Rosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The 2020 United States census reported a population of 51,185. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Alhambra, Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a growing Asian-American population.PACS | Asian Pacific Family Center | Asian Youth Center | Chinatown Service Center | Korean Youth and Community Center | Search to Involve Pilipino Americans
History Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the area around Rosemead was populated by Native Americans known as the people of the willow houses or better known as the Kizh (pronounced Keech), alternatively Tongva or as the Spaniards renamed them, the Gabrieleños. In 1771, the Spanish founded the first Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in the area that was formally known as the village of Shevaangna or Siba what is [first Angeleno William McCawley 1996] now known as La Misión Vieja or Whittier Narrows on the border between Montebello and Rosemead. In 1775, the mission moved to avoid the spring floods that ruined the first crops, to its present location in San Gabriel formally known as the village of Tovisvanga .
During the Spanish Colonial era, the area that is now the City of Rosemead was part of the land administered by the San Gabriel Mission. As part of the Mexican government's Secularization Act of 1833, the land, formerly held by the Mission, was distributed to private citizens, requiring only that they build a house and graze cattle, bringing to an end the Mission Era Lot 40: Autographs: The Revolutionary Secularization Act of 1833 Broadside Signed in Type by President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (CALIFORNIA) Rare Early – Early American | A... Following the Mexican–American War and the 1848 signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe which transferred sovereignty over the territory now known as the State of California to the United States, Anglo-American immigration began to flow to the area. Most of present-day Rosemead was part of Rancho Potrero Grande (Large Pasture) which was originally granted to a Native American man named Manuel Antonio Pérez in 1845,Ogden Hoffman, 1862, Reports of Land Cases Determined in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Numa Hubert, San Francisco who was a "mayordomo" (overseer) at the San Gabriel Mission. By 1852, the ranch was later transferred to Juan Matías Sánchez, a native of Taos, New Mexico.
In 1852, John and Harriet Guess moved cross-country in an ox drawn wagon, to the San Gabriel Valley from Conway County, Arkansas.City of Rosemead : Rosemead History In 1855, the couple camped where present-day Savannah Elementary School is located on Rio Hondo Avenue. They claimed to be renting the land, but it was later determined by the courts in 1867 that they were illegally squatting on Juan Matías Sánchez's land. Later, John Guess purchased of a ranch and named it Savannah. The land stretched from Valley Boulevard to Marshall Street, and from Rosemead Boulevard to the Eaton Wash.
Other pioneers, Frank Forst and Leonard John Rose, also settled in this valley. Rose and his wife Amanda bought about of land between what is now Rosemead Boulevard and Walnut Grove Avenue. Rose bred and trained horses for a living. He named his ranch "Rose's Meadow" which was eventually shortened to Rosemeade and gave the city its name. Rosemeade was once again shortened to Rosemead. The peaceful, pastoral community flourished with small truck farms and rabbit and chicken farms. Settlers moved in and also raised vegetables, fruits, grain and feed for the animals. It wasn't until August 4, 1959, the citizens elected to incorporate Rosemead into a city.
Rosemead Airport Western Air College operated the airport. Fletcher Aviation acquired the airport from the Heasley brothers during the Korean War.
Demographics Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities (along with Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel) in the west San Gabriel Valley with a growing Asian population. Rosemead has a significant population from Mexico, among other Latino nationalities. Less than 1% of the population is African-American or Native American.
Rosemead was first listed in the 1960 U.S. census as part of the Southwest San Gabriel Valley census community division.
Racial and ethnic composition +Rosemead city, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)14,0898,1974,2952,5491,66433.07%15.87%8.03%4.74%3.25%Black or African American alone (NH)482652621762210.11%0.51%0.49%0.33%0.43%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)13210811256420.31%0.21%0.21%0.10%0.08%Asian alone (NH)3,76717,31625,97032,43932,7588.84%33.53%48.54%60.34%64.00%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1814200.03%0.03%0.04%Other race alone (NH)16011126261300.38%0.21%0.05%0.05%0.25%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xx725357444xx1.36%0.66%0.87%Hispanic or Latino (any race)24,40825,64122,09718,14715,90657.29%49.66%41.30%33.75%31.08%Total42,60451,63853,50553,76451,185100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Rosemead had a population of 51,185 and a population density of . The racial makeup of the city was 7.7% White, 0.6% African American, 1.1% Native American, 64.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 17.3% from other races, and 8.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 31.1% of the population.
The census reported that 99.0% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 14,459 households, of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.4% were married-couple households, 5.0% were cohabiting couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.51, and there were 11,821 families (81.8% of all households).
The age distribution was 18.0% under the age of 18, 9.5% aged 18 to 24, 25.4% aged 25 to 44, 29.1% aged 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 42.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.2 males age 18 and over.
There were 14,889 housing units at an average density of , of which 14,459 (97.1%) were occupied. Of occupied units, 47.0% were owner-occupied and 53.0% were occupied by renters. The overall vacancy rate was 2.9%, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 0.1% and a rental vacancy rate of 2.2%.
Recent estimates In 2024, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $73,566, and the per capita income was $28,363. About 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Rosemead had a population of 53,764. The population density was . The racial makeup of Rosemead was 11,348 (21.1%) White (4.7% Non-Hispanic White), 273 (0.5%) African American, 396 (0.7%) Native American, 32,617 (60.7%) Asian, 32 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 7,940 (14.8%) from other races, and 1,158 (2.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18,147 persons (33.8%).
The Census reported that 53,351 people (99.2% of the population) lived in households, 135 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 278 (0.5%) were institutionalized.
There were 14,247 households, out of which 6,267 (44.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 8,028 (56.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,502 (17.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,373 (9.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 571 (4.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 74 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,739 households (12.2%) were made up of individuals, and 844 (5.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.74. There were 11,903 families (83.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.99.
The population was spread out, with 12,231 people (22.7%) under the age of 18, 5,225 people (9.7%) aged 18 to 24, 14,952 people (27.8%) aged 25 to 44, 14,392 people (26.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,964 people (13.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.
There were 14,805 housing units at an average density of , of which 6,972 (48.9%) were owner-occupied, and 7,275 (51.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.2%. 26,324 people (49.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 27,027 people (50.3%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States census, Rosemead had a median household income of $45,760, with 18.8% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
Ancestry Mapping L.A. reported that in 2000, Mexican and Chinese were the most common ancestries. Vietnam and Mexico were the most common foreign places of birth. Emergency services
Fire protection in Rosemead is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department with ambulance transport by American Medical Response.per Los Angeles County EMS Agency Ambulance 911 contractors The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement, operating out of the Temple City Station.Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. - Temple Station
Economy Edison International, the international family of companies providing electric services, is headquartered in the city. Southern California Edison serves Rosemead, as well as much of Southern California. The University of the West moved from its location from Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights to its current location in Rosemead in 1996 and is one of the first Buddhist funded universities in the United States. The Rosemead School of Psychology, which is now located with Biola University in La Mirada, was named after its original location in Rosemead and was the first independent professional school of psychology in the nation to be accredited by regional accrediting association. The Chinese cuisine fast food chain Panda Restaurant Group is headquartered in Rosemead."Corporate Fact Sheet ." Panda Restaurant Group. Retrieved on February 26, 2010. The Chinese-Vietnamese Sriracha red chili sauce (known to many as Rooster sauce) manufacturer Huy Fong Foods, Inc. () is also based in the city."Contact Us ." Huy Fong Foods. Retrieved on February 26, 2010. The sauce is now being made at Huy Fong's plant in neighboring Irwindale.
Top employers According to the city's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
# Employer # of Employees 1Edison International (Southern California Edison)2,722 2Garvey School District881 3Panda Restaurant Group647 4Wal-Mart597 5Rosemead School District329 6Target200 7Hermetic Seal120 8Lucille's100 8DoubleTree100 8University of the West100
Government
Local government Elections for the four year terms are held every two years in the odd-numbered years. The Council elects from its membership a Mayor to serve as its presiding officer for a one-year term.
City Council 2023: Mayor Sean Dang (Current term ends 2024) Mayor Pro Tem Steven Ly (Current term ends 2026) Council Member Sandra Armenta (Current term ends 2026) Council Member Margaret Clark (Current term ends 2026) Council Member Polly Low (Current term ends 2024)
Administration: Ben Kim, City Manager