Whittier, California

Whittier is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 83,680. It is home to Rose Hills Memorial Park, considered to be the largest cemetery in the world.

Origin of name

In the founding days of Whittier, when it was a small isolated town with a clear view of the Pacific Ocean, Jonathan Bailey and his wife, Rebecca, were the first residents. They followed the Quaker religion, and held religious meetings on their porch. As the city grew, the citizens named it after John Greenleaf Whittier, a respected Quaker poet. Whittier wrote a dedication poem, and is honored today with statues and a small exhibit at the Whittier museum; a statue of him sits in the park, and another representing his The Barefoot Boy poem resides by the City Hall. Consequently, the college there is called Whittier College, and the mascot, appropriately, is "The Poet." Ironically, Whittier never set foot there, but the city still bears his name and is rooted in the Quaker tradition.

Related Topics:
Quaker - John Greenleaf Whittier - Poet - Whittier College

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