Pomona, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pomona, California
City
Clockwise from top: Antiques Row, Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Lincoln Park Historic District
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  "Vibrant – Safe – Beautiful"
Location of Pomona in Los Angeles County and the U.S. state of California
Pomona, California Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area Show map of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Pomona, California Location in California Show map of California Pomona, California Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
Settled	1830s
Incorporated	January 6, 1888
Named for	Pomona, a Roman goddess of fruitful abundance
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	22.99 sq mi (59.54 km2)
• Land	22.98 sq mi (59.52 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)  0.05%
Elevation	850 ft (259 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	151,713
• Rank	7th in Los Angeles County 39th in California 190th in the United States
• Density	6,599.1/sq mi (2,548.09/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP Codes	91766–91768
Area code	909
FIPS code	06-58072
GNIS feature IDs	1661247, 2411454

Pomona (ⁱ/pəˈmoʊnə/ pə-MOH-nə) is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It's located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. In 2020, about 151,713 people lived there. Part of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, also known as Cal Poly Pomona, is within the city.

History of Pomona

Early Days to 1880

The Ygnacio Palomares Adobe, built in 1855, is Pomona's oldest building.

A view from Pomona Park (now Ganesha Park) in 1904.

The Tongva people were the first to live in this area.

The city gets its name from Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit. In 1875, a contest was held to name the city. "Pomona" won, even before fruit trees were planted there. The first settlers, Ricardo Véjar and Ygnacio Palomares, arrived in the 1830s. At that time, California was part of Mexico.

After 1848, California became part of the United States. In 1864, Ygnacio Palomares's wife sold a large piece of land to Louis Phillips. He became known as "the richest man in Los Angeles County."

Spadra: An Early Town

Rubottom's Hotel and stagecoach station in Spadra, 1867.

Louis Phillips's mansion from 1875 in Spadra.

In 1866, Louis Phillips sold some land to William "Uncle Billy" Rubottom. Rubottom started a new town called Spadra. It was named after his hometown in Arkansas. Spadra became a stop for stagecoaches. Rubottom built a hotel and tavern for travelers.

By 1870, Spadra had 400–500 people, three stores, a school, and a post office. Louis Phillips convinced the Southern Pacific Railroad to build a line to Spadra in 1873. He thought Spadra would grow into a big town. He built his Phillips Mansion there in 1875. Today, the mansion and the Spadra Cemetery are the only things left of the old town. Spadra was added to Pomona in 1964.

Pomona from 1880 to Today

By the 1880s, water from the Coachella Valley and the railroad helped Pomona grow. It became a key area for growing citrus fruits. Pomona officially became a city on January 6, 1888.

In the 1920s, Pomona was called the "Queen of the Citrus Belt." It had one of the highest incomes per person in the United States. In the 1940s, movie studios used Pomona to test new films. They wanted to see how average American audiences would react.

Pomona has many religious buildings. There are over 120 churches today. Their designs show different European church styles from the past.

The Pomona Mall was a special shopping area for people walking. It was built in 1962. Today, the eastern part is part of Western University of Health Sciences. The western part has art galleries, studios, and restaurants.

In 2005, people in Pomona elected Norma Torres as mayor. She was the first woman of Guatemalan heritage to be a mayor outside of Guatemala. Later, she became a U.S. congresswoman in 2015.

Geography of Pomona

Pomona is about 30 miles (48 km) east of Los Angeles. It is located in the Pomona Valley at 34°3′39″N 117°45′21″W / 34.06083°N 117.75583°W / 34.06083; -117.75583. The city covers about 22.964 square miles (59.48 km²) of land.

Pomona is near several other cities:

• About 30 miles (48 km) east of downtown Los Angeles.
• About 27 miles (43 km) north of Santa Ana.
• About 26 miles (42 km) west of Riverside.
• About 33 miles (53 km) west of San Bernardino.

Pomona shares borders with many cities. These include San Dimas to the northwest and Claremont to the north. The county line between Los Angeles and San Bernardino forms parts of its southern and eastern borders.

Climate in Pomona

Pomona has a Mediterranean climate. This means it has hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The city gets a lot of sunshine all year. Summers are sunny with very little rain from June to September. Fall brings cooler weather and some rain. Sometimes, strong Santa Ana winds blow from the northeast.

People of Pomona

Population and Backgrounds

In 2020, Pomona had a population of 151,713 people. According to Mapping L.A., many people in Pomona have Mexican and German backgrounds. Mexico and El Salvador are the most common birthplaces for people born outside the U.S. living in Pomona.

The city's population has grown a lot over the years:

In 2010, about 149,058 people lived in Pomona. Most people (97.2%) lived in homes. About 29.4% of the population was under 18 years old. The average age was 29.5 years.

Economy of Pomona

The L.A. County Fair is a big event in Pomona.

Since the 1980s, a newer neighborhood called Phillips Ranch has grown quickly. It is mostly homes built in the hills.

Pomona has many important employers. The top ones include:

• Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (over 3,200 employees)
• Pomona Unified School District (over 3,000 employees)
• California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (over 2,400 employees)
• Fairplex (over 1,000 employees)
• Casa Colina Rehabilitation Center (over 1,000 employees)
• City of Pomona (over 600 employees)
• County of Los Angeles Department of Social Services (over 300 employees)

Arts and Culture in Pomona

Yearly Events

The city is home to the Fairplex. This is where the famous L.A. County Fair is held every year. The Fairplex also hosts the Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show. This event happens several times a year and is for car parts and classic cars.

Pomona also has the NHRA In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. This track hosts the NHRA Winternationals, a big drag racing event.

Museums and Fun Places

A 1910 postcard showing Mt. Baldy from the Pomona Valley.

There are many interesting places to visit in Pomona:

• dA Center for the Art
• Fairplex, home of the annual Los Angeles County Fair
• In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip (formerly Pomona Raceway)
• YgnaIasa Primera de Rancho San Jose, a historic place
• The Pomona Envisions the Future mural in the Arts District
• The Glass House
• Pomona Fox Theater
• Phillips Mansion
• Cal Poly Pomona
• American Museum of Ceramic Art
• RailGiants Train Museum
• Pomona Ebell Museum of History
• Spadra Cemetery

Cool Buildings

The Los Angeles Conservancy points out several important buildings in Pomona:

• Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design (built 1971)
• The Downtown Center / Lytton Savings (built 1964)
• Fox Theater Pomona (built 1931)
• Pomona Mall (built 1962)
• Pomona Civic Center (built 1969)

• 

  The Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design building.

• 

  The historic Fox Theater Pomona.

Education in Pomona

Diamond Ranch High School

Schools for Kids

Most of Pomona is served by the Pomona Unified School District. This district has several high schools:

• Pomona High School
• Diamond Ranch High School
• Ganesha High School
• Garey High School
• Fremont Academy
• Palomares Academy
• Village Academy

A small part of northern Pomona is served by the Claremont Unified School District. Students there go to Sumner Elementary, El Roble Intermediate, and Claremont High School.

The School of Arts and Enterprise, a special public high school, is also in Pomona.

There are also several private schools:

• St. Madeleine Catholic School (K-5)
• St. Joseph Elementary School (K–5)
• Pomona Catholic Middle School and High School
• St. Christopher-Joseph-Aquinas Academic Academy (two locations)
• New Dimensions School (K-8)
• ICC Community School (K-8)
• City of Knowledge (K-12)

Colleges and Universities

The library at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Pomona is home to important colleges:

• California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) is a large university. It was built on the ranch of W.K. Kellogg, who made breakfast cereals. The university has over 24,000 students and covers a huge area. It is known for its programs in agriculture, hospitality, engineering, and architecture.
• Western University of Health Sciences is a big health sciences university in California.
• Laguna Technical College is also located in downtown Pomona.

Media in Pomona

The main daily newspaper for the area is the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. For Spanish speakers, La Opinión is the major newspaper. There are also other local newspapers and magazines, such as:

• Claremont Courier
• San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Transportation in Pomona

Trains

The Pomona–Downtown Metrolink station.

Pomona is connected to downtown Los Angeles and downtown Riverside by Metrolink trains. It also has Amtrak service with the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle lines. Soon, Pomona will have light rail service to Los Angeles and eastern Los Angeles County. This new line will be called the A Line.

There are two Metrolink stations in Pomona:

•      Riverside Line: Pomona—Downtown
•      San Bernardino Line: Pomona–North

Roads and Highways

Several major roads and highways pass through Pomona:

• San Bernardino Freeway
• Orange Freeway
• Pomona Freeway
• Foothill Boulevard
• Chino Valley Freeway

Buses

Foothill Transit's Silver Streak offers express bus service. It goes east to Montclair and west to Downtown Los Angeles. The Omnitrans bus line 61 travels through downtown Pomona and connects to Ontario Airport.

Famous People from Pomona

See also

In Spanish: Pomona (California) para niños