Rowland Heights, California, United States

🇺🇸 Rowland Heights is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in and below the Puente Hills in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Rowland Heights is in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and represented by the County of Los Angeles (County Board of Supervisors) and is the second largest census designated place in Los Angeles County by area, behind Topanga, and the county's fifth largest CDP by population. The area has a high Taiwanese population and was known as "Little Taipei" in the 1980s and 1990s, when it saw an influx of wealthy immigrants from Taiwan.

A number of corporations, such as Newegg, FedEx, DIRECTV, and Fashion Nova, as well as other technology and import and export businesses, are located in neighboring City of Industry. Many business owners and employees reside in Rowland Heights as well as neighboring Hacienda Heights and Walnut due to their proximity.

History The Mexican land grant Rancho La Puente was granted by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to John Rowland in April 1842, totaling about 18,000 acres (7,284 ha). Three years later, Governor Pio Pico amended the grant, enlarging it to nearly 49,000 acres (19,830 ha) and adding William Workman as a co-owner. In 1868, after they received their federal land patent the prior year, Rowland and Workman divided Rancho La Puente, with Workman largely taking the western and central portions and Rowland the northern, southern and eastern sections, including what became most of Rowland Heights. The east section of Rowland Heights, between Nogales Street and Brea Canyon Road, falls within Rancho Rincon de la Brea. The ranch of Rowland's grandson, John A. Rowland III was behind the 99 Ranch Market near the corner of Gale Avenue and Nogales Street and the Rowland family owns part of that property today, leasing most of it for commercial use.

Rowland Heights grew significantly during the 1990s. Originally built on a pig farm that covered much of modern-day Rowland Heights, the Rowland Homestead was mostly orange groves until the eastward sprawl from Los Angeles spawned working-class communities and affordable housing developments then formed. As the 60 freeway was extended beyond the western boundary, the community continued growth equal to that of most communities in Southern California. Development next to the freeway, zoned for industrial investment, eventually helped to support the housing developments that continue well into the 21st century.

Since the 1990s, there has been a significant demographic shift as many upper-class immigrants from Taiwan, China, and South Korea have settled in the hillside homes of Rowland Heights (and in neighboring regions such as Hacienda Heights, Walnut, and Diamond Bar). Also, Rowland Heights has also attracted immigrants from mainland China because the area is advertised in China as having high-end homes and convenient shopping centers. Many work at or own businesses in the nearby City of Industry. Additionally, Latinos have maintained a long-standing presence in the lower sections. The city has developed an eclectic suburban "Chinatown", "Little Tokyo", and "Koreatown", mostly in the form of upscale strip malls. There are several large Asian product supermarkets in the area.

Once predominantly Anglo and Hispanic since inception in 1842, this area has gradually become one of the Chinese centres in the greater Los Angeles beginning in the 1990s. Originally formed by the stream of business expansions from Monterey Park (now a heavily mainland Chinese enclave), Rowland Heights has become an area largely populated by Taiwanese. Local Taiwanese refer to Rowland Heights as "Little Taipei", due to its high concentration of Taiwanese restaurants and businesses. It has become the centre for Chinese commercial and cultural activity in the south-eastern region of the San Gabriel Valley. While Rowland Heights and adjacent areas are still predominantly Waishengren (mainland Chinese refugees who retreated to Taiwan in 1949), in recent years many mainland Chinese emigres have also been increasingly purchasing homes and starting small businesses in the area. Some eateries of Taiwanese cuisine are operated by mainland Chinese. Additionally, there are restaurants geared toward the young and affluent Chinese population.

Possibly owing to Rowland Heights as evolving into the cultural centre for the Chinese diaspora, many 49er Taiwanese (multi-generational natives of the island formerly known as Formosa), with a growing number of mainland Chinese now live in the area. In 1992, a connection (Harbor Boulevard) from northern Orange County (mostly to the city of La Habra) opened in Rowland Heights, making Fullerton Road among the heavily traversed roads in the region.

In March 2012, a 750,000 pounds (340 t), two-story granite rock was parked on Pathfinder Road as it journeyed from Riverside County to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art as part of Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass exhibition.

In March 2015, a bullying incident involving Chinese nationals occurred in Rowland Heights. This incident involved Chinese nationals, who assaulted a 16-year-old girl at a restaurant and at a park in Rowland Heights. Later in the month, another incident began at the Honeymee, an ice cream parlor in Yes Plaza on Colima and Fullerton Roads. The perpetrators forced her to clean up ice cream smears and cigarette butts with her hand before taking her to Rowland Heights Park, where she was stripped of her clothing, slapped, burned with cigarettes, beaten, and forced to eat her own hair, which her assailants cut from her head. The attack lasted for over five hours.

Geography

** Pathfinder Park** Rowland Heights is located in Los Angeles County adjacent to Orange County. The census definition of the area was created by the Census Bureau for statistical purposes and may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 13.1 square miles (34 km²).

Rowland Heights is bordered by Hacienda Heights to the north-west, Diamond Bar to the east, Brea to the south, La Habra Heights to the south-west, and the City of Industry to the north.

Demographics For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Rowland Heights as a 13.1 square miles (34 km²) place (CDP). Rowland Heights first appeared as an unincorporated place in the 1970 U.S. Census as part of the East San Gabriel Valley census county division; and as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. Census.

The 2020 United States census reported that Rowland Heights had a population of 48,231. The population density was 3,688.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,424.0/km²). The racial makeup of Rowland Heights was 11.1% White, 1.5% African American, 0.9% Native American, 61.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 15.3% from other races, and 9.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.0% of the population.

The census reported that 99.7% of the population lived in households, 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 14,889 households, out of which 31.7% included children under the age of 18, 56.7% were married-couple households, 3.7% were cohabiting couple households, 24.6% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 13.2% of households were one person, and 6.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.23. There were 12,245 families (82.2% of all households).

The age distribution was 17.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% aged 18 to 24, 25.8% aged 25 to 44, 27.6% aged 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males.

There were 15,484 housing units at an average density of 1,184.1 units per square mile (457.2 units/km²), of which 14,889 (96.2%) were occupied. Of these, 61.9% were owner-occupied, and 38.1% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $85,202, and the per capita income was $39,842. About 9.2% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

Schabarum Regional Park The regional park offers playgrounds, picnic areas, and horseback riding and trails in the surrounding Puente Hills.

Cherry Blossom Festival Schabarum Regional Park is also known for ume and sakura Cherry blossoms. 500 ume trees were donated by Kairaku-en in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan when the two parks established a "sister-park" relationship in 1992.

Community library Los Angeles County Library operates the library branch. The library went under renovation in 2015 and reopened in 2018.

The library interior has 14,000 square feet (1,300 m²) of space and has approximately 134,215 book titles, 260 magazine and newspaper subscriptions, 7,004 audio recordings and 5,798 video cassettes. The Library also has resources of ethnic and non-English (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese) materials, local history materials, telephone directories, pamphlets and maps, microforms and CD-ROM educational materials. The community room seats approximately 80 persons.

Government The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Pomona Health Center in Pomona, serving Rowland Heights.

Law enforcement The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the Walnut/Diamond Bar Station in Walnut. It is spread out over 260 square miles (670 km²), encompassing the contract cities of Diamond Bar and Walnut, and the unincorporated area of Rowland Heights. In addition the LASD operates the Rowland Heights Asian Community Center. The California Highway Patrol (CHP), Santa Fe Springs Area office, is responsible for traffic enforcement matters and traffic collision investigations throughout unincorporated area of Rowland Heights, unincorporated Hacienda Heights, and State Route 60 freeway, which is a major thoroughfare between the city of Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.

Education Rowland Unified School District is the school district for the place. It has four National Blue Ribbon Schools, 16 California Distinguished Schools, and more state Golden Bell awards than any other school district in the region. There are more than 16,000 students and 21 elementary and secondary schools in the district. The district serves Rowland Heights and small portions of the cities of Walnut, La Puente, City of Industry and West Covina. Students from other communities may attend Rowland Unified schools after obtaining a permit.

High Schools • Rowland High School Grades: 09 - 12 • Nogales High School; Grades: 09 - 12; Alternative Schools • Santana High School • Rowland Unified Community Day School Students: 57; Grades: 07 - 12 • Rowland Assistive Technology Academy; Middle/Intermediate Schools • Alvarado Intermediate School 7–8 • Giano Intermediate School 7–8 • Rincon Intermediate School 7-8 (Closed, but now Telesis Academy); Private schools • Oxford School 7–12 • Southlands Christian Schools; Preschool-12; Colleges • Mount San Antonio College - located in Walnut to serve area high schools.

Transport Pathfinder Road, Colima Road, and Gale Avenue/Walnut Drive are the main west–east arterials. Nogales Street, Fairway Drive/Brea Canyon Cut-off Road, and Fullerton Road/Harbor Boulevard are the main north–south arterials.

Foothill Transit and the Metro provide bus transit services throughout the San Gabriel Valley. The main Metro Bus Terminal is in El Monte. In addition, the Metrolink commuter train runs west towards Downtown Los Angeles and east to San Bernardino through the Valley；the station that serves Rowland Heights is Industry station. Metro may possibly extend the Metro Expo Line to Rowland Heights in the second half of the 21st century in the future.

The San Gabriel Valley is served by several major interstate highways. Those in proximity to Rowland Heights include the San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10), Foothill Freeway (I-210), San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605), and the Long Beach Freeway (I-710). State freeways include the Orange Freeway (State Route 57), the Pomona Freeway (State Route 60).

China Airlines, one of the major airline companies in Taiwan, operates private bus services to Los Angeles International Airport from Hk 2 Food District in Rowland Heights to take residents to Taipei, Taiwan.