Covina

History

Present-day Covina was originally within the homelands of the indigenous Tongva people for 5,000 to 8,000 years. In the 19th century it became part of Rancho La Puente: an 1842 Mexican land grant in Alta California.

In 1876, Costa Rican brothers Pedro and Julián Badilla purchased a 5,563-acre (22.51 km2) tract of land in Rancho La Puente, where Julián and younger brother Antonio intended to establish a coffee plantation. In 1879, after the Badillas defaulted on a mortgage, J. Edward Hollenbeck acquired their tract by foreclosure. In 1881, real estate investor Joseph Swift Phillips entered into an agreement with Hollenbeck to purchase a 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) tract of former Badilla land, where Phillips subsequently founded Covina in 1884. Covina was incorporated in 1901.

Covina was named by Phillips Tract surveyor Fred Eaton who was said to observe the tract's topography and the many vineyards then present on the land and combine the words "cove" and "vine" into the portmanteau "Covina." The name first appeared in print on Eaton's tract map and in newspapers in December, 1884.

Covina's extensive orange and lemon groves of the first half of the 20th century brought prosperity and fame to the city. In 1907, Covina claimed to be the third-largest shipping point of oranges in the world. After World War II, however, the citrus groves were increasingly replaced by housing, eventually turning Covina into the suburban bedroom community it is today.

The Covina Valley Historical Society maintains an archive illustrating the city's history in the 1911-built Firehouse Jail Museum, Covina's first municipal building, located immediately behind City Hall in Covina's Old Town.

Opened in 1997, the Covina AMC 30 located at Arrow Highway and Azusa Avenue is one of the busiest theatres in the United States. The movie theater was built on the site of a former Sears building and claims to have the largest movie multiplex in Los Angeles County.

2008 marked both the opening and the charter season of the Covina Center for the Performing Arts, a newly remodeled multimillion-dollar theatrical venue in downtown Covina.

2008 massacre

On December 24, 2008, a shooting and arson occurred. Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, dressed in a Santa Claus costume, entered a Christmas party at his ex-wife's residence and opened fire. When he left, nine family members were dead and the house was engulfed in flames. After the massacre, Pardo drove his rental car to his brother's house in Sylmar, approximately 30 miles (48 km) away from the attack. He was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The slayings left 15 children without one or both parents.

Geography

The only freeway that passes through the area is a very small stretch of Interstate 10. Covina is centered in the midst of Interstate 210 (Foothill Freeway) to the north, Interstate 605 (San Gabriel River Freeway) to the west, State Route 57 (Orange Freeway) to the east, and Interstate 10 to the south.

The Southern Pacific Railroad, which reached Covina in 1895, and the Metrolink San Bernardino Line pass through the city just north of the downtown area. The city is served by Covina station.The town is located at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.0 square miles (18 km2)—99.78% of it is land and 0.22% of it is water.

Climate

This region experiences hot, dry summers and mild, occasionally rainy winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Covina has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Covina had a population of 51,268. The median age was 38.7 years. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 16,941 households, of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.9% were married-couple households, 16.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 17,473 housing units, of which 3.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%, and the rental vacancy rate was 3.0%.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Covina had a population of 47,796. The population density was 6,788.3 inhabitants per square mile (2,621.0/km2). The racial makeup of Covina was

27,937 (58.5%) White (29.9% Non-Hispanic White),

2,013 (4.2%) African American,

532 (1.1%) Native American,

5,684 (11.9%) Asian,

104 (0.2%) Pacific Islander,

9,230 (19.3%) from other races, and

2,296 (4.8%) from two or more races.

25,030 (52.4%) Hispanic or Latino of any race were.

The Census reported that 47,361 people (99.1% of the population) lived in households, 68 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 367 (0.8%) were institutionalized.

There were 15,855 households, out of which 6,396 (40.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,931 (50.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,815 (17.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,072 (6.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 978 (6.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 94 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,153 households (19.9%) were made up of individuals, and 1,179 (7.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99. There were 11,818 families (74.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.43.

The population was spread out, with 11,896 people (24.9%) under the age of 18, 5,043 people (10.6%) aged 18 to 24, 13,113 people (27.4%) aged 25 to 44, 12,174 people (25.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,570 people (11.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 46,837 people, 15,971 households, and 11,754 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,723.7 inhabitants per square mile (2,596.0/km2). There were 16,364 housing units at an average density of 2,349.1 per square mile (907.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 62.10% White, 5.03% Black or African American, 0.90% Native American, 9.82% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 17.18% from other races, and 4.78% from two or more races. 40.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,971 households, out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,474, and the median income for a family was $55,111. Males had a median income of $40,687 versus $32,329 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,231. About 8.9% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

An additional 30,000 residents live in unincorporated areas of the three zip codes associated with Covina but outside the city limits, making the total Covina-area population 76,417.

Mexican and German were the most common ancestries. Mexico and the Philippines were the most common foreign places of birth.

German, English, Irish, Italian and French are the top ancestries. Spanish and Chinese are the most common non-English languages.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Government and infrastructure

Local government in Covina is run by an elected city council through their hired city manager. Covina residents are represented at-large, currently by the following elected officials: Mayor Hector Delgado, Mayor Pro Tem Patricia Cortez, Councilmember Walter Allen III, Councilmember John C. King, and Councilmember Victor Linares.

In the California State Legislature, Covina is in the 22nd senatorial district, represented by Democrat Susan Rubio, and in the 48th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Blanca Rubio.

In the United States House of Representatives, Covina is in California's 31st congressional district, represented by Democrat Gil Cisneros.

Covinans who access county health services may use the Pomona Health Center in Pomona or the Monrovia Health Center in Monrovia, both operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

Education

Covina is served by three unified school districts. The Covina-Valley Unified School District, which serves most of the city, the Charter Oak Unified School District, which serves the eastern portion and the Azusa Unified School District, which serves a small portion in the northwest.

Covina-Valley USD schools located in Covina include:

Charter Oak USD schools located in Covina include:

Azusa USD schools located in Covina include:

In popular culture

Covina is the fictional setting for the Harold Teen comic strip and 1934 movie that depicted several teenagers from Covina High School. A downtown Covina malt shop was named the Sugar Bowl (with the permission of the artist Carl Eds), imitating the after-school gathering place in the comic strip.

Scenes from several movies and television shows have been filmed in Covina, including:

The television series Roswell was filmed in various location in Covina including the downtown area on North Citrus Avenue. City Hall, Charter Oak High School and several other businesses and residences served as locations for the fictional version of the town of Roswell, New Mexico.

Multiple episodes of the hit television series Knight Rider were filmed in Downtown "Old" Covina, including an episode coincidentally shot at Knight's Photo Studio on Citrus, where David Hasselhoff greeted fans and passed out signed photographs.

One of the ending shots of the movie Frailty was filmed on Center St. off of Hollenbeck.

During the opening diner scene in Reservoir Dogs, a poster featured in the background shot is of a carnival located on Covina Blvd. and Bonnie Cove Ave.

The "Bohemian Rhapsody" scene from the film Wayne's World was filmed on Citrus Avenue in downtown Covina, although some external shots were filmed in other locations.

The "Grey Poupon" scene from Wayne's World was shot on Citrus Avenue. Covina Hobby was visible in the background. Having two cars side-by-side reflects (incorrectly) that the main drag had four lanes.

The interior of Covina Public Library served as the Baltimore County Public Library for the 2004 television movie Back When We Were Grownups.

Notable people

Leo Baker – professional skateboarder, attended Northview High School

Rick Baker – seven-time Academy Award-winning makeup artist; films include American Werewolf In London, Ed Wood, Men In Black and The Wolfman

Pamela Baird, child actress, My Friend Flicka, Leave It to Beaver, graduated from Covina High School, class of 1963

Irma Blanco – L.A. radio personality, resided in Covina

Tom Brunansky – Major League Baseball player and coach, played from 1985 to 2000 for New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs; 1985 All-Star, member of 1987 World Series champion Twins; born in Covina

Clyde Christensen – offensive coordinator of NFL's Miami Dolphins; born in Covina, attended Royal Oak High School

Gil Cisneros, U.S. representative; former Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness

Jack Clark – Major League Baseball player for San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox from 1975 to 1992; hit .267 with 340 home runs, played in 1985 World Series, four-time MLB All-Star; graduated from Gladstone High School in 1973

Mark Clear – baseball player

Art Clokey – creator of Gumby; with wife Ruth invented Gumby in the early 1950s at their Covina home after Art finished film school at USC

Casey Dailey – football player for Northwestern and NFL's New York Jets

Herschel Daugherty – former film, television and theatre director.

Sister city

Covina has one sister city:

Xalapa, Mexico