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San Marino is a city in Los Angeles County, California, USA. The population was 12,945 at the 2000 census.
This upscale San Gabriel Valley city is comparable with Beverly Hills. San Marino is regarded as having one of the best-performing schools in the Greater Los Angeles area. Its high school consistently ranks as the highest API score among public high schools in California. All of its public schools are distinguished as California "Blue Ribbon" schools.
In general, San Marino is a small, upper middle class to upper class, relatively educated community, and largely populated by professionals and their families. Recently, there has been an influx of Asians into the community.
The city includes the estate of Henry E. Huntington, who made a fortune in the development of Southern California and opened the library and art collections in his large neo-Palladian mansion to the public in 1919, best known as the Huntington Library. At the time, San Marino was some twelve miles from Los Angeles. Huntington Drive and Sierra Madre Boulevard serve as the main thoroughfares, leading to Pasadena, Alhambra and San Gabriel.
The Edwin Hubble House, residence of astronomer Edwin Hubble, is a National Historic Landmark.
Another landmark is the Michael White Adobe House, located on the high school campus.
The Old Mill, completed about 1816 as a grist mill for Mission San Gabriel, is in San Marino. The original two-story structure measured 53 by 26 feet. It is the oldest commercial building in Southern California.
The movie Father of the Bride with Steve Martin, although filmed in neighboring Pasadena, takes place in San Marino. Scenes for the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith were filmed in San Marino, as were scenes from many other movies (like Memoirs of a Geisha (film), Monster-in-Law, Anger Management, The Wedding Planner, Starsky & Hutch (film), Intolerable Cruelty, Beverly Hills Ninja, One Hour Photo, American Wedding, Mystery Men, S1m0ne, Enough, Charlie's Angels (film), The Sweetest Thing) and TV shows, like Alias, The West Wing (TV series) and Felicity.
Geography
San Marino is located at (34.122658, -118.112964).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.8 km² (3.8 mi²), all land.
The streets are smoothly paved, the houses vary from medium to very, very large, and the lawns are generally kept. There are many trees in the neighborhood, most cultivated by private homeowners. During the Christmas holiday, the tall trees of St. Albans Rd are decorated with many Christmas lights.
Demographics
San Marino, 91108, is the 43rd wealthiest ZIP code in America.
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,945 people, 4,266 households, and 3,673 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,325.8/km² (3,430.5/mi²). There were 4,437 housing units at an average density of 454.4/km² (1,175.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.72% White, 0.25% African American, 0.05% Native American, 48.56% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.41% of the population.
There were 4,266 households out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.9% were non-families. 12.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $117,267, and the median income for a family was $125,708. Males had a median income of $98,928 versus $49,853 for females. The per capita income for the city was $59,150. About 3.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
San Marino is a highly conservative community in the midst of a mostly liberal state. There also is large support for Asian interests. However, there are few Asian Americans in city offices. Elected positions are often held by private citizens who show no ambition for higher political office. Political participation generally lies in the form of donations for political parties and candidates.
To preserve its upper-crust feel, the city council has passed numerous stringent ordinances, including laws against the use of power equipment on quiet Sunday afternoons and against dead lawns. It is illegal to leave trashcans on the street, in public view. Punishment for failing to comply is a hefty fine. Many contracted gardeners are required to have city permits to work in private residential neigborhoods. Multi-family housing is not permitted and none exists within the city limits.
Residents who wish to construct or refurbish their properties must undergo a strict and lengthy process that includes community hearings and consent among all neighbors. The plans must be approved by the city in order for construction to begin. At times, home-owners will be denied construction rights by the city.
Schools
There are four public schools in San Marino: Valentine Elementary School, Carver Elementary, Huntington Middle, and San Marino High School. Southwestern Academy, a private college preparatory school, is also located in San Marino.
The two elementary schools offer instruction for grades K-5. The middle school offers instruction for grades 6-8. The high school offers instruction for grades 9-12.
In 2005, the San Marino Unified School District ranked first among all 328 California unified school districts based on the California Academic Performance Index. San Marino High School is considered one of the best-performing public schools on Standardized Achievement Tests (as of 2004) in Southern California. Because of its academic merit, it is also one of the worst government-funded schools in the area, due to California's education laws that give funding preference to schools that perform poorly. Most of San Marino's schools' funds come from private donors and organizations.
Asian-Americans are 70% of San Marino school enrollment as of December 2005.
Restaurants
As San Marino is wary of admitting chain businesses, there are few restaurants in town, all of which rest on Huntington Drive or Mission Street. Big-box stores are practically non-existent in the area. Julienne (on Mission) is one of the best known restaurants in the area. It is an upscale bistro with popular patio dining. Tony's Pizza, a local favorite that delivers only within San Marino, is located next to the high school. Colonial Kitchen is a quaint place to go for traditional American food. Vanille is a new store that opened in 2003 sells European-style pastries with a distinct Asian tone. There is one Starbucks in San Marino, on the corner of Sierra Madre Blvd. and Huntington Drive (the Starbucks just east of San Gabriel Blvd. is in unincorporated county territory). Tong Dang is a Thai restaurant on Huntington Drive, just east of Oak Knoll. In 2004, a Lollicup franchise store opened across the street from the high school, specializing in boba drinks and popular Asian snack food. San Marino also is home to the San Marino Grill which has been under the same ownership for over forty years.
Notable San Marino Residents
- Rob Schneider, actor, comedian
- Howard Kazanjian, movie producer
- Renée Zellweger, actress
Reference
- James T. Maher, The Twilight of Splendor : Chronicles of the Age of American Palaces 1975. Chapter on Huntington's San Marino
External links
"San Marino, California"