Temple City

Temple City, officially the City of Temple City, is a city in Los Angeles County, California located northeast of downtown Los Angeles and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. Temple City is part of a cluster of cities, along with Pasadena, Arcadia, Alhambra, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley. Temple City was ranked as the 5th safest city to live in California.

 

The town of Temple originated on May 30, 1923, when Walter P. Temple (June 7, 1870 – November 13, 1938) purchased 400 acres (160 ha) of land four miles (6 km) east of San Gabriel which had been part of Lucky Baldwin's Rancho Santa Anita. The original townsite (Tract 6561, recorded with the LA County Tax Assessor in June 1923) corresponds to the present-day area bounded by Garibaldi Avenue on the north, Baldwin Avenue on the east, and Live Oak Avenue on the south, and Encinitas Avenue on the west.

Temple, the son and tenth child of Pliny Fisk Temple and William Workman's daughter Antonia Margarita Workman was born on Rancho La Merced, which is today part of the city of Montebello. This was the site of the original San Gabriel Mission, founded by the Franciscan Fathers next to the rich bottom lands of the San Gabriel River. Historically called "Rio de Los Temblores", which means the River of the Earthquakes, it is today known as the Rio Hondo River.

Temple envisioned building a community where average people could afford to live and own their homes. He then divided the area into lots and laid out the park facing Las Tunas Drive. He named other streets after friends and family: Workman, Kauffman, Rowland, Temple, and Agnes. Bond issues initiated by Temple were responsible for street paving and electricity. Temple also petitioned the Pacific Electric Railway Company to extend its Los Angeles to Alhambra line to a depot adjacent to Temple City Park. The extension of the railway contributed to the steady growth of Temple City and is commemorated by statues of railcar passengers along Rosemead Boulevard. In 1925, the Women's Club of Temple City was founded.

 

The town was originally named "The City of Temple" after its founder, Walter Temple, but the United States Postmaster General Harry Stewart New demanded a name change in 1926 because the mail was accidentally being directed to the Phoenix suburb of Tempe. It was officially designated "Temple City" but remained a city in name only until after the post–World War II population explosion followed by incorporation on May 25, 1960, which resulted in the redundant name: "City of Temple City". (This redundancy is shared with other cities in California, such as the City of California City.) Merrill Fitzjohn, the founder and original owner of Fitzjohn Jewelers on Las Tunas Drive, was appointed as the city's first mayor.

 

A mural was mounted on the west exterior wall of the remodeled Temple City Library in the summer of 2011. The mural, which was painted by more than 20 Temple City students under the tutelage of West Los Angeles-based muralist Art Mortimer, is the first project of the city's public art advisory group formed in February. The creation of the 8-foot high, 28-foot wide mural was a partnership between the city, the advisory group, Los Angeles County, and the Temple City Unified School District and was designed by Temple City High school students. It shows famous authors, and is an "interesting and unique way of showing what's inside the library," Mortimer said. Further stating that "The way they depict famous writers throughout history, the things they put in the background, such as books with wings, and their ways of showing the importance of the library in the community was very charming the way they did it."

 

 

History: In 1944 a contest held by the Woman's Club of Temple City brought forth the slogan "Temple City, Home of Camellias", from which stemmed the annual Camellia Festival. It was in recognition of the significance of family life that the Camellia Festival was founded. The festival, which has attracted national recognition in the ensuing years, is sponsored by the City of Temple City. Its purpose is to encourage every youngster in the community to belong to one of the recognized youth organizations and to participate in the affairs of their community. Only members of recognized organizations are eligible to enter the Camellia Festival Parade. The Royalty Coronation of two first graders is held on the first Friday of February.

The annual Temple City Camellia Festival takes place the last weekend in February. A parade begins the celebration on Saturday morning. The parade commences at the corner of Las Tunas Drive and Rosemead Blvd. Commercial floats are not allowed in the parade, all work is done by the youth and carries the theme of the year. A carnival is part of the three-day festivities, where the public may enjoy the hometown atmosphere in Temple City Park, while they participate in games booths and food booths, manned by local service and youth organizations. Varied Cultural entertainment events are open to the community and welcome guests.

What began in 1944 started by the Women's Club of Temple City as a small parade of youngsters who tossed camellia blossoms to parade watchers, has now become a signature event in Temple City attracting an estimated 5000 children and more than 20,000 visitors to Temple City each year. The Camellia Festival is held on the last weekend in February which is only a part of the three-day festival. A carnival in Temple City Park as well as an art show.

The Temple City's Farmers Market is open every Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the parking lot between City Hall and Temple City Park.

 

Most of Temple City is served by the Temple City Unified School District (TCUSD), although a significant portion of the resident students attends schools in Arcadia Unified School District and some attend schools within the El Monte City School District. The Temple City Unified School District consists of seven schools, including La Rosa, Cloverly, Emperor, and Longden Elementary Schools; Oak Avenue Intermediate School; Temple City High School; and the Doug Sears Learning Center.

Cleminson Elementary School is physically located within the city limits of Temple City but is actually part of the El Monte City School District. Additionally, Emperor Elementary School, while part of the Temple City Unified School District, is physically located within an unincorporated region of Los Angeles County and carries a San Gabriel postal address.

The Temple City Board of Education proclaims their district as "A District of Distinguished Schools" because every school in the Temple City district has been designated a "distinguished school" by the state of California, at some time. This honor indicates that Temple City Schools are in a higher percentile in categories such as academics, deportment, and other scholastic activities. Temple City High School was ranked #209 in America's Best High Schools in Newsweek's rankings in 2011.

Saint Luke's Parish School, grades K–8, is located on the grounds of Saint Luke the Evangelist Church, at Broadway and Cloverly. Committed to providing a quality Catholic education, it was founded in 1947. Temporary structures, which were formerly army barracks donated from a parish in North Hollywood, housed the new school. A permanent school was opened in 1956 and by 1958 sixteen classrooms were completed.

 

• Clyde Beck, (1900-1988) - was an infielder in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds from 1926 to 1931.
• Richard Drew, (b 1946) is an Associated Press photo-journalist. who photographed The Falling Man.
• Hal Finney and Dorian Nakamoto, suspected identities of Satoshi Nakamoto.
• David Klein,(b 1946) is an inventor of the Jelly Belly brand. In 1976, he was living in Temple City when he came up with the idea for the new candy company.
• Xpecial, (b 1992) - is a well-known professional gamer in the North American League of Legends.