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La Cañada Flintridge is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 20,318 at the 2000 census. La Cañada is pronounced "La Kin-yaw-duh", rather than "La Can-a-da" (such as the country of Canada) because it retains the Spanish tilde (ñ).

Geography

La Cañada Flintridge is located at (34.206047, -118.199499).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.4 km² (8.6 mi²), all land.

La Cañada Flintridge is situated in the eastern end of the Crescenta Valley. It is nestled between the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Rafael Hills, below the Angeles National Forest. La Cañada is home to Descanso Gardens and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

History

During the Spanish era, the area was known as Rancho La Cañada, or the Ranch of the Gorge.

The area used to be two unincorporated communities (La Cañada and Flintridge) until they incorporated in 1976, out of the unincorporated Los Angeles County land. The city name specifically does not have a hyphen in it, to illustrate unity between the communities that were once separately known as La Cañada and Flintridge.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,318 people, 6,823 households, and 5,690 families residing in the city. The population density was 906.9/km² (2,348.9/mi²). There were 6,989 housing units at an average density of 312.0/km² (808.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.53% White, 0.36% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 20.57% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 3.31% from two or more races. 4.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,823 households out of which 44.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.7% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.6% were non-families. 14.4% 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 2.95 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $109,989, and the median income for a family was $122,779. Males had a median income of $92,760 versus $57,321 for females. The per capita income for the city was $52,838. About 3.6% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The La Cañada Unified School District serves most of the city. Three public schools serve grades K-6: La Cañada Elementary, Palm Crest Elementary, and Paradise Canyon Elementary. The public high school, La Cañada High School, which also serves as a middle school (grades 7-8), is a 2004 Blue Ribbon School. In addition, a small portion of the city is served by the Glendale Unified School District, with La Cañada students attending Mountain Avenue Elementary School (a 2005 Blue Ribbon School), Rosemont Middle School, Clark Magnet High School (a 2005 California Distinguished School), and Crescenta Valley High School (a 2005 California Distinguished School).

There are also several private schools in the city (Flintridge Preparatory School, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, St. Bede's and St. Francis High School).

City Government

La Cañada Flintridge is governed by the City Council, which is comprised of five councilmembers each elected to overlapping four year terms. Each year, the City Council selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and one to serve as Mayor Pro-Tem for terms of one year. The City Council is aided by five commissions and two committees, each with its own area of responsibility. In addition, the City Council appoints the City Manager, City Attorney, City Treasurer, and all members of its advisory bodies. It also serves as the governing board for the Public Improvement Corporation, the Redevelopment Agency, the LCF Local Financing Authority, and Sanitation Districts No. 28 and No. 34.

The Current Members of the City Council are:

  • Mayor: Gregory Brown
  • Mayor Pro-Tem: David Spence
  • Councilmember: Anthony J. Portantino
  • Councilmember: Laura Olhasso
  • Councilmember: Stephen A. Del Guercio

The City Council meets on the first and third Mondays of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the La Cañada Flintridge City Hall.

Community organizations

La Cañada has many clubs, religious and social organizations:

Points of interest

  • La Cañada is home to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is responsible for many space probes.
  • The first disc golf course is located in the Hahamonga Watershed Park, right outside of La Cañada.

External link

1976 establishments | Cities in Los Angeles County

La Cañada Flintridge | La Cañada Flintridge

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "La Cañada Flintridge, California".

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