Rancho Cucamonga, California
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Rancho Cucamonga is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 127,743. But a July 1, 2002 Census estimate put the fast-growing city's population at 143,711.
The city was incorporated in 1977, as a result of a merger among the unincorporated communities of Alta Loma, Cucamonga, and Etiwanda.
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Geography
Rancho Cucamonga is located at 34°7'24" North, 117°34'46" West (34.123345, -117.579404)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 97.0 km² (37.5 mi²). 97.0 km² (37.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.
Rancho Cucamonga is the conjunction of the Mojave Trail, the Old Spanish Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, U.S. Route 66 (signed as Foothill Boulevard), and "El Camino Real".
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 127,743 people, 40,863 households, and 31,832 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,317.0/km² (3,411.4/mi²). There were 42,134 housing units at an average density of 434.4/km² (1,125.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.53% White, 7.87% African American, 0.67% Native American, 5.99% Asian, 0.27% Pacific Islander, 13.25% from other races, and 5.41% from a biracial or multiracial background. 27.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 40,863 households, of which 44.7% have children under the age of 18. 60.2% of households consist of a married couple living together. 12.8% have a female householder with no husband present. 22.1% were non-families. 16.8% of all households are single-person and 4.1% have a person of 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.44.
In the city, the population spread is as follows: 29.9% are under the age of 18, 9.9% are from 18 to 24, 33.2% are from 25 to 44, 21.0% are from 45 to 64, and 6.1% are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $60,931, and the median income for a family was $66,446, rivaling nearby Orange County, and making it one of the wealthier cities in San Bernardino County. Males had a median income of $47,363 versus $32,113 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,702. 7.1% of the population and 4.9% of families were below the poverty line. 7.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Rancho Cucamonga's Population History
- 1950 - 1,255*
- 1960 - N/A
- 1970 - 5,796*
- 1980 - 55,250
- 1990 - 101,409
- 2000 - 127,743
- 2002 - 143,711
(*): Population Figures for 1950 - 1970 were for the Cucamonga portion of the city only and the figures were tabulated prior to incorporation in 1977. The 1960 census data was not available
The name "Cucamonga"
"Cucamonga" comes from a Tongva place name that probably means "sandy place".
"Cucamonga" has always been recognized as a funny-sounding place name, among such exotic places as Timbuktu and Bora Bora. One of the catch-phrases of the radio show "The Jack Benny Program" involved a train announcer (Mel Blanc) who said over the loudspeaker, "Train now leaving on track five for Anaheim, Azusa, and Cuc... amonga," taking progressively longer pauses between "Cuc" and "amonga." Part of the joke, for the Los Angeles audience, was that no such train route existed. Jack Benny Drive, a small street in the city, is named as a tribute to "The Jack Benny Program". (Coincidentally, the city also has a Rochester Avenue, which is very likely not named for the character portrayed by Eddie Anderson on the Jack Benny Program.) In one of his many popular media crossovers, Blanc used that same catch phrase in Daffy Duck's voice in the 1948 Merrie Melodies cartoon "Daffy Duck Slept Here" and later in Bugs Bunny's voice in a 1960s Looney Tunes cartoon. In an episode of The Simpsons, Krusty the Clown mentioned Rancho Cucamonga, along with Walla Walla, Keokuk, and Seattle, as funny place names.
Cucamonga in myth and media
- In the movie "Fletch Lives", Fletch , played by actor Chevy Chase, claims to a Ku Klux Klan leader that he is from the "Cucamonga Klan" from California.
- In the movie "Next Friday" the setting is, and was partly filmed in Rancho Cucamonga.
- An ABC television movie comedy Camp Cucamonga (1990), presumably takes place in a summer camp in Rancho Cucamonga's forested area in the San Bernardino National Forest. The current city limits barely extend into the forested regions of the foothills, and large parts of Cucamonga Peak north of the city lie in a wilderness area.
- A fictional Johnny Carson character named Floyd R. Turbo said he was from Cucamonga, California.
- "Pride of Cucamonga", a wine produced by the Joseph Filippi Winery in Rancho Cucamonga, was used as the title of a song by the Grateful Dead.
- The city hosts the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League.
- Hometown to an O-Town boy band member Trevor Penick, an American Idol 3 finalist Matthew Rogers, and "The O.C." and "Flags Of Our Fathers" actor Topher Rhys.
- Rancho Cucamonga was in a comedic skit on an episode of MADtv.
- Musician Frank Zappa built his famous "Studio Z" recording studio in Cucamonga. (It's also the name of a long-lived radio show on Radio 1, Belgium, as an obscure reference to Frank Zappa.)
External links
Template:Cities of San Bernardino County, California
de:Rancho Cucamonga