El Monte, California

El Monte is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 115,965. As of 2002, El Monte is the 191st largest city in the United States. It is also the 44th largest city in California.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles County, California - United States - 2000 - California

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The meaning of the city's name is "meadow", "marsh" or "wooded place" and not "mountain". Settlement began in 1849, though missionaries and Spanish soldiers passed through the area as early as the 1770's. It is also known to be the end of the Santa Fe Trail.

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Longo Toyota, located in El Monte, claims to be the largest single auto dealership in the world.

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According to United States Census data, the city has one of the poorest, working-class Census tracts in the San Gabriel Valley. See below for Demographics information.

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El Monte's population has grown very rapidly during the last half century:

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• 1960 - 31,900
• 1970 - 70,975
• 1980 - 79,494
• 1990 - 106,209
• 2000 - 115,965
• 2004 - 122,123 (estimate)

While El Monte has been a stronghold of working-class Latinos, the city has experienced a growth in the Asian population - particularly ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese - in recent years. Several Vietnamese immigrant small businesses (mostly noodle restaurants) have since cropped up along the stretch of Garvey Avenue.

Related Topics:
Chinese - Vietnamese

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El Monte was the birthplace of John Larkin a.k.a (Scatman John) and home to author James Ellroy and musician Joe McDonald, who performed in the 1960s with Country Joe & the Fish. It is also credited with being the birth place of TV Variety Shows.

Related Topics:
Scatman John - James Ellroy - Joe McDonald - Country Joe & the Fish

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El Monte, California: Geography ►