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Downey, California

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Downey, California
Official seal of Downey, California
Seal
Location of Downey in California and Los Angeles County
Location of Downey in California and Los Angeles County
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyLos Angeles
Founded1800s
Incorporated1956
Government
 • City CouncilDavid R. Gafin
Meredith H. Perkins (mayor)
Rick Trejo
Anne Marie Bayer
Kirk Cartozian
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
107,323
 U.S. Census, 2000
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
Websitewww.downeyca.org

Downey is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, 21 km (13 miles) southeast of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,323.

History

Downey was founded by and named for the former Civil War governor of California, John Gately Downey, when he subdivided land he owned between the Rio Hondo and the San Gabriel River. The Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in 1873, and farmers in the area grew grain, corn, castor beans and fruit until around 1940.

Downey was incorporated in 1956, and instituted a charter form of government in 1964. Suburban homes and factories replaced the farms after World War II. The largest employer was originally Vultee Aircraft, then North American Aviation, then Rockwell Aerospace (later bought by the Boeing company) whose facilities produced some of the systems for the Apollo Project as well as the space shuttle. The seventy year history of airplane and space vehicle manufacturing in Downey came to an end when the Rockwell plant closed in 1999. The former Rockwell plant has been converted to the Downey Landing shopping complex, a hospital, a park, a space museum and Downey Studios. For more information about the history of the Downey NASA site refer to http://www.aerospacelegacyfoundation.org

Near the center of the city lies what was once one of the busiest intersections in the world, the intersection of Lakewood Boulevard (State Route 19) and Firestone Boulevard (former State Route 42). Route 19 was a major thoroughfare between Pasadena, California and the port at Long Beach, California, and Route 42 was part of the old Spanish Trail system that connected Los Angeles, California to San Diego, California.

In the 1960s the town's Downey Records achieved a small notoriety with recordings like The Chantays' surfing instrumental "Pipeline." Downey's two main public high schools are named for Governor Downey and Governor (and later, Chief Justice) Earl Warren.

Downey is home to Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, which is the main public rehabilitation hospital for Los Angeles County. Rancho Los Amigos is renowned worldwide for its innovative contributions to the care of spinal cord injuries and post-polio syndrome.

Historic McDonald's restaurant

Oldest operating McDonald's restaurant on Lakewood and Florence in Downey, CaliforniaTemplate:Unverifiedimage

The 1953 McDonald's restaurant at 10207 Lakewood Blvd. (at Florence Ave.) was the fourth McDonald's built and is the oldest surviving McDonald's. It was listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 1994 list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. It was one of the first restaurants franchised by Dick and Mac McDonald, prior to the involvement of Ray Kroc in the company, and it still has the original "Golden arches" and a 60-foot animated neon "Speedee" sign.

With low sales, damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and the lack of a drive-up window and indoor seating, the restaurant was closed. However with both the public and preservationists demanding the restaurant be saved, McDonald's spent two years restoring the restaurant and reopened it. Customers today can visit the original restaurant and an adjoining gift shop and museum.

The first Taco Bell

Glen Bell opened the first Taco Bell restaurant on 21 March 1962 in Downey [1].

Johnie's Broiler

Johnie's Broiler (originally Harvey's Broiler) was a drive in restaurant and coffee shop. Completed in 1958, it is an example of Googie architechture. Johnie's was well known to Southern California locals, many of which drove miles to cruise through it's massive lot. The restaurant was closed in 2001, and a used car dealership has since leased the property.

GOOD

In the late 80's and early 90's, Downey saw an increase in gang activity. In response, Downey formed GOOD (Gangs Out Of Downey), a community-based organization that helps encourage young people between the ages of 10-20 to stay away from gangs. GOOD is also responsible for organizing many community events and programs such as various sports, after school care, scholarship programs for at-risk students looking to attend college, and counseling for both young people and their parents. GOOD has kept a close partnership with Downey Police and have been effective in preventing and eliminating gang activity. [2]

Crime

The majority of crimes committed in Downey continue to be minor property crimes, such as theft or robbery, with the exception of a few incidents sensationalized in the local news. [citation needed]

Police

Downey is served by the Downey Police Department[3] as well as the local Los Angeles County Sheriff departments located in nearby Pico Rivera and Norwalk. For more information on Downey Police Department or the Los Angeles County Sheriff: http://www.downeypd.org/ and http://www.lasd.org/.

Downey police have been known to respond promptly to calls from citizens which may contibute to this no-nonsense reputation, keeping Downey's crime rate down compared to surrounding cities.

Accusations of Racial Misconduct

Downey is also notorious for having what some believe to be an "extreme" or even "racist" police department. In recent years, controversy has sprung up with the 2002 shooting of unarmed 26 year old Gonzalo Martinez by Downey police officers during a traffic stop. Gonzalo was being stopped due to suspicion of drunk driving. Upon exiting his vehicle to surrender, after a small chase, police claim that he made a questionable movement with his left hand which caused them to open fire. A local resident caught the action on camera and the tape of the shooting was released in the US as well as Argentina and other Latin American countries, showing the man being shot over 30 times by officers using semi automatic weapons. This case is still being investigated.[4]

Geography

Downey is located at 33°56′17″N 118°7′51″W / 33.93806°N 118.13083°W / 33.93806; -118.13083Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (33.938164, -118.130801)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.6 km² (12.6 mi²). 32.2 km² (12.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.35%) is water.

The cities of South Gate and Bell Gardens are adjacent to the west and northwest, Pico Rivera lies to the northeast, Santa Fe Springs and Norwalk to the east, and Paramount and Bellflower are to the south.

The city can be conveniently reached by any of four freeways: Interstate 105 with its Metro rail line passes through the southern part of the city, Interstate 5 and Interstate 605 pass along the eastern side, and Interstate 710 passes just west of the city.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 107,323 people, 33,989 households, and 26,001 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,336.4/km² (8,641.7/mi²). There were 34,759 housing units at an average density of 1,080.6/km² (2,798.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.48% White, 3.75% Black or African American, 0.87% Native American, 7.74% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 29.05% from other races, and 4.89% from two or more races. 57.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 33,989 households out of which 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,667, and the median income for a family was $50,017. Males had a median income of $35,991 versus $28,768 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,197. About 9.3% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Immigration

Since the late 1990s Downey has had a significant demographic shift, with the racial makeup of the city now mostly Latino, due largely in part with the influx of wealthy immigrants from Mexico and the rest of Latin America. [citation needed]

Education

The city is served by Downey Unified School District.

Special events

  • Downey Holiday Lane Parade: The parade is held in early December.

Notable natives

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

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