Montebello, California

Montebello, California is a city in central Los Angeles County with a population of about 63,000 and a land area of about 8.3 square miles. The City of Montebello lies about ten miles east of Downtown Los Angeles. Montebello’s sister cities are Ashiya, Japan and Stepanakert, Artsakh. Nearby cities and communities include Rosemead, South San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Pico Rivera, Downey, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Vernon, and unincorporated East Los Angeles.

Businesses in Montebello have easy access to transportation routes, including the Pomona Freeway (State Route 60), the Long Beach Freeway (Interstate 710), the Santa Ana Freeway (Interstate 5), and the San Gabriel River Freeway (Interstate 605). The Atlantic Station on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s L Line (Gold) provides easy access to Montebello for those living and working in the City. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is evaluating an extension of the L Line through Montebello (the L Line (Gold) Eastside Extension Phase 2).

The Shops At Montebello® is a modern indoor super regional shopping center with over 160 retailers, including department stores and restaurants. The 750,000 square foot shopping center is easily accessed from the Pomona Freeway.

There has been a Chevrolet dealership on the property at 310 West Whittier Boulevard since 1928. Chevrolet of Montebello currently occupies the site.

Montebello Unified School District serves the city of Montebello. The District also has schools or educates students in portions of Bell Gardens, Commerce, Pico Rivera, Monterey Park, East Los Angeles, and South San Gabriel. The district has about 25,000 students and has about 3,400 employees. Facilities include three high schools, a continuation high school, six intermediate schools, 16 elementary schools, one K-8th Grade school, and four adult schools.

Beverly Community Hospital in Montebello is a 202-bed acute care facility with an emergency care department and a primary stroke center. Beverly Community Hospital medical staff includes over 300 physicians.

Founded in 1771, the original site of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first church in Los Angeles County, was on the edge of present-day Montebello near what is now the intersection of San Gabriel Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue. The mission was damaged by flooding in 1774 or 1775. Fearing further flooding, padres abandoned the site in favor of a new location on higher ground in present-day city of San Gabriel, approximately five miles away.

Montebello (beautiful mountain, in Italian) used to be called Newmark. Harris Newmark, a well-known area businessman, purchased the Repetto Ranch in 1887. The original Newmark townsite was established in 1899 on forty acres of land. The remainder of the acreage was divided for sale into five-acre plots. Newmark was renamed Montebello around the beginning of the twentieth century at the suggestion of civil engineer William Mulholland, who was involved in the development of the City’s water infrastructure.

Montebello was a mainly agricultural community until oil was discovered in the area by Standard Oil Company in about 1916. By 1920, the oil fields of Montebello were producing more than twelve percent of California’s domestic oil production. Rapid urban development followed the oil production development. Montebello was incorporated in 1920, succeeding from the City of Monterey Park, which had incorporated in 1916. To this date, producing oil drilling operations are in place in Montebello, with annual crude oil production of up to 400,000 barrels. The oil and gas industry in Montebello supports more than 700 employees and contributes more than $5 million to City revenue. The northern part of the City has hundreds of oil wells, many of which have been capped and are no longer active.

Built in 1845 about a mile from the original site of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The adobe was donated to the City of Montebello in 1972 and is now managed by the Montebello Historical Society as a museum.

Built in 1928, the City of Montebello purchased Montebello Golf Course in 1941. The 18-hole golf course covers about 120 acres and contains three lakes. The City of Montebello also owns the two hotels and event center on the property. Other recreational facilities in Montebello include twelve parks, which cover 125 acres. At over 21 acres, Grant Rea Park is the largest park in Montebello. Montebello City Park is the City’s oldest park.

The Montebello Police Department provides law enforcement services for the City of Montebello. The Department has over 100 employees, including over 70 full-time sworn police officers.

Montebello Bus Lines is the third largest municipal bus system in Los Angeles. Montebello Bus Lines serves passengers in Alhambra, Bell Gardens, Commerce, parts of Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, La Mirada, Montebello, Monterey Park, Pico Rivera, Rosemead, South Gate, and Whittier. Montebello Bus Lines maintains over 800 bus stops as well as the Montebello / Commerce Metrolink Station.

Nearby Whittier Narrows Recreational Area, which is in the city of South El Monte, is one of the largest recreational areas in the Los Angeles area. Encompassing 1,492 acres, the recreational area includes picnic areas, a shooting range, sports fields, and bicycle paths. A major event in the Mexican-American War, the battle of Rio San Gabriel, took place in 1847 near the present location of Whittier Narrows Recreational Area.

Built on the site of one of California’s original adobes, nearby Cal State University, Los Angeles was founded in 1947 and has an enrollment of about 27,000 and a faculty of about 1,700. The Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State includes the Luckman Theatre, which seats up to 1,500 patrons, has a 48-foot wide proscenium, and an orchestra pit that can accommodate up to 60 musicians.

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