Article on the City of Walnut
Walnut, Southern California 91789
Looking For a Great Place to Live?, Consider, the city of Walnut is located in Southern California in the County of Los Angeles, about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles and encompasses 8.9 square miles. This is a great little city out side of Downtown Los Angeles, with highly raged schools and well located, within hours of great mountain resorts of Arrowhead and Big Bear. Beaches like Malibu, Huntington, Laguna and Santa Monica. Enjoy the year around entertainment of Hollywood, Disneyland, Knotsberry Farm and Universal Studio. Less then 4 hours from Las Vegas and within an hour or two from a number of Indian Casinos. Not to mention, the number of areas where you can just go to sight see and if you want to play in the sands in our locate deserts, you can drive to the dunes of Glamis or water ski in our many lakes such as Silverwood Lake which is just off the 15 fwy and just over an hour away. The City of Walnut’s rich history and its general information are included in this article.
Walnut is located the in the Tri-County area of Los Angele, San Bernardino and Orange. The San Bernardino (10), Orange (57), and Pomona (60) Interstates are easily accessibility to all three counties. The master-planned single family homes in Walnut, range in size from 1,800 to 11,200 square feet.
Walnut schools are rated in the top range of the state school system and the city is known as one of the cities with the lowest crime rates in the San Gabriel Valley.
The Walnut Valley Unified school district, which also serves parts of the city of Diamond Bar are:
Portions of the western side of Walnut are also served by the Rowland Unified School District.
In addition, Mt. San Antonio College, one of the California Community Colleges, is also located in Walnut near its border with Pomona.
Walnut is primarily a residential community with over 600 businesses and a population of approximately 32,486 people.
The history of Walnut dates back to the Indians who were of Shoshone origin. They were called “Gabrielino Indians” by the Spaniards, who arrived in the early 1800s, because the Indians lived in an area controlled by the San Gabriel Mission. Walnut was primarily used for the grazing of cattle and sheep by the Mission.
The Spaniards introduced the concept of ranchos and started agricultural development and the creation of home sites. The first land grants in the Walnut area were those of the Rancho De San Jose granted to Don Ricardo Vejar and Don Ygnacio Palomares by the Mexican Governor Juan Alvardo in 1837. Rancho Los Nogales, granted to Jose De La Cruz Linares in 1840. Rancho De Los Nogales, issued to Jose De La Cruz Linares; and Rancho La Puente, issued to John Rowland and William Workman in 1842 which consisted of a total of 48,790.5 acres. The City of Walnut was included as part of one of the 24 ranchos belonging to the San Gabriel Mission.
In 1847, seven years after the unfortunate death of Linares, the rancho was acquired by Ricardo Vejar. This land included the eastern portion of Walnut and became part of Rancho San Jose, this land was known as ‘Ranch of the Walnut Trees’. In 1868, John Rowland and William Workman divided Rancho La Puente, leaving Rowland the eastern half and Workman the western half. Rowland’s land included the western portion of Walnut.
The General Demographics for the city of Walnut are as follow:
Population: 32,659 (as of 1/1/2010), Households: 8,597, Average Household Size: 3.81,
Median Age: 37.8. Ethnicity of Walnut is Asian: 57% (21.5% of total is Filipino), Caucasian/Non-Hispanic: 26%, Hispanic: 2%, African American: 4% and Other: 9%. Homes & Income, Median Home Value: $664,662, Median Household Income: $89,267, Average Household Income: $106,996. Education (Over the age of 25), Bachelor’s Degree: 30.0%, Master’s Degree: 9.0%, Beyond Master’s Degree: 3.5%.
The City of Walnut has several Historic Sites, Each site has been marked with a special sign to commemorate its significance to Walnut. Signs were placed at the following locations:
1. Suzanne Park, 1959
625 Suzanne Road
Suzanne Park was the first park to be developed after the City was incorporated in 1959. The park was built by Walnut residents.
2. Bob Quattlebaum Windmill
Fuerte Drive
(Located within Suzanne Park Site)
This metal windmill was donated to the City by the Quattlebaum family in memory of their father, Bob Quattlebaum.
It was located on the family’s property on Kelso Road and is now located at Suzanne Park.
3. Brookside Equestrian Center
800 Meadow Pass Road
This site first belonged to the Sentous family, holders of the 2,200 acre Sentous Ranch.
It was later used in the filming of National Velvet, starring Elizabeth Taylor. The ranch is now owned by the Walton Family
and used for equestrian programs, most notably as an Olympic training facility.
4. W. R. Rowland Adobe Ranch House
130 Avenida Alipaz
This Adobe Ranch House, with its thick adobe walls, heavy wide doors, wood shingled roof and dirt floors, is the oldest building in
the City of Walnut. It belonged to the owner of the Rowland Ranch, an area which included much of western Walnut.
5. Bourdet Home
Home of Mayor Pete Bourdet
166 Lemon Avenue
Pete Bourdet became the first mayor of Walnut in 1959. He was born here, farmed here and helped establish the first Walnut
water system. His house was built in the 1920′s.
6. Martinez Adobe
Built by Santiago Martinez
20222 Vejar Road
(Vejar Elementary School Site)
The Martinez Adobe was located on the current site of Vejar Elementary School, and was built in the 1840′s by Santiago Martinez.
Adobe homes were advantageous in California’s hot climate, due to their efficient insulation.
7.Carrey Home
Home of the Carrey Family
20330 Carrey Road
Ernest Carrey, son of Pierre Carrey, found employment on a walnut ranch and used the money he earned to buy the site of present
day Walnut High School. His son, Robert Carrey, was one of the first City Council members, and held meetings in his small garage.
He also helped to build the first City Hall. Carrey and Pierre Roads honor this family’s contributions to the City.
8. Site of First Walnut City Hall
20550 Carrey Road
Walnut was incorporated as a city on January 19, 1959, and the new town established a City Hall that same year.
9. Wild Life Sanctuary, Mt. SAC
1100 N. Grand Avenue
This 10-acre nature preserve was established in 1964 to serve as a protected example of Walnut’s natural habitat. It contains a stream,
pond and countless species of birds.
10. Grove of Walnut Trees
Grand Avenue
An example of walnut trees native to the area found growing throughout the City.
The Map below was copied from the city’s official website, it marks the locations of Walnut’s historical sites and are identified by corresponding numbers above,
The City of Walnut has a number of beautifully maintained trails and park lands including a state of the art recreation facilities, with a newly constructed Gymnasium, Teen Center, tennis courts and ball fields.
The City’s Community Services Department oversees the maintenance of the City’s 11 parks, trail system, recreational facilities and coordinates the City’s sports leagues, leisure classes, and excursions.
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References used: wikipedia and ci.walnut.ca