Claremont ( ) is a suburban city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of Los Angeles. It lies in the San Gabriel Valley at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 34,926, and in 2020 the population was 37,266.
Claremont is home to the seven Claremont Colleges and several other educational institutions and is known for its tree-lined streets with numerous historic buildings. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as "The City of Trees and Ph.Ds." It was named the best suburb in the West by Sunset Magazine in 2016, which described it as a "small city that blends worldly sophistication with small-town appeal." In 2018, Niche rated Claremont as the 17th-best place to live in the Los Angeles area out of 658 communities it evaluated, based on crime, cost of living, job opportunities, and local amenities.
The city is primarily residential, with a significant portion of its commercial activity located in "The Village," a popular collection of street-front small stores, boutiques, art galleries, offices, and restaurants adjacent to and west of the Claremont Colleges. The Village was expanded in 2007 with a multi-use development that included a cinema, a boutique hotel, retail space, offices, and a parking structure on the site of an old citrus packing plant west of Indian Hill Boulevard. Claremont also hosts several large retirement communities.
Claremont has been a winner of the National Arbor Day Association's Tree City USA award for 22 consecutive years. When the city incorporated in 1907, local citizens started what has become the city's tree-planting tradition. Claremont is one of the few remaining places in North America with American elm trees that have not been exposed to Dutch elm disease. The stately trees line Indian Hill Boulevard in the vicinity of the city's Memorial Park.
History
Prior to the establishment of the city of Claremont, the area was frequented by the Serrano, Cahuilla, and Tongva for thousands of years. The Tongva established villages in the area as early as 7000 B.C. and thrived from the freshwater of what the Spanish would call the San Antonio Creek. One well-documented Tongva village, known as Torojoatngna, was located at a place called "Indian Hill" by early American settlers. The village was active until the nineteenth century, housing nearly 200 residents in 1870, yet was eventually abandoned after being ravaged by a smallpox epidemic by 1883.
The city of Claremont was first mapped out by developers in a land boom precipitated by the arrival of transcontinental railroads to Southern California. It was likely named after Claremont, New Hampshire. The early history of the city was closely tied to that of Pomona College, which moved there in early 1890. In 1902, a town meeting vote established that east–west streets would be numbered and north–south streets named after colleges and universities. The city was incorporated in 1907.
The citrus groves and open space which once dominated the northern portion of the city have been replaced by residential developments of large homes. Construction of Stone Canyon Preserve, one of the final residential tract developments in the north of the city, commenced in 2003 as part of a complicated agreement between Pomona and the City of Claremont which resulted in the creation of the Wilderness Park. The foothill area also includes the Padua Hills Theatre (a historic site constructed in 1930) and the Claraboya residential area.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.03%) is water. Claremont is located at the eastern end of Los Angeles County and borders the cities of Upland and Montclair in San Bernardino County, as well as the cities of Pomona and La Verne in Los Angeles County. It is geographically located in the Pomona Valley. Claremont is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
Climate Claremont has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa). During the summer, temperatures may get very high, sometimes rising above . In the autumn, Claremont can experience the gusty "Santa Ana Winds", which can bring fire danger to nearby foothill areas. As winter comes along, most of the city's annual rainfall occurs, which is typical around the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Snow is rare in Claremont, but can be viewed in the nearby San Gabriel Mountains in the winter. In the late spring, Claremont can receive many overcast days due to the strong onshore flow from the ocean. This is typically called "May Gray" or "June Gloom" in the region.
Demographics
Claremont first appeared as a city in the 1910 U.S. census as part of the now defunct San Jose Township (pop 7,696 in 1900). It became part of the larger East San Gabriel Valley Division in the 1960 U.S. census and since 2000, as the East San Gabriel Valley Census County Division (CCD).
Racial and ethnic composition
+Claremont city, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)25,81624,74222,09820,56817,62883.41%76.12%65.00%58.89%47.30%Black or African American alone (NH)1,3561,5681,6421,5601,7934.38%4.82%4.83%4.47%4.78%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)761048180900.25%0.32%0.24%0.23%0.24%Asian alone (NH)1,2942,7173,8514,5005,8094.18%8.36%11.33%12.88%15.59%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)4435490.13%0.10%0.13%Other race alone (NH)923887712720.30%0.12%0.26%0.20%0.73%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xx9741,1932,219xx2.86%3.42%5.95%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2,3163,3345,2216,9199,4167.48%10.26%15.36%19.81%25.27%Total30,95032,50333,99834,926100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Claremont had a population of 37,266, with a population density of . The racial makeup was 52.8% White, 5.1% African American, 0.8% Native American, 15.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.8% from other races, and 16.5% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 25.3% of the population.
The census reported that 83.4% of the population lived in households, 15.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.1% were institutionalized. In addition, 98.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 12,050 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.1% were married-couple households, 4.6% were cohabiting couple households, 14.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 27.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.4% of households were one-person households, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58. There were 8,363 families (69.4% of all households).
The age distribution was 16.4% under the age of 18, 21.5% aged 18 to 24, 19.1% aged 25 to 44, 23.3% aged 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.5 males age 18 and over.
There were 12,752 housing units at an average density of ; 12,050 (94.5%) were occupied and 702 (5.5%) were vacant. Of the occupied units, 63.6% were owner-occupied and 36.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%, and the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%.
2023 ACS 5-year estimates
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $122,127, and the per capita income was $54,163. About 4.0% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Claremont had a population of 34,926. The population density was . The racial makeup of Claremont was 24,666 (70.6%) White (58.9% Non-Hispanic White), 1,651 (4.7%) African American, 172 (0.5%) Native American, 4,564 (13.1%) Asian, 38 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 2,015 (5.8%) from other races, and 1,820 (5.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6,919 persons (19.8%).
The Census reported that 29,802 people (85.3% of the population) lived in households, 4,926 (14.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 198 (0.6%) were institutionalized.
There were 11,608 households, out of which 3,576 (30.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,305 (54.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,223 (10.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 397 (3.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 429 (3.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 138 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,957 households (25.5%) were made up of individuals, and 1,556 (13.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57. There were 7,925 families (68.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.1.
The population was spread out, with 6,459 people (18.5%) under the age of 18, 6,778 people (19.4%) aged 18 to 24, 6,940 people (19.9%) aged 25 to 44, 8,979 people (25.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,770 people (16.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.
There were 12,156 housing units at an average density of , of which 7,700 (66.3%) were owner-occupied, and 3,908 (33.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%. 21,209 people (60.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 8,593 people (24.6%) lived in rental housing units.
During 2009–13, Claremont had a median household income of $87,324, with 7.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
German (12.0%) and English (11.6%) were the most common ancestries according to the 2000 census. Mexico (12.7%) and Taiwan (11%) were the most common foreign places of birth.
Economy
Top employers According to the city's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
# Employer # of employees 1Claremont Colleges3,000 2Claremont Unified School District750 3HiRel Connectors300 4City of Claremont259 5Claremont Auto Center240 6Claremont Manor230 7Technip Energies205 8Pilgrim Place180 9Indian Hill Nursing124 10The Webb Schools119
Arts and culture
Claremont has been praised for its vibrant arts and culture scene.
Each year, Claremont holds a springtime folk music festival, hosted by the Folk Music Center Store and Museum. The 35th event took place in May 2018.
Local museums include the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology at The Webb Schools (the only high school in the United States to own and host a nationally accredited museum on campus) and the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College.
Each July, Ophelia's Jump Productions presents their annual Midsummer Shakespeare Festival at The Sontag Outdoor Theatre in Pomona College. Productions are performed in repertory with local community and civic events and festivities.
The Claremont Village hosts a Pie Day Festival every March 14. In past years, attendees could collect pie recipes as they walked around downtown Claremont and checked out different stores.
In 2019, Claremont made national news after the Claremont United Methodist Church unveiled a nativity scene depicting Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus separated and locked up in individual chain-link pens. This was done to reflect the plight of immigrants and asylum seekers on the U.S. Southern Border in 2019. The church had constructed similarly non-traditional nativity scenes in prior years.
Points of interest
The Claremont Colleges