Claremont, California

City of Claremont, California
File:Claremontstreets.jpg
Nickname(s):  The City of Trees and PhD's
Location of Claremont within Los Angeles County, California.
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
Government
• Mayor	Peter S. Yao
Area
• Total	13.4 sq mi (34.8 km2)
• Land	13.1 sq mi (34.0 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Population  (2000)
• Total	33,999
• Density	2,587/sq mi (999.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
Website	http://www.ci.claremont.ca.us/

Claremont is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, USA, about 30 miles (45 km) east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in the Pomona Valley. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its tree-lined streets, and its historic buildings. In July 2007 it was rated by Money magazine as the fifth best place to live in the United States, and was the highest rated place in California on the list. Due to its large number of trees and residents with doctorates, it is known as "The City of Trees and PhD's."

Claremont is primarily residential, with commercial activity revolving around The Village (as it is known to most residents), a popular collection of street-front small stores, high-end boutiques, art galleries, offices, and restaurants westerly adjacent to the Claremont Colleges. The Village hopes to see even more business with the 2007 completion of a multi-use development including a cinema, an upscale hotel, retail space, offices, and a parking structure on the site of an old citrus packing plant just west of Indian Hill Blvd.

Large trees and shade-covered streets, older residential areas, and the Claremont Colleges are located south of the Foothill Freeway and Baseline Road. Several of the colleges are consistently rated among the best in the nation. This has helped draw students from across the country and around the world.

The orange groves and open space which once dominated the northern portion of the city have been replaced by new residential developments of large homes set on larger lots. Construction of Stone Canyon Preserve, one of the final tract residential developments in the north of the city, commenced in 2003, as part of a complicated agreement between Pomona College and the City of Claremont which resulted in the creation of a 1,740 acre wilderness park. The foothills also include the Padua Hills Theatre, an historic site constructed in the late 1920's.

Claremont has been a winner of the National Arbor Day Association's Tree City USA award for 19 consecutive years. Early citizens planted trees when the city incorporated in 1907.

Commuter train service to Claremont is provided by Metrolink from the Claremont Metrolink Station. The station is on the San Bernardino Line with trains traveling to Los Angeles and San Bernardino daily.

Civic institutions

The Claremont Colleges, a consortium of seven schools of higher education which includes Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College, Scripps College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Keck Graduate Institute, Claremont Graduate University, are located in Claremont. The Claremont School of Theology, another school of higher education located in Claremont, shares some resources with the Claremont Colleges, but is not a member. These private educational institutions are hosts to approximately 5,000 students every year from around the world. Claremont is also home to the Claremont Institute.

Retirement communities include Pilgrim Place, Claremont Manor and Mt. San Antonio Gardens. The Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden contains a major collection of Californian plants.

Geography

Claremont is located at 34°6′36″N 117°43′11″W (34.110009, -117.719734)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.8 km² (13.4 mi²). 34.0 km² (13.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (2.08%) is water.

Claremont is located at the eastern end of Los Angeles County, and is adjacent to the cities of Upland, Pomona, La Verne, and Montclair and San Bernardino County. Claremont is approximately 24 miles east of Pasadena and 30 miles east of Los Angeles.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 33,998 people, 11,281 households, and 7,806 families residing in the city. The population density was 999.0/km² (2,586.6/mi²). There were 11,559 housing units at an average density of 339.6/km² (879.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.48% White, 4.98% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 11.51% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 5.20% from other races, and 4.14% from two or more races. 15.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

31.3% of households included children under the age of 18. 55.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08.

The population was widely distributed in age, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 18.6% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

As of 2006, the average household income in the city was $95,760 and the average income for a family was $105,890. The per capita income for the city was $35,180. About 7.0% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

• John R. Rodman Arboretum
• Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
• The Claremont Village is an area of shops and restaurants, stretching approximately from Indian Hill Blvd. and First Street at the Southwest to Harvard and Bonita at the Northeast.

Famous People:

• Ben Harper

External links

• The City of Claremont
• Claremont Chamber of Commerce
• The Claremont Courier
• Gateway to the Claremont Colleges