La Habra, California
Encyclopedia
La Habra is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. Its related city, La Habra Heights is located to the north of La Habra, and is in Los Angeles County.

Origin of name

In the ranchos days when vast herds of Mexican cattle and horses grazed over the hills and valleys of Southern California, Mariano Reyes Roldan was granted 6698 acres (27 km²) and named his land Rancho Cañada de La Habra
Rancho La Habra
Rancho La Habra was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County and Orange County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Mariano Reyes Roldan...

. The year was 1839, and the name referred to the “Pass Through the Hills,” the natural pass to the north first discovered by Spanish explorers in 1769. In the 1860s Abel Stearns purchased Rancho La Habra. Soon thereafter, heavy flooding followed by a severe drought brought bankruptcy to many cattle ranchers.

History

The first La Habra Post Office was established in 1898 in a corner of Coy's Store at Central (now La Habra Boulevard) and Euclid Street.

The City was incorporated under general law on January 20, 1925 with a population of 3,000. The Police Force was organized in 1926 and employed a Chief, Traffic Officer and Patrolman. By 1928, the City bore the distinction of being the largest avocado center in Southern California. In 1930 the first Fire Department building was constructed followed by the original City Hall in 1935. By 1950 the population reached nearly 5,000. The Civic Center took shape when the existing County Library was dedicated in 1966, followed by the present Administration Building in 1969.

Richard Milhous Nixon opened his first law office in La Habra just west of the Civic Center on the north side of La Habra Boulevard. That brick building was demolished in the 1990s for the construction of the City's Community Center.

For over seventy years La Habra was known as the city just south of La Habra Heights where the Hass Avocado Mother Tree was planted by Rudolph Hass in the 1920s. The fruit from this tree has since become one of the most popular avocado cultivars worldwide. The Hass Mother Tree succumbed to root rot in 2002.

The La Habra Stakes
La Habra Stakes
The La Habra Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California early in the year...

, run since 1973 at the Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...

 Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 race track
Race track
A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...

, is named for La Habra.
Although La Habra lies within Orange County, the city contracts with the Los Angeles County Fire Department
Los Angeles County Fire Department
The Los Angeles County Fire Department , serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including La Habra. It should not be confused with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, which serves the city of...

 for EMS and fire protection.

Law enforcement is provided by the La Habra Police Department, which in 2008 employed about 70 officers. From 2004 to 2008, they ranked third in the number of officer-involved shootings among twenty Orange County municipal police departments. One case among these, the 2007 death of Michael Cho
Michael Cho
Michael Sungman Cho was a Korean American artist shot to death by police in the Orange County city of La Habra, California.-Life:...

, resulted in a wrongful death lawsuit against the city which was settled in September 2010 for $250,000.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²), 99.92% of it land and 0.08% of it water.

It is bordered by La Habra Heights
La Habra Heights, California
La Habra Heights is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2010 census, down from 5,712 at the 2000 census. La Habra Heights is a rural canyon community located on the border of Orange and Los Angeles County. The zoning is lots with a variety of...

 on the north, Brea
Brea, California
Brea is a city in Orange County, California. The population, as of the 2010 Census was 39,282.The city began as a center of crude oil production, was later propelled by citrus production, and is now an important retail center because of the large Brea Mall and the recently redeveloped Brea Downtown...

 on the east, Fullerton
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...

 on the south, La Mirada
La Mirada, California
La Mirada is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of the Gateway Cities. The population was 48,527 at the 2010 census, up from 46,783 at the 2000 census....

 and East La Mirada
East La Mirada, California
East La Mirada is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 9,757 at the 2010 census, up from 9,538 at the 2000 census.-Geography:East La Mirada is located at ....

 on the west, Whittier
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...

 on the northwest and Buena Park
Buena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...

 on the southwest.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that La Habra had a population of 60,239. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 8,166.8 people per square mile (3,153.2/km²). The racial makeup of La Habra was 35,147 (58.3%) White, 1,025 (1.7%) African American, 531 (0.9%) Native American, 5,653 (9.4%) Asian, 103 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 15,224 (25.3%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2,556 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34,449 persons (57.2%).

The Census reported that 59,899 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 169 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 171 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 18,977 households, out of which 7,937 (41.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,078 (53.1%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 2,905 (15.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,327 (7.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,158 (6.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....

, and 119 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,651 households (19.2%) were made up of individuals and 1,440 (7.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16. There were 14,310 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...

 (75.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.58.

The population was spread out with 16,062 people (26.7%) under the age of 18, 6,353 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 17,349 people (28.8%) aged 25 to 44, 13,926 people (23.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,549 people (10.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.6 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

There were 19,924 housing units at an average density of 2,701.2 per square mile (1,042.9/km²), of which 10,941 (57.7%) were owner-occupied, and 8,036 (42.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.2%. 33,609 people (55.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 26,290 people (43.6%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 58,974 people, 18,947 households, and 14,020 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 8,045.8 inhabitants per square mile (3,106.4/km²). There were 19,441 housing units at an average density of 2,652.3 per square mile (1,024.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 41.40% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 1.40% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.96% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 6.00% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.22% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 2.20% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 4.67% from two or more races. 49.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.

There are 19,042 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.56.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,652, and the median income for a family was $51,971. Males had a median income of $36,813 versus $30,466 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $18,923. About 19.1% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line.

Politics

La Habra's mayor is James Gomez.
In the state legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...

 La Habra is located in the 29th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...

 District, represented by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Bob Huff
Bob Huff
Robert S. Huff is a U.S. politician, who is a Republican member of the California State Senate, representing the 29th Senate District, which includes portions of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties...

, and in the 60th and 72nd Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

 District, represented by Republicans Curt Hagman
Curt Hagman
Curt Hagman is a Republican assemblyman from California's 60th State Assembly District The district includes all, or portions of Anaheim, Chino Hills, Diamond Bar, Industry, La Habra, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, Orange, Rowland Heights, San Dimas, Villa Park, Walnut, Whittier, and Yorba...

 and Chris Norby
Chris Norby
Chris Norby , is a Republican politician who is the California State Assemblyman who represents the 72nd district and is a former member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors for the Fourth District.-Education and teaching career :...

. Federally, La Habra is located in California's 42nd congressional district
California's 42nd congressional district
California's 42nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that covers parts of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties in Southern California.The district is currently represented by Republican Gary G...

, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...

 of R +10 and is represented by Republican Gary Miller
Gary Miller
Gary Gene Miller is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 41st, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...

.

Top employers

According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
# Employer # of employees
1 CVS/pharmacy 1,056
2 Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...

492
3 City of La Habra 435
4 Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...

254
5 Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...

249
6 La Habra Bakery
Ralphs
Ralphs is a major supermarket chain in the Southern California area and the largest subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger. It is the oldest such chain west of the Mississippi River. Ralphs also operates stores under the Food 4 Less and Foods Co. names in California.-History:Ralphs Grocery Company...

242
7 Kohl's
Kohl's
Kohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500...

150
8 The Home Depot
The Home Depot
The Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.The Home Depot operates 2,248 big-box format stores across the United States , Canada , Mexico and China, with a 12-store chain...

140
9 La Habra Convalescent Hospital 140
10 Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...

129
11 VIP Rubber 118

Notable residents

  • Rusty Anderson
    Rusty Anderson
    Rusty Anderson is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer. He is best known as lead guitarist with Paul McCartney, though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career.-Early life:Rusty Anderson grew up in La Habra, California...

     - Musician
  • Librado Andrade
    Librado Andrade
    Librado Andrade Ornelas is a Mexican boxer in the super middleweight division. His brother is fellow boxer Enrique Ornelas.-Personal:...

     - Mexican
    Mexico
    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

     boxer
    Boxing
    Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

     in the Super Middleweight
    Super middleweight
    Super Middleweight is a boxing and Muay Thai weight division that has a weight limit of 168 pounds .- 1960s–1983 :There was interest in a division between Middleweight and Light Heavyweight in the late 1960s, the mid-1970s, and the early 1980s...

     division and older brother of Enrique
  • Cathy Cooper (artist)
    Cathy Cooper (artist)
    Cathy Cooper is a postmodern artist and wardrobe stylist who lives and maintains a studio in Los Angeles. Working as a costume and wardrobe designer, for the past 22 years she has been collaborating with directors, musicians, commercial advertisers and photographers...

  • Enrique Ornelas
    Enrique Ornelas
    Enrique Andrade Ornelas , is a Mexican boxer. He competes in the Middleweight division.-Personal life:Born in Jesus Del Monte, Guanajuato, he now makes his home in La Habra, California...

     - Mexican boxer in the Middleweight
    Middleweight
    Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...

     division and younger brother of Librado
  • Nadya Suleman
    Nadya Suleman
    Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman , known as Octomom in the media, is an American woman who came to international attention when she gave birth to octuplets in January 2009. The Suleman octuplets are only the second full set of octuplets to be born alive in the United States...

     - Mother of the longest living Octuplets
  • Boyd Coddington
    Boyd Coddington
    Boyd Leon Coddington was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of American Hot Rod on TLC.-Early life, education and early career :...

     - Famous Hot Rod builder
  • Jeanette Dimech
    Jeanette Dimech
    Janette Anne Dimech , who performs under the name Jeanette, is a half-Belgian, half-Spanish, English-born, American-raised singer who has resided in Spain since the age of 12, and who sings primarily in Spanish. She has also recorded songs in several different languages: English , French, German...

     - Spanish singer
  • Natalie Golda
    Natalie Golda
    Natalie Golda is an American water polo player. Considered one of the greatest women's water polo players of all time, her senior leadership helped guide the 2005 UCLA Bruins to their seventh national championship. In May 2005 Golda received the Peter J...

     - Water polo player, Olympian
  • Jennifer Hanson
    Jennifer Hanson
    Jennifer Kathleen Hanson is an American country music artist, as well as a former Miss California. Married to songwriter Mark Nesler since 1997, Hanson began her own musical career in 2002 with a self-titled debut album being issued on Capitol Records...

     - Country music singer
  • Jenna Haze
    Jenna Haze
    Jenna Haze is an American pornographic actress. She entered the adult film industry in 2001 at the age of 19. Between 2002 and 2005, she was a contract girl for the film company Jill Kelly Productions. During most of her time at the company, she performed exclusively with women, out of loyalty to...

     - Adult film actress
  • Mark Kostabi
    Mark Kostabi
    Kalev Mark Kostabi is an American artist and composer.-Early life:Mark Kostabi was born in Los Angeles on November 27, 1960 to Estonian immigrants Kaljo and Rita Kostabi. He was raised in Whittier, California and studied drawing and painting at California State University, Fullerton...

     - Modern artist and composer
  • Ann Meyers
    Ann Meyers
    Ann Meyers Drysdale is a retired American basketball player and sportscaster. She was a standout player in high school, college, the Olympic Games, international tournaments, and the professional levels.Meyers was the first player to be part of the U.S. national team while still in high school...

     - Basketball player, Olympian. First player to be part of the U.S. National team while still in high school.
  • Alan Newman
    Alan Newman
    Alan Spencer Newman is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played parts of two seasons in the majors, 1999 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and 2000 for the Cleveland Indians. He then went on to play three seasons in Japan, 2001-02 for the Yakult Swallows and 2003 for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.-...

     - Major League Baseball Player
  • Richard Nixon
    Richard Nixon
    Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

     - American president
  • Jose Luis Razo, Jr.
    Jose Luis Razo, Jr.
    Jose Luis Razo Jr. was a student at Harvard University who was convicted of multiple accounts of armed robbery in 1989, for crimes committed while on vacation from Harvard...

     - Noted criminal, Dubbed the "Harvard Homeboy"
  • Diane Wakoski
    Diane Wakoski
    Diane Wakoski is a American poet who is primarily associated with the deep image poets, as well as the confessional and Beat poets of the 1960s.-Biography:...

     - Poet and essayist. Winner of the prestigious William Carlos Williams award for her book Emerald Ice
  • Zebrahead
    Zebrahead
    Zebrahead is an American punk rock band from Orange County, California, which fuses elements of Rapcore, Pop Punk, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal, and Funk Metal.-1996–98: Formation:...

     - Punk rock/pop punk band
  • The Funeral Pyre
    The Funeral Pyre
    The Funeral Pyre is an American blackened death metal band from La Habra, California, United States. The band has released three studio albums, two EPs, and two split 7" albums, and consists of guitarists James Joyce and Justin Garcia, vocalist John Strachan, drummer Alex Hernandez, and bassist...

     - Blackened death metal band
  • Anne Ramsay
    Anne Ramsay
    Anne Elizabeth Ramsay is an American actress best known for her role as Lisa Stemple on Mad About You, for which she shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Ensemble in a Comedy series.- Early life :...

     - Actress
  • Norma Zimmer
    Norma Zimmer
    Norma Zimmer was a vocalist, best remembered for her 22-year tenure as Lawrence Welk's "Champagne Lady" on The Lawrence Welk Show.-Biography:...

    - Honorary Mayor of the City of La Habra in 1975 and Featured Singer,and "Champagne Lady" of the Lawrence Welk Show.

External links

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