Monrovia

History

The San Gabriel Valley was first inhabited by the Tongva whose traditional lands extended throughout the area of modern-day greater Los Angeles. While Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo first discovered California for Spain in 1542, Spanish colonization did not begin until 1769 with the Portolá expedition. In 1771, the entire valley, including present-day Monrovia, came under the domain of the newly established Mission San Gabriel, initially located along the San Gabriel River near the southern edge of the valley. The mission utilized the lower portion of the valley for raising cattle and farming while the uplands, including Monrovia, remained untouched.

Following Mexico's independence from Spain and the Mexican Congress's enactment of secularization laws in 1833, the government of Alta California began the process of secularizing missions and dispersing their property. On April 16, 1841, Hugo Reid, a naturalized Mexican citizen from Great Britain, was provisionally granted ownership of Rancho Santa Anita, which included most of present-day Monrovia to the west of Norumbega Drive, and received a fee simple title to the land in 1845. Rancho Santa Anita then changed hands several times before Lucky Baldwin acquired it on April 8, 1875. In 1884, William N. Monroe purchased a 120-acre plot from Baldwin in present-day Monrovia that encompassed both sides of White Oak Avenue (now Foothill Boulevard). Monroe acquired an additional 90 acres in 1885.

In 1886, Monroe partnered with Edward F. Spence, John D. Bicknell, and James F. Crank to form a 120-acre town centered around Myrtle Avenue and present-day Colorado Boulevard; the first sale of townsite lots began on May 17, 1886. Within nineteen months, several banks, hotels, churches, and schools were built. In 1887, Monrovia reached a population of 500 and was incorporated on December 15, making it the fourth incorporated city in Los Angeles County after Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Pasadena. Monrovia was connected to Los Angeles by rail in 1888 through the efforts of the San Gabriel Valley Rapid Transit Railroad Company. The Los Angeles Terminal Railway briefly assumed control over the rail line in 1892 before selling the railway to Southern Pacific in 1893.

In 1903, the Pacific Electric railway opened a line to Monrovia. The expansion of this interurban railway, which served the greater Los Angeles area, allowed residents to visit the beach for the day, commute to downtown Los Angeles, and travel the region. It also contributed to Monrovia's growth with the population nearly tripling over a decade to 3,576 in 1910. After construction stagnated during World War I, it increased in the post-war years with a record number of building permits being issued in 1923. From 1920 to 1930, Monrovia's population increased from 5,480 to 10,890.

Geography and ecology

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 35.5 square kilometers (13.7 mi2). 13.6 square miles (35 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.79%) is water.

Wildlife is abundant in the adjacent San Gabriel Mountains, including mammals like black bears, bobcats, coyotes, gray foxes, mountain lions(although seen much less frequently than other wildlife), and mule deer, many of which roam area neighborhoods and visit backyards. In 2024, a mother black bear and her young cubs began regularly visiting a home in Monrovia situated close to the mountains to cool-off and play in the property's swimming pool. By May, the bear family had become such regular visitors, with the homeowners posting numerous videos online, that it was reported on by multiple local, national and international news outlets, including Sky News Australia. Her story is somewhat similar to that of "Samson the Hot Tub Bear" who lived in Monrovia during the late 20th century.

Demographics

Monrovia first appeared as a town in the 1890 U.S. Census; and as a city in the 1900 U.S. Census.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Monrovia had a population of 37,931 and a population density of 2,782.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,074.3/km2).

The age distribution was 19.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% aged 18 to 24, 29.1% aged 25 to 44, 27.9% aged 45 to 64, and 15.8% aged 65 or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.3 males age 18 and over.

The census reported that 99.4% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.2% were institutionalized. There were 14,556 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.6% were married-couple households, 6.6% were cohabiting couple households, 30.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present, and 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.4% of households were one person households, 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, and the average household size was 2.59. There were 9,635 families (66.2% of all households).

There were 15,241 housing units at an average density of 1,118.0 units per square mile (431.7 units/km2), of which 14,556 (95.5%) were occupied. Of occupied housing units, 46.4% were owner-occupied and 53.6% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.9%.

99.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.3% lived in rural areas.

2023 estimate

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $97,083, and the per capita income was $47,622. About 7.0% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Monrovia had a population of 36,590. The population density was 2,668.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,030.2/km2). The racial makeup of Monrovia was 21,932 (59.9%) White (41.1% Non-Hispanic White), 4,107 (11.2%) Asian, 2,500 (6.8%) African American, 279 (0.8%) Native American, 76 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 5,818 (15.9%) from other races, and 1,878 (5.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14,043 persons (38.4%).

The census reported that 36,434 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 61 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 95 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 13,762 households, out of which 4,725 (34.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,295 (45.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,073 (15.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 778 (5.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 793 (5.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 131 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,649 households (26.5%) were made up of individuals, and 1,276 (9.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65. There were 9,146 families (66.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.24.

The population was spread out, with 8,514 people (23.3%) under the age of 18, 3,084 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 10,733 people (29.3%) aged 25 to 44, 10,018 people (27.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 4,241 people (11.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

There were 14,473 housing units at an average density of 1,055.4 units per square mile (407.5 units/km2), of which 6,809 (49.5%) were owner-occupied, and 6,953 (50.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 18,478 people (50.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,956 people (49.1%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States census, Monrovia had a median household income of $71,768, with 9.8% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Mapping L.A.

Mapping L.A. reported that in 2000, Mexican (27.0%) and German (7.9%) were the most common ancestries. Mexico (48.1%) and the Philippines (8.6%) were the most common foreign places of birth.

Economy

Original Tommy's, Trader Joe's, Green Dot and Naked Juice are based in Monrovia. Monrovia has a "Technology Corridor", which includes AeroVironment, Tanner Research, Parasoft, Xencor, and ITT Deep Space Division.

Top employers

According to the city's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

Upton Sinclair House, home to author Upton Sinclair, is in Monrovia and is a National Historic Landmark.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Monrovia is in the 25th senatorial district, represented by Democrat Sasha Renée Pérez, and in the 41st Assembly district, represented by Democrat John Harabedian. A small portion of the city is in the 48th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Blanca Rubio.

In the United States House of Representatives, Monrovia is mostly within California's 31st congressional district, represented by Democrat Gil Cisneros with a small portion of the city in California's 28th congressional district, represented by Democrat Judy Chu.

Education

Public schools

The Monrovia Unified School District operates 12 public schools, consisting of 5 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 1 alternative school, 1 independent study school, and 1 adult school:

Preschools (Pre-K)

Canyon Early Learning Center

Elementary schools (TK–6th)

Bradoaks Elementary Science Academy

Mayflower Elementary School

Monroe Elementary School

Plymouth Elementary School

Wildrose School of Creative Arts

Middle schools (7th–8th)

Clifton Middle School

Santa Fe Computer Science Magnet School

High schools (9th–12th)

Monrovia High School (MHS)

Alternative schools (7th–12th)

Canyon Oaks High School

Independent-study schools (K–12th)

Mountain Park School

Adult schools

Monrovia Community Adult School

Colleges and universities

The city is a part of the Citrus Community College District.

Media

Newspapers with offices in Monrovia include the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, which publishes community news, and Monrovia Weekly, a community newspaper. Public access television is provided by KGEM-TV, which is available primarily to cable viewers, with some content online.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Monrovia's main roads include Foothill Boulevard and Huntington Drive (historic Route 66). It is also served by the Foothill Freeway (I-210).

In 2016, Metro opened a new at-grade light rail station in Monrovia, Monrovia station, at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Duarte Road. It is served by the Metro A Line. It is at the location of the former Santa Fe Depot, which still stands.

Health care

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Monrovia Health Center in Monrovia.

Notable people

Ashley Sanchez Professional Soccer Player for the Washington Spirit in the NWSL and the USWNT

In popular culture

The house seen in the 1986 horror-comedy cult film House is at 329 Melrose Avenue in Monrovia.

The exterior house seen in the 2018 post-apocalyptic horror thriller film Bird Box, which was streamed worldwide on Netflix, is at 304 North Canyon Boulevard and the corner of East Greystone Avenue in Monrovia.

Miranda July's novel All Fours is set in large part in a Monrovia motel.

The 1997 feature film Eight Days a Week was entirely shot on location in Monrovia.