Whittier, California

From Free net encyclopedia

(Difference between revisions)
Revision as of 20:42, 20 April 2006
205.188.116.6 (Talk | contribs)
/* John Greenleaf Whittier's dedication poem */
Next diff →

Current revision

{{Infobox City |official_name = City of Whittier, California |image_seal = whittier_logo.jpg |subdivision_type = Country
  State
    County |subdivision_name = United States
  California
    Los Angeles |leader_title = Mayor |leader_name = Greg Nordbak |area_magnitude = 1 E8 |area_total = 37.9 |area_land = 37.9 |area_water = 0 |population_as_of = 2000 |population_total = 83,680 |population_density = 1,196.2 |timezone = PST |utc_offset = -8 |timezone_DST = PDT |utc_offset_DST = -7 |latitude = 33°57'56" N |longitude = 118°1'28" W |website = http://www.whittierch.org/ }}

Whittier is a city located in Los Angeles County, California about 12 miles southeast of Los Angeles. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 83,680. It is the home of Whittier College and Southern California University of Health Sciences.

Contents

[edit]

History

The roots of Whittier can be traced to Jacob Gerkens, a German immigrant who paid $234 to the U.S. government to acquire 160 acres of land under the Homestead Act. He built a cabin on the land which is today known as the Jonathan Bailey House. The land had several owners before a group of Quakers bought the land, which had since been expanded to 1,259 acres, with the purpose of founding a Quaker community.

Image:Whittier old.jpg Whittier became a charter law city and was incorporated in 1898. Like many other southern California communities, Whittier experienced a population increase after World War II.

[edit]

Origin of name

In the founding days of Whittier, when it was a small isolated town, Jonathan Bailey and his wife, Rebecca, were among the first residents. They followed the Quaker religion, and held religious meetings on their porch. As the city grew, the citizens named it after John Greenleaf Whittier, a respected Quaker poet. Whittier wrote a dedication poem, and is honored today with statues and a small exhibit at the Whittier museum; a statue of him sits in the park, and another representing his poem The Barefoot Boy resides by the City Hall. Consequently, the college there is called Whittier College, and the mascot, appropriately, is "The Poet." Whittier never set foot there, but the city still bears his name and is rooted in the Quaker tradition.

[edit]

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 83,680 people, 28,271 households, and 20,468 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,208.4/km² (5,719.4/mi²). There were 28,977 housing units at an average density of 764.7/km² (1,980.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.19% White, 1.22% African American, 1.32% Native American, 3.31% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 25.80% from other races, and 5.01% from two or more races. 55.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 28,271 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 22.4% 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 2.88 and the average family size was 3.38.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,256, and the median income for a family was $55,726. Males had a median income of $40,394 versus $34,223 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,409. 10.5% of the population and 7.8% of families were below the poverty line. 13.7% of those under the age of 18 and 8.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

[edit]

Trivia

[edit]

Places

[edit]

Film and television locations

  • Various movies and television shows have been taped in the city including:
Back to the Future - Whittier High School was used as the setting for Hill Valley High School.
Hocus Pocus (film) - Film starring Bette Middler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw
Father of the Bride Part II - Parts were filmed in uptown Whittier.
The Wonder Years - The parade scene in the last episode was also taped at uptown Whittier.
The Next Best Thing- Film starring Madonna and Rupert Everett was shot in the Whittier Hills.
Matilda - Film starring Danny Devito was shot in East Whittier.
Bringing Down the House- Film starring Queen Latifah and Steve Martin, was shot at the Friendly Hills Country Club, in East Whittier.
Terminator 3 - Various parts were shot in Whittier including Rose Hills Memorial Park.
Blow (film) - Film starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. Scenes were filmed at the Fred C. Nelles boys' correctional facility.
Masters of the Universe (film) - Film starring Dolph Lundgren. Most of the movie was shot in the city.
[edit]

John Greenleaf Whittier's dedication poem

Although John Greenleaf Whittier never visited the city, he did write a poem in honor of it:

"My Name I Give To Thee"
Dear Town, for whom the flowers are born,
 Stars shine, and happy songbirds sing,
 What can my evening give to thy morn,
 My Winter to Thy Spring? A life not void of pure intent
 With small desert of praise or blame;
 The Love I felt, the Good I meant,
 I leave Thee with My Name.

[edit]

Notable residents

[edit]

Entertainment

[edit]

Government

[edit]

Miscellaneous

[edit]

Sports

[edit]

See also

[edit]

External links

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

Template:Cities of Los Angeles County, Californiade:Whittier

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Whittier%2C_California"