Chino, California


Chino is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region.
Chino's surroundings have long been a center of agriculture and dairy farming, providing milk products in Southern California and much of the southwestern United States. Chino's agricultural history dates back to the Spanish land grant forming Rancho Santa Ana del Chino. The area specialized in fruit orchards, row crops, and dairy.
Chino is bounded by Chino Hills and Los Angeles County to the west, Pomona to the northwest, unincorporated San Bernardino County to the north, including the unincorporated community of Narod, Ontario to the northeast, Eastvale to the southeast in Riverside County and Orange County to the southwest. It is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways. The population was 91,403 at the 2020 census.
WWW cityofchino.org

Etymology

The land grant on which the town was founded was called Rancho Santa Ana del Chino. Santa Ana is Spanish for Saint Anne, but the exact meaning of "Chino" has been explained in different ways. One explanation is that the "Chino" was the chief of the local Native American village. The president of the Chino Valley Historical Society, drawing on Civil War-era letters, designates the "curl" referenced in the toponym as that at the top of the grama grass that abounded in the valley.

History

The Tongva had a settlement called Wapijangna in the Santa Ana River watershed. Some residents of Wapijanga were baptized at Mission San Gabriel, which was established in 1771. The Spanish crown claimed the land until Mexican independence was finalized and possession fell to the Mexican government.
Some twenty years later, Mexican governor of Alta California Juan Bautista Alvarado granted Rancho Santa Ana del Chino to Antonio Maria Lugo of the Lugo family. Two years later, his successor, Governor Micheltorena, granted an additional three leagues to Lugo's son-in-law Isaac Williams, who took charge of the rancho. Williams kept large quantities of horses and cattle, which attracted the envy of raiding Native Americans as well as unscrupulous whites. One of the latter was James Beckwourth, who, in 1840, posed as an otter hunter and stayed at Rancho Chino to determine the location of the area's animals, which he then reported to Walkara, the Ute mastermind of the raids.
Early in the Mexican–American War, the Battle of Chino took place at Williams' rancho. The battle ended prior to the arrival of the Mormon Battalion, dispatched on behalf of the United States, who instead labored in the rancho's agricultural harvest and constructed a grist mill.
During the California Gold Rush, the rancho was a popular stopover for travelers, and in the mining fury, coal was discovered there. In 1850, California was admitted to the union, and the process of separating privately held lands from the public domain began. The Williams claim to the Chino Rancho was patented in 1869.
Richard Gird was the next owner of the Rancho. Beginning in 1887, his land was subdivided and laid out. It became the "Town of Chino", and incorporated into a city in 1910. Sugar beets, corn, and alfalfa were raised there.
The Chino Valley, located at the foot of an alluvial plain with fertile topsoil reaching depths of, was an agricultural mecca from the 1890s up through the mid-20th century. Sugar beets were a significant part of the economy in the early 1900s, followed by sweet corn, peaches, walnuts, tomatoes, and strawberries. The city's official logo/crest features an overflowing cornucopia.
The dairy industry flourished from the 1950s through the 1980s, with dairy-friendly zoning in the southwest corner of San Bernardino County encouraging many ethnic Dutch families to locate there and become the cornerstone of the industry. Chino's large, highly efficient dairies made it the largest milk-producing community in the nation's largest milk-producing state.
Because of its pastoral setting and rural flavor, Chino was a popular site for Hollywood crews to shoot "Midwestern" settings. 1960s movies included Bus Riley's Back in Town starring Ann-Margret and Michael Parks; The Stripper, with Joanne Woodward; and the mid-1960s TV series Twelve O'Clock High, refashioning Chino's rural airport into a British airfield with quonset huts among farm fields.
In the 1970s, Chino developed into a small suburban city, forming the western anchor of the Inland Empire region, and now the city's development has gradually taken on a more middle-class character. There are still many industrial areas as well as farm animals such as goats and chickens. According to the 2004 FBI UCR, the city had about 3.6 violent crimes per 1,000 population, which is typical for an American suburb, and its property crime below average.
On July 11, 2017, in a special election, Chino voters voted against Measure H, which would have allowed of rural land located near Ontario to be used to build a total of 180 new homes by home builder D.R. Horton. The measure faced considerable opposition from city residents, despite support from the Chino Chamber of Commerce and school district.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of employees
1Chino Valley Unified School DistrictOver 1,000
2California Institution for MenOver 1,000
3California Institution for Women500–1,000
4Chino Valley Medical Center500–1,000
5Wal-Martfewer than 500
6Hussmannfewer than 500
7Best Buyfewer than 500
8Nature's Bestfewer than 500
9Mission Linen Supplyfewer than 500
10Targetfewer than 500
11Omnia Furniturefewer than 500
12AEP Industriesfewer than 500
13J. C. Penneyfewer than 500
14Farmers Insurance Groupfewer than 500
15ClosetMaidfewer than 500

Two California state prisons for adults, as well as the Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility, lie within the city limits.

Education

Chino is a part of the Chino Valley Unified School District.

Elementary schools

Chino has had 11 elementary schools:
  • El Rancho Elementary
  • Alicia Cortez Elementary
  • Newman Elementary
  • E.J. Marshall Elementary
  • Dickson Elementary
  • Anna Borba Fundamental
  • Howard Cattle Elementary
  • Richard Gird Elementary
  • Edwin Rhodes Elementary
  • Walnut Avenue Elementary
  • Liberty Elementary

Junior high schools

Chino has four junior high schools:

High schools

Chino has three high schools:

Charter schools

Chino has one charter school:
  • Oxford Preparatory Academy
  • Allegiance STEAM Academy

K-8 schools

Chino has three K-8 schools:
  • Lyle S. Briggs Fundamental School
  • Cal Aero Preserve Academy
  • Legacy Academy
Chino is serviced by a satellite center of Chaffey College, a community college.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of. of it is land and 0.04% is water.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Chino has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps. Chino has long, hot summers with cool to mild mornings and short, mild, and wet winters with chilly mornings usually in the 40s. Precipitation peaks during the month of February.

Demographics

Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 25,26721,65918,83337.62%27.77%20.60%
Black or African American alone 5,1004,5295,2127.59%5.81%5.70%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 2322562560.35%0.33%0.28%
Asian alone 3,2427,93217,2554.83%10.17%18.88%
Pacific Islander alone 1061121020.16%0.14%0.11%
Other race alone 1132104660.17%0.27%0.51%
Mixed race or Multiracial 1,2781,2922,4381.90%1.66%2.67%
Hispanic or Latino 31,83041,99346,84147.39%53.85%51.25%
Total67,16877,98391,403100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Chino had a population of 91,403. The population density was. The racial makeup of Chino was 29.9% White, 6.1% African American, 1.5% Native American, 19.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 25.5% from other races, and 17.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.2% of the population.
The census reported that 94.0% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 5.7% were institutionalized.
There were 26,351 households, out of which 41.9% included children under the age of 18, 55.8% were married-couple households, 6.1% were cohabiting couple households, 24.0% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 14.3% of households were one person, and 6.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.26. There were 21,194 families.
The age distribution was 22.4% under the age of 18, 9.2% aged 18 to 24, 29.7% aged 25 to 44, 25.9% aged 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 37.2years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males.
There were 27,224 housing units at an average density of, of which 26,351 were occupied. Of these, 62.5% were owner-occupied, and 37.5% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $103,845, and the per capita income was $36,118. About 6.4% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Chino had a population of 77,983. The population density was. The racial makeup of Chino was 43,981 White, 4,829 African American, 786 Native American, 8,159 Asian, 168 Pacific Islander, 16,503 from other races, and 3,557 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 41,993 persons.
The census reported that 70,919 people lived in households, 164 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 6,900 were institutionalized.
There were 20,772 households, 9,979 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 12,426 were married couples living together, 3,041 had a female householder with no husband present, 1,469 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,185 households of unmarried couples; of which 147 were same-sex. 2,840 households were one person and 1,020 had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.41. There were 16,936 families ; the average family size was 3.72.
The age distribution was 19,737 people under the age of 18, 8,530 people aged 18 to 24, 25,091 people aged 25 to 44, 18,954 people aged 45 to 64, and 5,671 people who were 65 or older. The median age was 33.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.2 males.
There were 21,797 housing units at an average density of 735.1 per square mile, of the occupied units 14,315 were owner-occupied and 6,457 were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%. 49,280 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 21,639 people lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Chino had a median household income of $71,671, with 9.6% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Government

The city is governed by a five-member council consisting of a mayor plus four councilmembers. The mayor is elected at-large and council members are elected by district; all serve four-year terms. The city manager and city attorney are appointed by the council. The city's elections, which are plurality, are held on a Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.

Federal and state representation

Chino is included in the 35th congressional district, which is represented by.
In the California State Legislature, Burbank is in, and is divided between, and.

Transportation

The Chino Transit Center is located at 6th and Chino Avenue. From there, the #85 and #88 Omnitrans buses connect northbound to the Montclair Transcenter, where many daily Metrolink, Foothill Transit, and Omnitrans connections are available to downtown Los Angeles and points in between.

Notable people

Local attractions

The Planes of Fame and Yanks Air Museum are air museums located at Chino Airport.