr High School Class of 1984

Sister cities

Montebello has been affiliated with

Ashiya, Hyōgo 270px, Ashiya City Hall 270px, Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum 270px, Ashiya seen from Ashiya Station is a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 92,976 in 43,229 households and a population density of ...

, Japan since the inception of the Sister City Program in 1961. Student Ambassadors are chosen to travel to Ashiya every year. Montebello has been affiliated with

Stepanakert Stepanakert officially Khankendi is a city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. It was the capital city of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in ...

, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, since 2005, when a controversial move to facilitate the sister city relationship was made by the Armenian National Committee of the San Gabriel Valley and was approved by City Council. Montebello is a sister city with Esquinapa, Mexico, Iguala, Mexico and

Ensenada, Mexico Ensenada ("inlet") is a city in Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Located on Bahía de Todos Santos, the city had a population of 279,765 in 2018, making it the third-largest city in Baja Californ ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Armenian-American culture in California Armenian diaspora communities in the United States 1920 establishments in California Cities in Los Angeles County, California Communities in the San Gabriel Valley Gateway Cities Incorporated cities and towns in California Mid-importance Southern California articles Populated places established in 1920 Chicano and Mexican neighborhoods in California