Downey, California
Encyclopedia
Downey is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California
, United States
, 21 km (13 mi) southeast of downtown Los Angeles
. The city is best known as the birthplace of the Apollo space program, and is the city where folk singer Karen Carpenter
lived and died. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 111,772, up from 107,323 at the 2000 census.
in Alta California
, the area that now comprises Downey was inhabited by the Tongva ethnic group, which came to be called the Gabrielino by the Spanish. The nearest Tongva settlements appear to have been just north and northeast of present-day Downey, although there is difficulty is locating them very precisely. The villages of Naxaaw’nga and Sehat seem to have been situated near the present-day community of Los Nietos, or perhaps farther west on sites that were lost to floods of the San Gabriel River. Chokiishnga and Huutnga are other Tongva place names that may have referred to villages in the general area north of Downey between the San Gabriel River and Rio Hondo. In all four cases, it is difficult to relate the original location descriptions, based on ranchos and land grants, to more specific sites identifiable by today’s landmarks. Mission San Gabriel Arcangel
was initially founded on September 8, 1771, near these concentrations of Tongva population, at a site in the Whittier Narrows on a bluff overlooking the Rio Hondo near the intersection of today’s San Gabriel Blvd and Lincoln Avenue. After five years, flooding forced the relocation of the mission to its present site in San Gabriel
.
In 1784, Governor Pedro Fages
granted to former soldier Manuel Nieto
(1734–1804) the largest of the land concessions made during the Spanish control of California. Its 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²) stretched from the Santa Ana River
on the east to the Old San Gabriel River
(now the Rio Hondo
and Los Angeles River
) on the west, and from the mission highway (approximately Whittier Boulevard) on the north to the ocean on the south. Its acreage was slightly reduced later at the insistence of Mission San Gabriel on whose lands it infringed. The Spanish concessions, of which 25 were made in California, were unlike the later Mexican land grants in that title was not transferred, but were similar to grazing permits, with the title remaining with the Spanish crown.
The Rancho Los Nietos
passed to Manuel Nieto's four children upon his death and remained intact until, in 1833, his heirs petitioned Mexican Governor José Figueroa
to partition the property. The northwestern portion of the original rancho, comprising the Downey-Norwalk area, was granted as Rancho Santa Gertrudes
to Josefa Cota, the widow of Manuel's son, Antonio Nieto. At approximately 21000 acres (85 km²), Santa Gertrudes was itself a sizable rancho and contained the old Nietos homestead, which was a center of social life east of the pueblo of Los Angeles. After the Mexican-American war concluded in 1848, many of the Californio
ranchos were obtained by affluent Anglo-Americans who were immigrating west under the United States
manifest destiny
doctrine, and marrying into established Californio
Spanish families.
Unlike most Southern California towns, Downey can claim some of its roots came from Ireland
. Downey was founded by and named for the former and youngest ever governor
of California
, John Gately Downey
, who was born in Ireland. Although he was an Irish Democrat, he supported the Republican Lincoln in his efforts to keep the Union intact during the Civil War
. He pioneered the modern subdivision with land he acquired between the Rio Hondo
and the San Gabriel River
, in about 1865. Downey was convinced that oranges would flourish in Southern California, so he imported several varieties, and therefore set in motion what became one of the state's biggest cash crops. In 1935 Downey was described as an "orange-grove town". 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
, (later North American Rockwell, then Rockwell International
which was then bought by the Boeing
company) whose facilities were the birthplace of the systems for the Apollo space program as well as the Space Shuttle
. For over 70 years, Downey's Rockwell NASA
plant produced and tested many of the 20th century's greatest aviation, missile, and space endeavors. By the early 1970s, the facilities encompassed some 1700000 square feet (157,935.2 m²) of enclosed area over more than 200 acres. But, by the early 1990s, Downey was brutally hit by cutbacks in the defense budget. Rockwell International, who once had over 30,000 employees, had less than 5,000 in 1992. 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 Kaiser Permanente
hospital, a park, a space museum and Downey Studios
.
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
and the port at Long Beach
, and Route 42 was part of the old Spanish Trail system that connected Los Angeles to San Diego. 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 school
s 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
.
Downey was featured in the 2008 American action comedy film Pineapple Express
. Many of the buildings along Florence Ave. can be viewed in a driving scene early in the film.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 12.6 square miles (32.6 km²). 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (1.27%) 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.
was 8,893.3 people per square mile (3,433.7/km²). The racial makeup of Downey was 63,255 (56.6%) White, 4,329 (3.9%) African American, 820 (0.7%) Native American, 7,804 (7.0%) Asian (2.2% Korean, 2.2% Filipino, 0.6% Indian, 0.5% Chinese, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.3% Japanese, 0.2% Thai, 0.1% Cambodian, 0.1% Pakistani), 221 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 30,797 (27.6%) from other races
, and 4,546 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 78,996 persons (70.7%); 54.0% of Downey is Mexican, 3.9% Salvadoran, 2.0% Cuban, 2.0% Guatemalan, 1.1% Peruvian, 1.0% Nicaraguan, 0.7% Colombian, 0.7% Puerto Rican, 0.6% Peruvian, 0.5% Honduran, 0.4% Argentinean, and 0.2% Costa Rican.
The Census reported that 111,089 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 122 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 561 (0.5%) were institutionalized.
There were 33,936 households, out of which 15,697 (46.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 17,405 (51.3%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 6,289 (18.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,796 (8.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,357 (6.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 225 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,721 households (16.9%) were made up of individuals and 2,211 (6.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27. There were 26,490 families
(78.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.68.
The population was spread out with 29,972 people (26.8%) under the age of 18, 12,108 people (10.8%) aged 18 to 24, 33,056 people (29.6%) aged 25 to 44, 25,057 people (22.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 11,579 people (10.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.3 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.
There were 35,601 housing units at an average density of 2,832.7 per square mile (1,093.7/km²), of which 17,135 (50.5%) were owner-occupied, and 16,801 (49.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 59,555 people (53.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 51,534 people (46.1%) lived in rental housing units.
30-40 Homeless (Reference: City of Downey, 3685.pdf; Sec. 3, Consolidated Plan 2010-2015
of 2000, there were 107,323 people, 33,989 households, and 26,001 families residing in the city. The population density
was 8,641.7 inhabitants per square mile (3,336.4/km2). There were 34,759 housing units at an average density of 2,798.8 per square mile (1,080.6/km2). 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 $46,000 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.
Downey has the second highest percentage of Cubans and Cuban Americans in the Western United States at 1.96% of the population.
In the state legislature
Downey is located in the 27th Senate
District, represented by Democrat Alan Lowenthal
, and in the 50th and 58th Assembly
Districts, represented by Democrats Ricardo Lara
and Charles M. Calderon
respectively. Federally, Downey is located in California's 34th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of D +23 and is represented by Democrat Lucille Roybal-Allard.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
operates the Whittier Health Center in Whittier
, serving Downey.
The United States Postal Service
operates the Downey Post Office at 8111 Firestone Boulevard, the North Downey Post Office at 10409 Lakewood Boulevard, and the South Downey Post Office at 7911 Imperial Highway.
The 1953 McDonald's
restaurant at 10207 Lakewood Blvd. (at Florence Ave.) was the third 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 the second restaurant franchised by Richard and Maurice McDonald, prior to the involvement of Ray Kroc
in the company, and it still has the two original 30 feet (9.1 m) "Golden arches
" and a 60 feet (18.3 m) 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.
(originally Harvey's Broiler) was a drive-in restaurant and coffee shop, which has been in movies and sitcoms as well as TV commercials and music videos. Completed in 1958, it is an example of Googie architecture. Johnie's was well known to Southern California
locals, many of which drove miles to cruise through its massive lot. In the mid-1960s, renowned author Tom Wolfe
immortalized the cruising, car and fashion scene that surrounded Harvey's Broiler at the time; The article, "The Hair Boys," appears in a bestselling 1968 collection of his articles titled, The Pump House Gang
. He made drawings of the denizens of Harvey's that appear in a later book, The Purple Decades
. The Broiler was a regular commercial and movie location for films such as Heat, What's Love Got to Do with It, Unstrung Heroes
, Reality Bites
, Can't Hardly Wait
, Jawbreaker, as well as a television episode of The X-Files
. Lily Tomlin played a waitress who worked at Johnie's in Short Cuts
. The last film shot at Johnie's was The Country Bears
.
The restaurant was closed in 2001, and a used car dealership leased the property. In January 2007, the leasees of Johnie's started to illegally tear it down. The destruction of the building was halted, with extreme damage to the building, though the sign is intact. Tenants made significant alterations to the dining room without permits, and the City of Downey
had to issue several stop work orders and citations.
opened the first Taco Bell
restaurant on March 21, 1962, in Downey. The building, at 7112 Firestone Boulevard, is largely unchanged from its original appearance, but it is no longer a Taco Bell.
Anti-gang activities
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Downey saw an increase in gang activity. Today there is still gang activity going in the south area of Downey. 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.
with its Metro rail line passes through the southern part of the city, Interstate 5 passes through the northern part, Interstate 605 passes along the eastern side, and Interstate 710 passes just west of the city.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(Metro) provides bus services to the city. The city also operates a local bus service called DowneyLINK.
.
Public schools include:
Private schools include:
opened a branch in Downey in September 1915. The county branch moved several times; its final location was in the County Civic Center. In 1958 the Downey City Council voted to establish its own library and withdraw from the county system. The city library services were originally provided out of the back of a bookstore. The city library opened in the former cafeteria of the former Downey Elementary School, then being used as the city hall and police station, on July 1, 1958. A permanent library building was built on December 7, 1959. It had almost 16000 square foot and it was built for $186,200, costing $11.97 per square foot. It was dedicated on December 17 and opened on December 18. In February 1984 an addition of almost 12000 square foot was completed and dedicated.
In addition the headquarters of the County of Los Angeles Public Library are located in Downey.
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 21 km (13 mi) southeast of downtown Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The city is best known as the birthplace of the Apollo space program, and is the city where folk singer Karen Carpenter
Karen Carpenter
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
lived and died. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 111,772, up from 107,323 at the 2000 census.
History
Prior to the arrival of the SpanishSpanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
in Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
, the area that now comprises Downey was inhabited by the Tongva ethnic group, which came to be called the Gabrielino by the Spanish. The nearest Tongva settlements appear to have been just north and northeast of present-day Downey, although there is difficulty is locating them very precisely. The villages of Naxaaw’nga and Sehat seem to have been situated near the present-day community of Los Nietos, or perhaps farther west on sites that were lost to floods of the San Gabriel River. Chokiishnga and Huutnga are other Tongva place names that may have referred to villages in the general area north of Downey between the San Gabriel River and Rio Hondo. In all four cases, it is difficult to relate the original location descriptions, based on ranchos and land grants, to more specific sites identifiable by today’s landmarks. Mission San Gabriel Arcangel
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel is a fully functioning Roman Catholic mission and a historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. The settlement was founded by Spaniards of the Franciscan order on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary," September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become 21 Spanish...
was initially founded on September 8, 1771, near these concentrations of Tongva population, at a site in the Whittier Narrows on a bluff overlooking the Rio Hondo near the intersection of today’s San Gabriel Blvd and Lincoln Avenue. After five years, flooding forced the relocation of the mission to its present site in San Gabriel
San Gabriel, California
San Gabriel is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is named after the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, founded by Junipero Serra. The city grew outward from the mission and in 1852 became the original township of Los Angeles County. San Gabriel was incorporated in 1913...
.
In 1784, Governor Pedro Fages
Pedro Fages
Pere Fages Beleta , nicknamed L'Ós , was a soldier, explorer, and the second Spanish military Governor of Las Californias Province of New Spain from 1770 to 1774, and the Governor of Las Californias from 1782 to 1791.-Life:...
granted to former soldier Manuel Nieto
Manuel Nieto
Jose Manuel Nieto was a soldier from the Presidio of San Diego who was assigned to the Mission San Gabriel at the time his land was granted by the Spanish Empire in 1784.-Spanish soldier:...
(1734–1804) the largest of the land concessions made during the Spanish control of California. Its 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²) stretched from the Santa Ana River
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
on the east to the Old San Gabriel River
San Gabriel River (California)
The San Gabriel River flows through southern Los Angeles County, California in the United States. Its main stem is about long, while its farthest tributaries extend almost altogether...
(now the Rio Hondo
Rio Hondo (California)
The Rio Hondo is a tributary of the Los Angeles River in Los Angeles County, California, approximately long. As a named river, it begins in Irwindale and flows southwest to its confluence in South Gate, passing through several cities...
and Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
) on the west, and from the mission highway (approximately Whittier Boulevard) on the north to the ocean on the south. Its acreage was slightly reduced later at the insistence of Mission San Gabriel on whose lands it infringed. The Spanish concessions, of which 25 were made in California, were unlike the later Mexican land grants in that title was not transferred, but were similar to grazing permits, with the title remaining with the Spanish crown.
The Rancho Los Nietos
Rancho Los Nietos
Rancho Los Nietos was one of the first, and the largest, Spanish land concession in Alta California. Located in present day Los Angeles County and Orange County, California. Rancho Los Nietos was awarded to Manuel Nieto in 1784...
passed to Manuel Nieto's four children upon his death and remained intact until, in 1833, his heirs petitioned Mexican Governor José Figueroa
José Figueroa
General José Figueroa , was a General and the Mexican territorial Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835.Figueroa oversaw the initial secularization of the missions of upper California, which included the expulsion of the Spanish Franciscan mission officials.This also involved the issuing of...
to partition the property. The northwestern portion of the original rancho, comprising the Downey-Norwalk area, was granted as Rancho Santa Gertrudes
Rancho Santa Gertrudes
Rancho Santa Gertrudes was a 1834 Mexican land grant, in present day Los Angeles County, California resulting from a partition of Rancho Los Nietos...
to Josefa Cota, the widow of Manuel's son, Antonio Nieto. At approximately 21000 acres (85 km²), Santa Gertrudes was itself a sizable rancho and contained the old Nietos homestead, which was a center of social life east of the pueblo of Los Angeles. After the Mexican-American war concluded in 1848, many of the Californio
Californio
Californio is a term used to identify a Spanish-speaking Catholic people, regardless of race, born in California before 1848...
ranchos were obtained by affluent Anglo-Americans who were immigrating west under the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
manifest destiny
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was the 19th century American belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. It was used by Democrat-Republicans in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico; the concept was denounced by Whigs, and fell into disuse after the mid-19th century.Advocates of...
doctrine, and marrying into established Californio
Californio
Californio is a term used to identify a Spanish-speaking Catholic people, regardless of race, born in California before 1848...
Spanish families.
Unlike most Southern California towns, Downey can claim some of its roots came from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Downey was founded by and named for the former and youngest ever governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, John Gately Downey
John G. Downey
John Gately Downey was an Irish-American politician and the seventh Governor of California from January 14, 1860 to January 10, 1862. Until the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003, Downey was California's only foreign-born governor...
, who was born in Ireland. Although he was an Irish Democrat, he supported the Republican Lincoln in his efforts to keep the Union intact during the Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
. He pioneered the modern subdivision with land he acquired between the Rio Hondo
Rio Hondo (California)
The Rio Hondo is a tributary of the Los Angeles River in Los Angeles County, California, approximately long. As a named river, it begins in Irwindale and flows southwest to its confluence in South Gate, passing through several cities...
and the San Gabriel River
San Gabriel River (California)
The San Gabriel River flows through southern Los Angeles County, California in the United States. Its main stem is about long, while its farthest tributaries extend almost altogether...
, in about 1865. Downey was convinced that oranges would flourish in Southern California, so he imported several varieties, and therefore set in motion what became one of the state's biggest cash crops. In 1935 Downey was described as an "orange-grove town". The Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American 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
Vultee Aircraft
The Vultee Aircraft Corporation became an independent company in 1939 and had limited success before merging with the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in 1943 to form the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, or Convair.-History:...
, then North American Aviation
North American Aviation
North American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
, (later North American Rockwell, then Rockwell International
Rockwell International
Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate in the latter half of the 20th century, involved in aircraft, the space industry, both defense-oriented and commercial electronics, automotive and truck components, printing presses, valves and meters, and industrial automation....
which was then bought by the Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
company) whose facilities were the birthplace of the systems for the Apollo space program as well as the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
. For over 70 years, Downey's Rockwell NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
plant produced and tested many of the 20th century's greatest aviation, missile, and space endeavors. By the early 1970s, the facilities encompassed some 1700000 square feet (157,935.2 m²) of enclosed area over more than 200 acres. But, by the early 1990s, Downey was brutally hit by cutbacks in the defense budget. Rockwell International, who once had over 30,000 employees, had less than 5,000 in 1992. 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 Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium, based in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield...
hospital, a park, a space museum and Downey Studios
Downey Studios
The Downey Studios is a production studio in Downey, California. The studio features of indoor and outdoor production space including a building and a 250,000 sq/ft building which is home of the largest indoor water tank in North America...
.
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
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
and the port at Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, and Route 42 was part of the old Spanish Trail system that connected Los Angeles to San Diego. In the 1960s the town's Downey Records achieved a small notoriety with recordings like The Chantays
The Chantays
The Chantays are an American surf rock band from the early 1960s, known for the hit instrumental, "Pipeline" . Their music combined electronic keyboards and surf guitar, creating a unique ghostly sound.-History:...
' surfing instrumental "Pipeline
Pipeline (song)
"Pipeline" is a surf rock tune by The Chantays which was recorded in 1963.The tune, originally called "Liberty's Whip," was renamed after the band members saw a surfing movie showing scenes of the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii. The tune, fitting in with the popular surfing craze of the time, swiftly...
". Downey's two main public high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s are named for Governor Downey
John G. Downey
John Gately Downey was an Irish-American politician and the seventh Governor of California from January 14, 1860 to January 10, 1862. Until the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003, Downey was California's only foreign-born governor...
and Governor (and later, Chief Justice) Earl Warren
Earl Warren
Earl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
. Downey is home to Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center is a rehabilitation hospital located in Downey, California, United States. Its name in Spanish means "Friend's Ranch". It is accredited by the Joint Commission and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities...
, which is the main public rehabilitation hospital for Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
. Rancho Los Amigos is renowned worldwide for its innovative contributions to the care of spinal cord injuries
Spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence...
and post-polio syndrome
Post-polio syndrome
Post-polio syndrome is a condition that affects approximately 25–50% of people who have previously contracted poliomyelitis—a viral infection of the nervous system—after the initial infection. Typically the symptoms appear 15–30 years after recovery from the original paralytic attack, at an age of...
.
Downey was featured in the 2008 American action comedy film Pineapple Express
Pineapple Express (film)
Pineapple Express is a 2008 American stoner action comedy directed by David Gordon Green, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and starring Rogen and James Franco. Producer Judd Apatow, who previously worked with Rogen and Goldberg on Knocked Up and Superbad, assisted in developing the story,...
. Many of the buildings along Florence Ave. can be viewed in a driving scene early in the film.
Geography
Downey is located at 33°56′17"N 118°7′51"W (33.938164, -118.130801).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 12.6 square miles (32.6 km²). 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (1.27%) is water.
The cities of South Gate
South Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...
and Bell Gardens
Bell Gardens, California
Bell Gardens is a city in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 42,072 at the 2010 census, down from 44,054 at the 2000 census.Bell Gardens is notable for being one of only five Los Angeles County cities to permit casino gambling...
are adjacent to the west and northwest, Pico Rivera
Pico Rivera, California
Pico Rivera is a city located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is situated approximately 11 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, on the eastern edge of the Los Angeles basin, and on the southern edge of the area known as the San Gabriel Valley...
lies to the northeast, Santa Fe Springs
Santa Fe Springs, California
Santa Fe Springs is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. The population was 16,223 at the 2010 census, down from 17,438 at the 2000 census....
and Norwalk
Norwalk, California
Norwalk is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 census, up from 103,298 at the 2000 census, making it the 58th most populous city in California and the 255th nationally....
to the east, and Paramount
Paramount, California
Paramount is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 54,098 down from 55,266 at the 2000 census...
and Bellflower
Bellflower, California
Bellflower is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and is a suburb of Los Angeles. It was incorporated on September 3, 1957. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,616, up from 72,878 at the 2000 census....
are to the south.
Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Downey had a population of 111,772. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 8,893.3 people per square mile (3,433.7/km²). The racial makeup of Downey was 63,255 (56.6%) White, 4,329 (3.9%) African American, 820 (0.7%) Native American, 7,804 (7.0%) Asian (2.2% Korean, 2.2% Filipino, 0.6% Indian, 0.5% Chinese, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.3% Japanese, 0.2% Thai, 0.1% Cambodian, 0.1% Pakistani), 221 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 30,797 (27.6%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4,546 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 78,996 persons (70.7%); 54.0% of Downey is Mexican, 3.9% Salvadoran, 2.0% Cuban, 2.0% Guatemalan, 1.1% Peruvian, 1.0% Nicaraguan, 0.7% Colombian, 0.7% Puerto Rican, 0.6% Peruvian, 0.5% Honduran, 0.4% Argentinean, and 0.2% Costa Rican.
The Census reported that 111,089 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 122 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 561 (0.5%) were institutionalized.
There were 33,936 households, out of which 15,697 (46.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 17,405 (51.3%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6,289 (18.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,796 (8.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,357 (6.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 225 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,721 households (16.9%) were made up of individuals and 2,211 (6.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27. There were 26,490 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(78.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.68.
The population was spread out with 29,972 people (26.8%) under the age of 18, 12,108 people (10.8%) aged 18 to 24, 33,056 people (29.6%) aged 25 to 44, 25,057 people (22.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 11,579 people (10.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.3 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.
There were 35,601 housing units at an average density of 2,832.7 per square mile (1,093.7/km²), of which 17,135 (50.5%) were owner-occupied, and 16,801 (49.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 59,555 people (53.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 51,534 people (46.1%) lived in rental housing units.
30-40 Homeless (Reference: City of Downey, 3685.pdf; Sec. 3, Consolidated Plan 2010-2015
2000
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 107,323 people, 33,989 households, and 26,001 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 8,641.7 inhabitants per square mile (3,336.4/km2). There were 34,759 housing units at an average density of 2,798.8 per square mile (1,080.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 53.48% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 3.75% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.87% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 7.74% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.22% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 29.05% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.89% from two or more races. 57.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
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 $46,000 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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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.
Downey has the second highest percentage of Cubans and Cuban Americans in the Western United States at 1.96% of the population.
Government and infrastructure
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Downey is located in the 27th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Democrat Alan Lowenthal
Alan Lowenthal
Alan S. Lowenthal has been a Democratic member of the California State Senate, representing the 27th District since 2004. He previously served in the California State Assembly representing the 55th Assembly district from 1998 until 2004...
, and in the 50th and 58th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
Districts, represented by Democrats Ricardo Lara
Ricardo Lara
Ricardo Lara is a politician from Los Angeles County, California who serves in the California State Assembly, where he represents the 50th district...
and Charles M. Calderon
Charles M. Calderon
Charles M. Calderon began his second stint in the California State Assembly in 2006. He represents the 58th District, which includes the cities of Montebello, Pico Rivera, Hacienda Heights Rowland Heights, South San Gabriel, South San Jose Hills, Valinda and portions of City of Industry, Downey,...
respectively. Federally, Downey is located in California's 34th congressional district
California's 34th congressional district
California's 34th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Los Angeles County. The district consists of downtown Los Angeles and the neighborhoods of Huntington Park and Bell Gardens...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of D +23 and is represented by Democrat Lucille Roybal-Allard.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Health services to over 10 million residents in the Los Angeles County are provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Mental health services are provided by the County Department of Mental Health...
operates the Whittier Health Center in Whittier
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
, serving Downey.
The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Downey Post Office at 8111 Firestone Boulevard, the North Downey Post Office at 10409 Lakewood Boulevard, and the South Downey Post Office at 7911 Imperial Highway.
Economy
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium, based in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield... |
3,000 |
| 2 | Downey Unified School District Downey Unified School District Downey Unified School District is the public school system in Downey, California. The current enrollment for 2009 is 22,500 divided among thirteen elementary, four middle, and three high schools.- Governance :... |
2,000 |
| 3 | Stonewood Center Stonewood Center Stonewood Center is a shopping mall located in Downey, California. It is located at the intersection of Firestone and Lakewood Boulevards. Surrounded by I-5 to the north, I-710 to the west, I-605 to the east and I-105 to the south, the mall serves both Los Angeles and Orange counties... |
1,750 |
| 4 | Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center is a rehabilitation hospital located in Downey, California, United States. Its name in Spanish means "Friend's Ranch". It is accredited by the Joint Commission and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities... |
1,374 |
| 5 | Downey Regional Medical Center | 955 |
| 6 | The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia... |
920 |
| 7 | Office of Education, County of Los Angeles Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states... |
900 |
| 8 | Lakewood Park Health Center | 325 |
| 9 | Xpedex International Paper International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 59,500 employees, and it is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:... |
250 |
| 10 | All American Home Center Do It Best Do It Best Corp. is a hardware store retailers' cooperative. It was founded as Hardware Wholesalers, Inc in 1945 in Fort Wayne, Indiana by Arnold H. Gerberding along with 75 dealers who would become members and invest $1,000 in exchange for shares of stock in the company. Donald Wolf was CEO... |
180 |
McDonald's restaurant
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
restaurant at 10207 Lakewood Blvd. (at Florence Ave.) was the third McDonald's built and is the oldest surviving McDonald's. It was listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
's 1994 list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
America's Most Endangered Places
Each year since 1987, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has released a list of places they consider the most endangered in America. The number of sites included on the list has varied, with the most recent lists settling on 11...
. It was the second restaurant franchised by Richard and Maurice McDonald, prior to the involvement of Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc
Raymond Albert "Ray" Kroc was an American fast food businessman who joined McDonald's in 1954 and built it into the most successful fast food operation in the world. Kroc was included in Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century, and amassed a fortune during his lifetime...
in the company, and it still has the two original 30 feet (9.1 m) "Golden arches
Golden Arches
The Golden Arches are the symbol of McDonald's, the global fast-food hamburger chain. Originally, real arches were part of the restaurant design...
" and a 60 feet (18.3 m) animated neon "Speedee" sign.
With low sales, damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake
Northridge earthquake
The Northridge earthquake was a massive earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 04:31 Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 10–20 seconds...
, 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.
Harvey's/Johnie's Broiler
Johnie's BroilerJohnie's broiler
Johnie's Broiler was a restaurant located in Downey, California from 1958 until 2001. From 2002-2006 it was a used car dealership. It was largely demolished in January, 2007. Johnie's Broiler has been featured in several movies and TV shows due to its "authentic" 1950s look...
(originally Harvey's Broiler) was a drive-in restaurant and coffee shop, which has been in movies and sitcoms as well as TV commercials and music videos. Completed in 1958, it is an example of Googie architecture. Johnie's was well known to Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
locals, many of which drove miles to cruise through its massive lot. In the mid-1960s, renowned author Tom Wolfe
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
immortalized the cruising, car and fashion scene that surrounded Harvey's Broiler at the time; The article, "The Hair Boys," appears in a bestselling 1968 collection of his articles titled, The Pump House Gang
The Pump House Gang
The Pump House Gang is a 1968 collection of essays and journalism by Tom Wolfe. The stories in the book explored various aspects of the counterculture of the 1960s...
. He made drawings of the denizens of Harvey's that appear in a later book, The Purple Decades
The Purple Decades
The Purple Decades: A Reader is a collection of the non-fiction writing of Tom Wolfe, published in 1982. The book contains 20 pieces of Wolfe's best-known writing....
. The Broiler was a regular commercial and movie location for films such as Heat, What's Love Got to Do with It, Unstrung Heroes
Unstrung Heroes
Unstrung Heroes is a 1995 American comedy-drama film directed by Diane Keaton. The screenplay by Richard LaGravenese is based on a memoir by journalist Franz Lidz.-Plot synopsis:...
, Reality Bites
Reality Bites
Reality Bites is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and featuring the directorial debut of Ben Stiller. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Stiller, with major supporting roles played by Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn. The film was shot on location in Austin...
, Can't Hardly Wait
Can't Hardly Wait
Can't Hardly Wait is a 1998 American teen comedy film written and directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. It stars Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Seth Green, and Jennifer Love Hewitt, and is notable for a number of "before-they-were-famous" appearances by various...
, Jawbreaker, as well as a television episode of The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
. Lily Tomlin played a waitress who worked at Johnie's in Short Cuts
Short Cuts
Short Cuts is a 1993 American drama film directed by Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay by Robert Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver...
. The last film shot at Johnie's was The Country Bears
The Country Bears
The Country Bears is a 2002 American live-action comedy film, produced by Walt Disney Pictures, based on the Disney attraction Country Bear Jamboree, and released July 26, 2002...
.
The restaurant was closed in 2001, and a used car dealership leased the property. In January 2007, the leasees of Johnie's started to illegally tear it down. The destruction of the building was halted, with extreme damage to the building, though the sign is intact. Tenants made significant alterations to the dining room without permits, and the City of Downey
Downey
-Schools:*Downey High School*Thomas Downey High SchoolOr a company:*W. & D. Downey, photographic studio-Surname Downey:*Aaron Downey, NHL forward*Brian Downey *Brian Downey *Bruce Downey*Glen Downey , Canadian children's author...
had to issue several stop work orders and citations.
Bob's Big Boy
In April 2008, Jim Louder, owner of the Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Torrance, California, entered into a long-term lease agreement with the owner of Johnie's Broiler. The restaurant was rebuilt as a Bob's Broiler and incorporated the surviving architectural elements of the old structure into the new restaurant. Bob's Big Boy Broiler is now open for business.First Taco Bell
Glen BellGlen Bell
Glen William Bell, Jr. was an American businessman who founded the fast food chain Taco Bell.Born in Lynwood, California and growing up in California, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. Bell left the military in 1946 and started his first hot dog stand, called Bell's Drive-In,...
opened the first Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
restaurant on March 21, 1962, in Downey. The building, at 7112 Firestone Boulevard, is largely unchanged from its original appearance, but it is no longer a Taco Bell.
Downey Farmers' Market
The Downtown Downey Farmers' Market was approved by the Downey City Council in 2008. It has rapidly blossomed into a community main attraction, with the standard fruit and vegetable stands and a growing number of food booths. It is open every Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM on Second Street between New St. and La Reina. The market is intended to be a community gathering place, an opportunity to purchase California-grown products, homemade tamales and a vehicle to improve and finance Downtown Downey.Crime
While reports of robberies, aggravated assaults and petty thefts in Downey dropped in 2008, auto thefts reached a 10-year high. In 2008, 1,231 vehicles were reported stolen in Downey. Other crimes recorded by the FBI Crime Index for the year 2008 include 252 robberies, 172 aggravated assaults, 24 rapes, 711 burglaries and 2,038 acts of larceny/thefts.Anti-gang activities
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Downey saw an increase in gang activity. Today there is still gang activity going in the south area of Downey. 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.
Transportation
The city can be conveniently reached by any of four freeways: Interstate 105Interstate 105 (California)
Interstate 105 is an Interstate Highway in southern Los Angeles County, California that runs east–west from near the Los Angeles International Airport to Norwalk...
with its Metro rail line passes through the southern part of the city, Interstate 5 passes through the northern part, Interstate 605 passes along the eastern side, and Interstate 710 passes just west of the city.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
(Metro) provides bus services to the city. The city also operates a local bus service called DowneyLINK.
Primary and secondary schools
Downey is within the Downey Unified School DistrictDowney Unified School District
Downey Unified School District is the public school system in Downey, California. The current enrollment for 2009 is 22,500 divided among thirteen elementary, four middle, and three high schools.- Governance :...
.
Public schools include:
- Downey High SchoolDowney High SchoolDowney High School is one of two senior high schools located in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California, and within the Downey Unified School District. It is located at 11040 Brookshire Ave. At the present time the school has an enrollment of about 3719 students, of a variety of racial and...
- Alameda Elementary School
- Warren High School (Downey, California)Warren High School (Downey, California)Warren High School, formerly Earl Warren Senior High School, is a public secondary school located in Downey, California . Warren High School enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Downey Unified School District.-History:...
Named after the 14th Chief Justice of the United States Earl WarrenEarl WarrenEarl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
. - Columbus High School
- West Middle School
- East Middle School
- Griffiths Middle School (formerly [North Junior High School])
- Sussman Middle School (formerly [South Middle School])
- Carpenter Elementary School
- Gallatin Elementary School
- Gauldin Elementary School
- Imperial Elementary School
- Lewis Elementary School
- Old River Elementary School
- Price Elementary School
- Rio Hondo Elementary School
- Rio San Gabriel Elementary School
- Unsworth Elementary School
- Ward Elementary School
- Williams Elementary School
Private schools include:
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help School: pre K-8
- Calvary Chapel, Downey: pre K-12
- St. Matthias High SchoolSt. Matthias High SchoolSt. Matthias High School is a girls private, Roman Catholic high school in Downey, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.-Background:St. Matthias was established in 1960.St...
: 9-12 - Saint Raymond's Catholic School: pre K-8
- Saint Mark's Episcopal School: pre K-8
Public libraries
The Downey City Library serves the city. The first library in Downey was established in 1901 by a women's social club that was founded in 1898. The County of Los Angeles Public LibraryCounty of Los Angeles Public Library
-Library System:The County of Los Angeles Public Library is the 4th largest public library system in the United States which serves residents living in 51 of the 88 incorporated cities of Los Angeles County, California...
opened a branch in Downey in September 1915. The county branch moved several times; its final location was in the County Civic Center. In 1958 the Downey City Council voted to establish its own library and withdraw from the county system. The city library services were originally provided out of the back of a bookstore. The city library opened in the former cafeteria of the former Downey Elementary School, then being used as the city hall and police station, on July 1, 1958. A permanent library building was built on December 7, 1959. It had almost 16000 square foot and it was built for $186,200, costing $11.97 per square foot. It was dedicated on December 17 and opened on December 18. In February 1984 an addition of almost 12000 square foot was completed and dedicated.
In addition the headquarters of the County of Los Angeles Public Library are located in Downey.
Notable citizens
- Alanna UbachAlanna UbachAlanna Noel Ubach is an American actress and voice actress. She is known for her roles in Legally Blonde as Serena and Meet the Fockers as Isabel Villalobos...
, actress, was born in Downey. - Allison IrahetaAllison IrahetaAllison Iraheta is an American singer from Los Angeles, California, who was the fourth place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Iraheta won the Telemundo competition Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser Artista. Following the conclusion of Idol, Iraheta was signed to a record...
, musician and American Idol season eightAmerican Idol (season 8)The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol...
contestant, raised in Downey. - Aimee TeegardenAimee TeegardenAimee Richelle Teegarden is an American actress. She starred as Julie Taylor in the NBC series Friday Night Lights, Jenny Randall in the horror film Scream 4, and Nova Prescott in the Disney film Prom.-Career:...
, actress (Friday Night LightsFriday Night Lights (TV series)Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
) and fashion model - The brother and sister music duo The CarpentersThe CarpentersCarpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
moved to Downey from New HavenNew Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
in 1963 with their family. When they hit it big in the 1970s they built two apartment buildings there that still operate today. They stand across the street from each other on 5th St. and are named after their two biggest hits "We've Only Just BegunWe've Only Just Begun"We've Only Just Begun" is the signature song of The Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams , and is often used as a wedding song. The song was ranked at #405 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".The song was recorded by Smokey Roberds, a friend...
" and "Close To You(They Long to Be) Close to You" Close to You" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was first recorded by Richard Chamberlain and released as a single in 1963 as "They Long to Be Close to You," without parentheses. However, it was the single's flip side, "Blue Guitar," that became a hit...
". The Carpenter's family house still stands today in Newville Avenue as well. The house can be seen on the cover of their album, Now & Then. - Rock and country musician Dave AlvinDave AlvinDave Alvin , is a guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has been one of the leading proponents of 'roots' or 'American' music, bringing together elements of rock-and-roll, blues, rural and tejano music....
was born and raised in Downey. He formed the early Downey based rockabillyRockabillyRockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
band The BlastersThe BlastersThe Blasters are a rock and roll music group formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin , with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Phil Alvin explained the origin of the band's name: "I thought Joe Turner’s backup band on Atlantic records – I had...
with his brother Phil, and later started a solo career as a country musician. He wrote a song called Downey Girl released on his 2009 album Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women. - Thrash metal band Dark AngelDark Angel (band)Dark Angel was an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Their over-the-top style earned them the nickname "the L.A...
formed in Downey. - Surfer and acoustic rock musician Donavon FrankenreiterDonavon FrankenreiterDonavon Frankenreiter is an American musician and surfer. He is a long-time friend of Jack Johnson and his debut self-titled album was released in 2004 on Johnson's Brushfire Records through Universal Music and made the Australian ARIA Top-40 charts in April 2004.-Surfing career:He took up surfing...
was born in Downey. - Dan HendersonDan HendersonDaniel Jeffery Henderson, is an American mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler, who competes as a middleweight and light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and was the last Welterweight and Middleweight champion...
, a mixed martial artist, was born in Downey. - MetallicaMetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
frontman James HetfieldJames HetfieldJames Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
was born and raised in Downey. Also, original Metallica bassist Ron McGovney attended Downey Elementary, East Middle School, and graduated from Downey High SchoolDowney High SchoolDowney High School is one of two senior high schools located in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California, and within the Downey Unified School District. It is located at 11040 Brookshire Ave. At the present time the school has an enrollment of about 3719 students, of a variety of racial and...
in 1981. - Miranda CosgroveMiranda CosgroveMiranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Her career began at the age of three, where she participated in television commercials. Cosgrove's film debut was in 2003, as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock...
, actress and singer starring in the Nickelodeon show iCarlyICarlyiCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
was raised in Downey. - Evan LongoriaEvan LongoriaEvan Michael Longoria is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State University baseball team, the Cape Cod League MVP, and the Big West Co-Player of the Year.He made his major league debut for the Rays in , and...
, an All-Star 3rd baseman for the Tampa Bay RaysTampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
, who was born in, and raised as, a Downey resident. - Kimmy RobertsonKimmy RobertsonKimmy Robertson is an American actress best known for her role as Lucy Moran in the TV series Twin Peaks. She was married to John Christian Walker from January 18, 2003 to September 27, 2004....
, best known for her role as Lucy Moran in the TV series Twin PeaksTwin PeaksTwin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
, was raised in Downey. - Wayne RaineyWayne RaineyWayne Wesley Rainey, born in Downey, California, United States, is a former American Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he won the 500cc World Championship three times and the Daytona 200 once. He was characterized by his smooth, calculating riding...
, three-time world champion motorcycleGrand Prix motorcycle racingRoad Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
road racerRoad racingRoad racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing... - Weird Al Yankovic the polkaPolkaThe polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
parody artist was born in Downey in 1959. - Olympians JoJo StarbuckJoJo StarbuckJoJo Starbuck is an American figure skater. With partner Kenneth Shelley, she is a three-time United States pair skating champion and two-time Olympian ....
and Kenneth ShelleyKenneth ShelleyKenneth Shelley is an American figure skater who competed in both singles and pairs. As a single skater, he won the 1972 United States Figure Skating Championships and placed 4th at the 1972 Winter Olympics. His highest placement at the World Figure Skating Championships was a single skater was...
were raised in Downey. - Dennis SproulDennis SproulDennis Sproul is a former quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted in the eighth round of the 1978 NFL Draft and played that season with the team.-References:...
, NFL player, was born in Downey. - Ira J. McDonaldIra J. McDonaldIra J. McDonald was a Downey, California, attorney and City Council member in Los Angeles, California, between 1941 and 1945.-Biography:...
, Los Angeles City Council member, 1941–43, Downey civic leader - William BoninWilliam BoninWilliam George Bonin was an American serial killer and a twice-paroled sex offender, also known as the Freeway Killer, a nickname he shares with two other serial killers. Between 1979 and 1980, Bonin tortured, raped and killed a minimum of 21 boys and young men, and is suspected of committing a...
, serial killer was Downey resident during his crime spree