Everything about Downey California totally explained
Downey is a city located in southeast
Los Angeles County, California,
United States, 21 km (13 miles) southeast of downtown
Los Angeles. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,323.
History
Prior to the arrival of the
Spanish in
Alta California, the area that now comprises Downey was inhabited by the
Tongva ethnic group, which came to be called the
Gabrielino by the Spanish.
Spanish colonial history of the area today known as Downey dates back to 1771 with the founding of the
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, a
California State historical landmark. The founding of the mission and mission lands establishes the birthplace of the modern
Los Angeles region.
In 1784, Governor
Pedro Fages granted to former solider
Manuel Nieto (1734-1804) the largest of the land concessions made during the Spanish control of California. Its 300,000 acres (1,200 km²) stretched from the
Santa Ana River on the east to the Old
San Gabriel River (now the
Rio Hondo and
Los Angeles River) on the west, and from the mission highway (approximately
Whittier Boulevard) on the north to the ocean on the south. Its acreage was slightly reduced later at the insistence of
Mission San Gabriel on whose lands it infringed. The Spanish concessions, of which 25 were made in California, were unlike the later Mexican land grants in that title wasn't transferred, but were similar to grazing permits, with the title remaining with the Spanish crown.
The
Rancho Los Nietos passed to Manuel Nieto's four children upon his death and remained intact until, in 1833, his heirs petitioned Mexican Governor
José Figueroa to partition the property. The northwestern portion of the original rancho, comprising the Downey-Norwalk area, was granted as Rancho Santa Gertrudes to Josefa Cota, the widow of Manuel's son, Antonio Nieto. At approximately 21,000 acres (85 km²), Santa Gertrudes was itself a sizable rancho and conatined the old Nietos homestead, which was a center of social life east of the pueblo of Los Angeles.
After the
Mexican-American war concluded in 1848, many of the
Californio ranchos were obtained by affluent
Anglo-Americans who were immigrating west under the
United States manifest destiny doctrine, and marring into established
Californio Spanish families.
Downey was founded by and named for the former
Civil War governor of
California,
John Gately Downey, when he subdivided land he procured between the
Rio Hondo and the
San Gabriel River. The
Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in 1873, and farmers in the area grew grain, corn, castor beans and fruit until around 1940.
Downey was incorporated in 1956, and instituted a charter form of government in 1964. Suburban homes and factories replaced the farms after World War II. The largest employer was originally
Vultee Aircraft, then North American Aviation, (later
North American Rockwell, then
Rockwell International which was then bought by the
Boeing company) whose facilities produced some of the systems for the
Apollo Project as well as the
space shuttle. The seventy year history of airplane and space vehicle manufacturing in Downey came to an end when the Rockwell plant closed in 1999. The former Rockwell plant has been converted to the Downey Landing shopping complex, a
Kaiser Permanente hospital, a park, a space museum and [DowneyStudios]. For more information about the history of the Downey NASA site refer to http://www.aerospacelegacyfoundation.org
Near the center of the city lies what was once one of the busiest intersections in the world, the intersection of Lakewood Boulevard (State Route 19) and Firestone Boulevard (former State Route 42). Route 19 was a major thoroughfare between
Pasadena and the port at
Long Beach, and Route 42 was part of the old Spanish Trail system that connected
Los Angeles to
San Diego.
In the 1960s the town's Downey Records achieved a small notoriety with recordings like
The Chantays' surfing instrumental "
Pipeline." Downey's two main public
high schools are named for
Governor Downey and
Governor (and later, Chief Justice) Earl Warren.
Downey is home to
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, which is the main public rehabilitation hospital for
Los Angeles County. Rancho Los Amigos is renowned worldwide for its innovative contributions to the care of
spinal cord injuries and
post-polio syndrome.
Geography
Downey is located at (33.938164, -118.130801).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.6
km² (12.6
mi²). 32.2 km² (12.4 mi²) of it's land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.35%) is water.
The cities of
South Gate and
Bell Gardens are adjacent to the west and northwest,
Pico Rivera lies to the northeast,
Santa Fe Springs and
Norwalk to the east, and
Paramount and
Bellflower are to the south.
The city can be conveniently reached by any of four freeways:
Interstate 105 with its Metro rail line passes through the southern part of the city,
Interstate 5 and
Interstate 605 pass along the eastern side, and
Interstate 710 passes just west of the city.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 107,323 people, 33,989 households, and 26,001 families residing in the city. The
population density was 3,336.4/km² (8,641.7/mi²). There were 34,759 housing units at an average density of 1,080.6/km² (2,798.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.48%
White, 3.75%
Black or
African American, 0.87%
Native American, 7.74%
Asian, 0.22%
Pacific Islander, 29.05% from
other races, and 4.89% from two or more races. 57.85% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 33,989 households out of which 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.55.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,000 and the median income for a family was $50,017. Males had a median income of $35,991 versus $28,768 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $18,197. About 9.3% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
In the
state legislature Downey is located in the 27th
Senate District, represented by Democrat
Alan Lowenthal, and in the 50th and 58th
Assembly Districts, represented by Democrats
Hector De La Torre and
Charles M. Calderon respectively. Federally, Downey is located in
California's 34th congressional district, which has a
Cook PVI of D +23 and is represented by Democrat
Lucille Roybal-Allard.
Immigration
Since the mid 1990s Downey has had a significant demographic shift, with the ethnic makeup of the city remaining diverse, as well as a rapidly increasing Latino population. Wealthy Latino immigrants have also gained a comfortable presence in Northeast Downey, the city's most affluent neighborhood.
Landmarks
Historic McDonald's restaurant
The 1953
McDonald's restaurant at 10207
Lakewood Blvd. (at Florence Ave.) was the fourth McDonald's built and is the oldest surviving McDonald's. It was listed on the
National Trust for Historic Preservation's
1994 list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. It was one of the first restaurants franchised by
Dick and Mac McDonald, prior to the involvement of
Ray Kroc in the company, and it still has the original "
Golden arches" and a 60-foot animated neon "Speedee" sign.
With low sales, damage from the 1994
Northridge earthquake, and the lack of a drive-up window and indoor seating, the restaurant was closed. However with both the public and preservationists demanding the restaurant be saved, McDonald's spent two years restoring the restaurant and reopened it. Customers today can visit the original restaurant and an adjoining gift shop and museum.
The first Taco Bell
Glen Bell opened the first
Taco Bell restaurant on
21 March 1962 in Downey
(External Link
).
Johnie's Broiler
Johnie's Broiler (originally Harvey's Broiler) was a drive in restaurant and coffee shop. The drive in restaurant has been in movies and sitcoms as well as TV commercials and music videos. Completed in 1958, it's an example of
Googie architecture. Johnie's was well known to
Southern California locals, many of which drove miles to cruise through its massive lot. The restaurant was closed in 2001, and a used car dealership has since leased the property. Recently, the leasers of Johnies started to illegally tear it down.
(External Link) Currently, the destruction of the building has been halted, with extreme damage to the building, though the sign is intact.
Crime
The majority of crimes committed in Downey continue to be minor property crimes, such as theft or robbery, with the exception of a few incidents sensationalized in the local news.
Anti-gang activities
In the late 80's and early 90's, Downey saw an increase in gang activity. Today there's still gang activity going on between Latino/hispanic gangs in the south area of Downey. In response, Downey formed
GOOD (Gangs Out Of Downey), a community-based organization that helps encourage young people between the ages of 10-20 to stay away from gangs. GOOD is also responsible for organizing many community events and programs such as various sports, after school care, scholarship programs for at-risk students looking to attend college, and counseling for both young people and their parents. GOOD has kept a close partnership with
Downey Police.
(External Link)
Police
Downey is served by the
Downey Police Department(External Link).
Education
Special events
Downey Holiday Lane Parade: The parade is held the first Sunday of every December.
The Carpenters (musical group - Richard Carpenter and Karen Carpenter) moved to Downey from Connecticut in 1963.
Mary Ford moved to Downey with her brothers and sisters following her divorce from Les Paul
The Blasters (Rock group)
"Weird Al" Yankovic (Singer/songwriter) was born in Downey, and raised in nearby Lynwood, California.
James Hetfield of the musical group Metallica, an alumnus of Downey High School
Donavon Frankenreiter (surfer and musician)
Hasan Habib (Professional poker player and WSOP bracelet winner) (Born April 19, 1962)
Ryan Hollweg (Professional Hockey Player who plays with the New York Rangers)
Joey Latimer (musician and computer specialist) Radio Free World founder and alumnus of Warren High School (1972)
Larry Latimer (Aerospace Legacy Foundation)
Evan Longoria (Major League Baseball Player)
Ken Ralston Five time Academy Award winner for Special Effects, an alumnus of Warren High School (1971)
Wayne Rainey, three-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle racer.
Jeff Tedford (Head Coach of the California Golden Bears and former honorable mention All-American quarterback at Fresno State)
Aimee Teegarden - Actress(Friday Night Lights-TV Series)
Miranda Cosgrove - Actress (Went To Maude Price Elementary School)
Gallery
Image:Downey City Hall.jpg|Downey City Hall
Image:DowntownDowney.JPG|Downey Avenue
Image:DowneyGingerBread.JPG|Typical Downey Ginger Bread Homes
Image:NewDowneyHomes.JPG|New Homes in Downey
Further Information
Get more info on 'Downey California'.
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