San Dimas, California

San Dimas, California

Encyclopedia

Tutorials

Encyclopedia

Dictionary

Directory

Email this to a friend San_Dimas,_California

San Dimas, California

San Dimas is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2004 census, the city had a total population of 36,200.

History
Geography
Demographics
Landmarks and Points of Interest
Famous Citizens
Politics
References
External links

History

San Dimas, 1915

The earliest occupants of what is now known as San Dimas were Gabrieleño Indians, believed to have lived in the area along with other tribes for over 7,000 years before the first white explorers came to the area in the mid-1700?s. The first known exploration of the area was in 1774, when Juan Bautista De Anza passed through the area when traveling to Monterey from Mexico. The community originally developed in the early 1800?s, when it was known as Mud Springs, so named because of local mud springs that made the area wet and swampy. Soon after, ranchers and other settlers began to populate the area, but it was the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1887 that Mud Springs was first mapped. The resulting land boom resulted in the formation of the San Jose Ranch Company, which first laid out streets. Small businesses began to open soon thereafter, and the city took on a new name: San Dimas. Growth was rapid, and San Dimas soon became an agricultural community, with oranges the major crop until the mid-1900?s. San Dimas incorporated as a city in 1960. ^[1]^[2]

Geography

San Dimas is a suburb of Los Angeles nestled along the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, about east/northeast of the city and of the Pacific Ocean. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.6 sq. mi.. Fifteen point five sq. mi. of it is land and 0.1 sq. mi of it is water. The city is traversed by Cinnamon Creek, which roughly parallels Arrow Hwy before meeting Cinnamon Falls near San Dimas Ave.

San Dimas runs along and southward from historic U.S. Route 66 (previously known as Alosta Ave.). Other major arteries include Arrow Highway (east?west) and San Dimas Avenue (north?south). The Foothill Freeway (I-210) connects it to Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley, and the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10) connects it to downtown Los Angeles to the west, and San Bernardino to the east.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,980 people, 12,163 households, and 8,988 families residing in the city. The population density was 870.8/km² (2,255.7/mi²). There were 12,503 housing units at an average density of 311.2/km² (806.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.66% White, 3.30% African American, 0.69% Native American, 9.39% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 7.34% from other races, and 4.39% from two or more races. 23.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 12,163 households out of which 35.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% are married couples living together, 11.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% are non-families. 21.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.78 and the average family size is 3.23.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $62,885, and the median income for a family was $72,124. Males had a median income of $53,009 versus $36,057 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,321. 6.3% of the population and 3.6% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.9% of those under the age of 18 and 11.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Landmarks and Points of Interest

San Dimas is home to Raging Waters theme park, one of the largest water parks in California.

Famous Citizens

Actor Ed Nelson, best known for the 1960s prime-time soap opera Peyton Place, was a San Dimas resident during much of his professional life, and served as Mayor of San Dimas in the mid-60's.

Lela Lee, an actress and cartoonist, grew up in San Dimas.

D.J. Hackett, an American football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, attended San Dimas High School.

Jamie Dantzscher, an Olympic Gymnast in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney for the U.S. Olympic Team, attended San Dimas High School, class of 2000.

Christian Jimenez, a professional soccer player who played in Major League Soccer for Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake, attended San Dimas High School.

John Fleck

Wayne Moses, a graduate in the first class at San Dimas High School (1973). Professional and college football coach for the St. Louis Rams, USC, UCLA, Washington, Stanford, Pitt, San Diego State and New Mexico.

Adam Wylie of the CBS-TV drama "Picket Fences" was born and raised in San Dimas.

Ian Johnson, Boise State running back who scored on the famous "Statue of Liberty" two-point conversion to beat Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl attended Damien High School.

Jeremy Reed, outfielder for the Seattle Mariners baseball club.

San Dimas' most famous fictional citizens are William S. "Bill" Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves), from the movies Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. San Dimas was featured prominently in the movie, and was referred to as "the center of the Universe," although many of the location shots were of various Phoenix, Arizona locales.

Politics

In the state legislature San Dimas is located in the 29th Senate District, represented by Republican Bob Margett, and in the 59th and 60th Assembly Districts, represented by Republicans Anthony Adams and Bob Huff respectively. Federally, San Dimas is located in California's 26th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +4^[3] and is represented by Republican David Dreier.