West Covina is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 105,080. As of 2002, it is the 50th largest city in California.
Originally part of Covina, West Covina incorporated as an independent city in 1923 to keep Covina from building a sewage farm there.
Over the past two decades, West Covina has experienced significant demographic change. The Hispanic proportion of its population has increased from 21% in 1980 to 45.7% in 2000, while the white non-Hispanic proportion has decreased from 64.8% to 23% in that period. The proportion of the population that is Asian or Pacific Islander increased from 3.8% to 22.6% from 1980 to 2000. At the same time, the population of the city as a whole has grown:
New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi was born in West Covina in 1971.
As part of the pro-active redevelopment efforts of the city's business districts, it has successfully attracted many popular restaurant chains (Hooter's, Elephant Bar, TGI Friday's), big-box retailers, and auto dealers (Toyota, Honda, Hummer, Jaguar). The city also boasts of two faitly large shopping malls, both of which are owned by Westfield Shoppingtown . A Hong Kong Supermarket replaced a moribund Ralph's supermarket and strip mall and was completely remodeled to include many Asian cuisine restaurants - mostly Chinese with some Filipino, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese) - and shops. Similar developments have occurred in other parts of the city, albeit with more Filipino businesess. The BKK Landfill on Azusa Avenue was closed in the early 1990s and a Home Depot store will be located on the site.
Geography
West Covina is located at 34°3'24" North, 117°55'7" West (34.056660, -117.918617).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.7 km² (16.1 mi²). 41.7 km² (16.1 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
West Covina is mostly flat land, except in the eastern portion where there are hills and small mountains. There are no bodies of water in the city except for one pond that is surrounded by residential homes.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 105,080 people, 31,411 households, and 25,254 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,518.4/km² (6,524.6/mi²). There are 32,058 housing units at an average density of 768.3/km² (1,990.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 43.86% White, 6.37% African American, 0.78% Native American, 22.70% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 21.22% from other races, and 4.86% from two or more races. 45.73% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 31,411 households out of which 41.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% are married couples living together, 15.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% are non-families. 14.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.32 and the average family size is 3.67.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $53,002, and the median income for a family is $57,614. Males have a median income of $38,160 versus $31,138 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,342. 9.0% of the population and 6.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.1% of those under the age of 18 and 7.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Crime
The city of West Covina is generally safe to travel in. The eastern side has statistically less crime than the central business district (west side).
Crime in West Covina (2002):
- 2 murders (1.8 per 100,000)
- 25 rapes (22.9 per 100,000)
- 136 robberies (124.8 per 100,000)
- 199 assaults (182.7 per 100,000)
- 532 burglaries (488.3 per 100,000)
- 2,573 larceny counts (2361.9 per 100,000)
- 771 auto thefts (707.7 per 100,000)
Statistics brought to you by City Data.
External links
Last updated: 05-07-2005 13:21:59
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04
