The City of Industry is located 17.6 miles (28.4 km) east of Los Angeles. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.07 square miles (31.3 km2), of which 11.79 square miles (30.5 km2) of it is land and 0.28 square miles (0.73 km2) of it (2.32%) is water.
In 1841, William and Nicolasa Workman, who emigrated from Mexico with John Rowland and others, received a land grant for Rancho La Puente from the governor of Alta California, Juan Bautista Alvarado.[11] The ranch eventually grew to almost 49,000 acres. The Workmans quickly established themselves as cattle ranchers and did well financially during the Gold Rush, supplying fresh beef to the gold fields. Following the discovery of oil by their son on land they owned in the Montebello hills, the Workmans' grandson, Walter P. Temple, and his wife, Laura, bought the Workman House and surrounding land in 1917. This property is now known as the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum and is a museum and heritage site in present-day City of Industry that is free and open to the public.[12] In the 1910s, Tract 1343 was created and shows a large portion of 2017's City boundaries.[13]
In the late 19th and early 20th century, both the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad were built through the San Jose Creek valley in what is now Industry. The Union Pacific would establish a major railyard at the Marne siding in what is now Industry. Valley Boulevard, a major artery connecting Los Angeles with points east, was also laid through what would become the City of Industry. The presence of the railroads and Valley Boulevard would lead to the development of warehouses that became a large part of Industry's economy.
The City of Industry was incorporated as a charter city on June 18, 1957.[14] A little under fifteen years from its incorporation, the City of Industry created a general plan to guide its future development. The 1971 document remains in effect as of 2020, nearly a half century later. The plan was overseen by planning consultants Gruen Associates, a firm established in 1950 by Austrian-born Victor Gruen, a visionary architect and urban planner.[15]
The City's first mayor, John Ferrero (1912–1996), was elected to the City Council at Industry's incorporation, and served in such capacity for 39 years,[16] becoming the longest serving mayor in California.
The City of Industry was named for the goals and objectives section of the general plan which identified the primary goal of the city as "creating and maintaining an ideal setting for manufacturing, distribution and industrial facilities."[15]
In 1962, the City of Industry Chamber of Commerce formed[17] and in 1974, the Workman House became a historical landmark.[18]
In 1979/1980 a former landfill near Azusa Avenue was converted into the Industry Hills Golf Club, including a hotel and the Eisenhower golf course.[19]
In 1981, the Industry Hills Expo Center opened as a community multi-purpose event facility.[20]
In 1985, the inaugural Charity Pro Rodeo took place, to raise funds for youth in the San Gabriel Valley. The Rodeo still takes place annually.[21] In 1991, in partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Youth Activities League was formed to offer sports to at-risk children as an alternative to gang activity.[22]
In recognition of the importance of mass transit, the city invested heavily in the development of a Metrolink transit station near the confluence of the 60 and 57 freeways and in 1993, the City of Industry Metrolink Station opened. In 2004, the Environmental Impact Report and Design for the 57/60 Confluence Project was completed. The three-phased program of improvements consists of ramp and interchange reconfigurations as well as the addition of bypass lanes to reduce weaving, resulting in less congestion for the sixth-worst congested and dangerous freeway interchange in the nation.[23]
City of Industry's City Council members, composed of five members, are elected at large and the elections are held on a Tuesday after the first Monday in June of odd-numbered years.
The city's zoning is primarily devoted to business: 92% is industrial, 8% is commercial.[28] The few residences in the city either existed before incorporation, are on properties adjacent to either Industry Hills Golf Club, Industry Hills Recreation Center or in the small neighborhood adjacent to City Hall. In addition, there are residents at the El Encanto Healthcare Center, a nursing home owned by the city.[29]
The City of Industry has no business taxes and is primarily funded through retail sales tax from shopping centers located within the city limits, and property tax on parcels within the city. The city has the highest property tax rate in Los Angeles County, at 1.92%.[30] In addition, there is a revenue-generating hillside hotel resort, known as the Pacific Palms Resort (formerly the Industry Hills Sheraton), which is almost completely surrounded by the city of La Puente but actually located in the City of Industry.
City of Industry is a popular investment area for Chinese businesspeople and the city has also emerged as a high-tech import/export center for computer parts, with business links to the Asian marketplace. For convenience many Chinese entrepreneurs and staff live in nearby Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, West Covina, Diamond Bar and Walnut.[31]
Businesses
The Lee Kum Kee factory in Industry
Some of the companies with headquarters in the City of Industry are:
At the 2010 census, the City of Industry had a population of 219. The population density was 18.2 inhabitants per square mile (7.0/km2). The population was 58.9% White (37.9% Non-Hispanic White), 0.5% Black or African American, and 8.2% Asian. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up 52.5% of the population.[48][49]
The census reported that 214 people (98% of the population) lived in households, 5 (2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and none were institutionalized.
There were 69 households, 32 (46%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 37 (54%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 7 (10%) had a female householder with no husband present, 9 (13%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3 (4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 2 (3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. Twelve households (17%) were one person and 6 (9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.1. There were 53 families (77% of households); the average family size was 3.6.
The population was spread out by age with 59 people (27%) under the age of 18, 25 people (11%) aged 18 to 24, 51 people (23%) aged 25 to 44, 62 people (28%) aged 45 to 64, and 22 people (10%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 37.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.
There were 73 housing units at an average density of 6.1 per square mile, of the occupied units 22 (32%) were owner-occupied and 47 (68%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 6%. Sixty-six people (30% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 148 people (68%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, the City of Industry had a median household income of $49,329, with 1.0% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[50]
Education
The city is served by multiple school districts:[51]
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has a regional station on Hudson Avenue, just off Hacienda Boulevard which services the city and the neighboring cities of La Habra Heights, La Puente, and the unincorporated communities of Avocado Heights, Valinda, Bassett, Hacienda Heights and North Whittier (Spyglass/Rose Hills).[53]
The Los Angeles County Fire Department uses two stations (#118 on Gale Avenue, and Station #43 on Stimson Avenue on the west side of town).
According to the 2011 FBI uniform crime reports, with a population of 222, the City of Industry had 1,136 known property crimes,[54] giving it the highest average per-resident property crime rate (5.117) in California. The average property crime rate for the entire US that year was 0.029.[55] The same report indicates 44 violent crimes, giving it the second highest per-resident violent crime rate (0.198) in California.
Historical Marker at the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum
Film industry
The City of Industry is the home of the Puente Hills Mall, a major shopping center that was the Twin Pines/Lone Pine Mall in the Back to the Future movie series.[58] Adjacent to the mall's property is a SpeedZone entertainment center, which was featured in a prominent scene of Kevin Smith's Clerks II. A former IKEA store (opened as the first STØR location in 1987) located north of the Puente Hills Mall and across the State Route 60 freeway was used as a shooting location for the final fight scene in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Its exterior was renovated so it could be used for both exterior and interior filming. Another movie called Fun with Dick and Jane was filmed as a fictional retail store KostMart (a parody of Costco Wholesale). The building was later demolished. The IKEA store later moved to a bigger location in Covina, California, which opened in 2003.[59]
The City of Industry also features a fake McDonald's restaurant that is used strictly for filming movies and commercials,[60] which is inside the 30-mile studio zone.[61] Also in the city is Vineland Drive-In, one of only two operating drive-in theaters in Los Angeles and Orange County. The city-owned Industry Hills Expo Center is also used for filming.
^Pierson, David (June 19, 2008). "Close to L.A. but closer to Beijing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 21, 2020. Close to 40% of the businesses in Industry are ethnic Chinese-owned. "It's a suburb anchored to the tribal economy of the Chinese and China. They have an ideal life with a spacious backyard and institutions and amenities close by. You have a 15-minute commute to work rooted in city of Industry."
^"Company InformationArchived April 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine." In early 2008, iStarUSA Group, a premier IPC hardware manufacturer and OEM/ODM solutions provider, expanded its warehouse capacity in the convenient location of City of Industry, California."
^"About UsArchived July 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." () Metro United Bank. Retrieved on December 27, 2010. "Metro United Bank is headquartered in the City of Industry and was established to meet the diverse financial needs of customers throughout Southern and Northern California."
^www.artimegroup.com, The Artime Group -. "Page Not Found". www.utilitytrailer.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
^"Contact UsArchived April 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." Goya Foods. Retrieved on March 26, 2016. "Goya Foods of California 14500 Proctor Avenue City of Industry, CA 91746"
^ ab"Education". City of Industry. Retrieved March 21, 2021. In addition, there is the La Puente Valley Regional Occupation Program serving [...] as well as Bishop Amat Memorial High School.
^Staff, S. I. B. "Industry Station". Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
