La Puente, California


La Puente is a city in east Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 38,062 at the 2020 census and is approximately east of Downtown Los Angeles.
WWW lapuente.org

History

The original inhabitants of the area now occupied by the city of La Puente were the Tongva lived in a village called Awingna, which linguists translate as "abiding place." The Awingna chief Matheo was baptized at Mission San Gabriel in 1774.
In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition became the first Europeans to see inland portions of Alta California. On July 30, the party camped on the east side of the San Gabriel River, in today's unincorporated area of Bassett. Father Juan Crespi wrote in his diary that, the next day, they had to build a bridge to cross the miry San Gabriel River.
With the establishment of Mission San Gabriel, the area encompassing Awingna and what is now the city of La Puente became part of Rancho La Puente, established as a mission outpost and ranch. The rancho was visited by the Jedediah Smith party in November 1826, the first Americans to travel overland to California.
Following secularization of the missions in the 1830s, former mission ranchos passed into private ownership. In 1842, John Rowland and William Workman were granted the Rancho La Puente. In 1884, the area was named Puente. In Crespi's diary, it was written as "la puente", and that spelling has persisted.
The area was known for its fruit and walnut groves during the 1930s. The city was even home to the world's largest walnut packing plant.
A small airport called the 'Skyranch' operated in La Puente from 1944 to 1951 before it was closed and developed for housing.
Today, the city is heavily urbanized, but the area still has some historical landmarks from its founding days nearby, for instance, the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum in neighboring City of Industry.
Redevelopment of the business districts in La Puente have been ongoing. However, the local government has been relatively unsuccessful in its attempts to attract big-box retailers and restaurant chains. La Puente retains many aging 1950s-era strip malls.

Geography

La Puente is located at . The city, which is mostly flat, covers about of land in the San Gabriel Valley.

Demographics

La Puente first appeared as a city in the 1960 U.S. census as part of the East San Gabriel Valley census county division. Prior to 1960, the area was part of the unincorporated portion of the now-defunct El Monte Township.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010
White alone 9,4655,3502,7491,8351,25730.65%14.48%6.69%4.61%3.30%
Black or African American alone 1,0261,1336884513863.32%3.07%1.68%1.13%1.01%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 16711113975440.54%0.30%0.34%0.19%0.12%
Asian alone 7332,6412,8653,2704,8462.38%7.15%6.98%8.21%12.73%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone 7332,6414031462.38%7.15%0.10%0.08%0.12%
Other race alone 2035748471330.66%0.15%0.12%0.12%0.35%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx412211270xx1.00%0.53%0.71%
Hispanic or Latino 19,28827,66334,12233,89631,08062.46%74.86%83.10%85.13%81.66%
Total30,88236,95541,06339,81638,062100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that La Puente had a population of 38,062. The population density was. The racial makeup of La Puente was 16.7% White, 1.2% African American, 2.1% Native American, 13.0% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 47.4% from other races, and 19.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 81.7% of the population.
The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.
There were 9,703 households, out of which 45.9% included children under the age of 18, 51.6% were married-couple households, 6.8% were cohabiting couple households, 26.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 11.3% of households were one person, and 5.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.92. There were 8,139 families.
The age distribution was 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.4% aged 18 to 24, 28.0% aged 25 to 44, 25.6% aged 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 36.0years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males.
There were 9,919 housing units at an average density of, of which 9,703 were occupied. Of these, 58.5% were owner-occupied, and 41.5% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $84,811, and the per capita income was $26,501. About 8.1% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that La Puente had a population of 39,816. The population density was. La Puente is 49.4% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 1.1% Native American, 8.4% Asian, and 0.1% Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33,896 persons.
The Census reported that 39,773 people lived in households, 43 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 were institutionalized.
There were 9,451 households, out of which 5,186 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,367 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,824 had a female householder with no husband present, 930 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 584 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 65 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 989 households were made up of individuals, and 472 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.21. There were 8,121 families ; the average family size was 4.34.
The population was spread out, with 11,423 people under the age of 18, 4,640 people aged 18 to 24, 11,468 people aged 25 to 44, 8,619 people aged 45 to 64, and 3,666 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
There were 9,761 housing units at an average density of, of which 5,693 were owner-occupied, and 3,758 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.9%. 24,961 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 14,812 people lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States census, La Puente had a median household income of $53,794, with 14.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Government

In the California State Legislature, La Puente is in, and in.
In the United States House of Representatives, La Puente is in.

Infrastructure

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department operates the Industry Station in the City of Industry, serving La Puente.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Pomona Health Center in Pomona, serving La Puente.
The city is served by Los Angeles County Fire Department Battalion 12's Fire Stations 26 and 43.

Economy

The income per capita of the city of La puente is $16,899, which includes all children and adults. The city's median household income is $62,709.

Top employers

According to the city's Annual Budget for FY2020–21, the top employers in the city are:
RankEmployerNo. of employees
1Northgate González Markets120
2Bodega Latina Corp (El Super)111
3Alert Insulation Co., Inc.88
4Walmart80
5Food 4 Less75
6McDonald's68
7Big Saver Foods60
8Ed Butts Ford59
9Ross Dress for Less46
10El Sushi Loco43

Education

School districts include:
Elementary schools: Lasallette Elementary School, Temple Academy, Baldwin Academy, Nelson Elementary School, Sparks Elementary School, California
Elementary School, Sunkist Elementary School, Del Valle Elementary School, Northam Elementary School
Private schools: Saint Joseph School, Saint Louis of France, Saint Martha's Catholic School
High schools: Bassett High School, La Puente High School, Nogales High School, William Workman High School
Private high schools: Bishop Amat Memorial High School

Notable people