Charter Oak, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charter Oak, California
Census designated place
Location of Charter Oak in Los Angeles County, California.
Charter Oak, California Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
Area
• Total	0.93 sq mi (2.40 km2)
• Land	0.93 sq mi (2.40 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation	761 ft (232 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,739
• Density	10,494.61/sq mi (4,052.99/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	91724
Area code	626
FIPS code	06-12734
GNIS feature ID	1660472

Charter Oak is a special kind of community called a census-designated place (CDP). It's located in Los Angeles County, California. You can find it about 26 miles (42 km) east of downtown Los Angeles. In 2020, about 9,739 people lived there.

Charter Oak is in the eastern part of the San Gabriel Valley. It's along Arrow Highway, with Covina to the south, Glendora to the north, and San Dimas to the east. Many people who live here often say they are from "Covina" because the areas are very close.

Long ago, Charter Oak was a small farming area. People mostly grew citrus fruits like oranges. Over time, more people moved in, and the area grew. Since the 1960s, it has become a "bedroom community". This means many people live here but travel to other cities, like Los Angeles, for work. Most of the farms are now gone.

Today, the main boundaries of what people call "historical Charter Oak" are I-210 to the north, Valley Center Avenue to the east, Covina Hills Road to the south, and Grand Avenue to the west. These boundaries match the Charter Oak Unified School District. However, the official CDP area is a bit smaller now.

What is Charter Oak Like?

Charter Oak is mostly flat land. However, the South Hills of Glendora are along its northern edge. There's also a small valley in the southeast, where Walnut Creek flows. Another important water feature is the San Dimas Wash. This used to be the San Dimas River, but now it's a concrete channel that helps control floods. Both Walnut Creek and San Dimas Wash flow from the east-northeast to the west-southwest.

The soil in Charter Oak is sandy, like a dry riverbed. This type of soil was perfect for the citrus farms that used to be here. It's also good for growing plants like cactus. The total area of Charter Oak is about 0.93 square miles (2.4 square kilometers), and it's all land.

Schools and Activities

Most of Charter Oak is part of the Charter Oak Unified School District. This school district was very important to the community. Its boundaries even helped define what people considered "Charter Oak." Some parts of the community are also in the Covina-Valley Unified School District. There are also private schools in the area.

After high school, many students from Charter Oak go to community colleges. Popular choices are Citrus College in Glendora or Mount San Antonio College (often called "Mount SAC") in Walnut.

Charter Oak is also known for its gymnastics! The Charter Oak Gymnastics center has been a training place for the U.S. National Team since 1989. Many amazing athletes have trained here, including national champion Vanessa Atler and Olympian Jamie Dantzscher.

How Many People Live Here?

Population in 2010

In 2010, Charter Oak had 9,310 people. The community was quite diverse. About 60.2% of the people were White, 4.4% were African American, and 11.1% were Asian. About 48.8% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino background.

Most people (98.6%) lived in homes with their families or roommates. There were 3,044 households in total. About 41.5% of these households had children under 18. The average household had about 3 people.

The median age in Charter Oak in 2010 was 35.4 years old. This means half the people were younger than 35.4, and half were older. About 25.3% of the population was under 18 years old.

Most homes (65.6%) were owned by the people living in them, while others were rented. The median household income in 2010 was about $68,597.

Population in 2000

In 2000, there were 9,027 people living in Charter Oak. The population density was about 9,711 people per square mile. The racial makeup was 65.30% White, 4.77% Black or African American, and 9.19% Asian. About 36.58% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

There were 3,048 households. About 40.8% of these households had children under 18. The average household size was 2.95 people.

The median age in 2000 was 33 years old. About 29.6% of the population was under 18. The median household income was about $50,744.

See also

In Spanish: Charter Oak (California) para niños