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. The population was 48,231 at the 2020 census. 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 . Three years later, Governor Pio Pico amended the grant, enlarging it to nearly 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.Paul R. Spitzzeri, The Workman and Temple Families of Southern California, 1830-1930" (Dallas: Seligson Publishing, 2008), 58-63, 72, 102-105, 130 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 centers 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 center for Chinese commercial and cultural activity in the southeastern 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 center for the Chinese diaspora, many 49er Taiwanese and 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 , 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

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 .

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

Climate According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Rowland Heights has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Rowland Heights as a census-designated 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 United States census.

Racial and ethnic composition

+Rowland Heights CDP, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)7,8995,0453,46716.27%10.30%7.19%Black or African American alone (NH)1,1636836552.40%1.39%1.36%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4543450.09%0.09%0.09%Asian alone (NH)24,30829,13529,58350.06%59.47%61.34%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)13360530.27%0.12%0.11%Other race alone (NH)64281440.13%0.06%0.30%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1,1937707692.46%1.57%1.59%Hispanic or Latino (any race)13,74813,22913,51528.32%27.00%28.02%Total48,55348,99348,231100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Rowland Heights had a population of 48,231 and a population density of . The census reported that 99.7% of residents lived in households and 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, with no institutionalized residents.

The median age was 42.9 years. 17.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.3 males age 18 and over.

98.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 14,889 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.7% were married-couple households, 15.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 13.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 12,245 families (82.2% of all households).

Rowland Heights had 15,484 housing units, of which 3.8% were vacant. Of the occupied units, 61.9% were owner-occupied and 38.1% were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 5,357 11.1% Black or African American 709 1.5% American Indian and Alaska Native 431 0.9% Asian 29,793 61.8% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 61 0.1% Some other race 7,396 15.3% Two or more races 4,484 9.3% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 13,515 28.0%

2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Rowland Heights had a population of 48,993. The population density was . The racial makeup of Rowland Heights was 29,284 (59.8%) Asian, 11,506 (23.5%) White (10.3% Non-Hispanic White), 772 (1.6%) African American, 175 (0.4%) Native American, 61 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 5,658 (11.5%) from other races, and 1,537 (3.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13,229 persons (27.0%).

The Census reported that 48,831 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 148 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 14 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 14,520 households, out of which 5,557 (38.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 9,137 (62.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,080 (14.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,097 (7.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 424 (2.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 69 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,585 households (10.9%) were made up of individuals, and 638 (4.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36. There were 12,314 families (84.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.54.

The population was spread out, with 9,960 people (20.3%) under the age of 18, 4,854 people (9.9%) aged 18 to 24, 12,918 people (26.4%) aged 25 to 44, 14,819 people (30.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,442 people (13.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.

There were 15,152 housing units at an average density of , of which 9,811 (67.6%) were owner-occupied, and 4,709 (32.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%. 33,167 people (67.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 15,664 people (32.0%) lived in rental housing units. The estimated median house or condo value in 2009 was $461,614. In 2018, this number has increased; the median home value in Rowland Heights is now at $669,600 with the median listing price at $788,500.

According to the 2010 United States census, Rowland Heights had a median household income of $62,631, with 10.6% of the population living below the federal poverty line. According to Los Angeles Times research regarding median income ranking, Rowland Heights is ranked at 87 at $72,638; 6.6% of households in Rowland Heights make over $200,000 a year.

Updated information showed that the average household income in Rowland Heights was $99,354, while the median household income was $83,606; compared to Los Angeles, where the average household income was $81,225, and the median household income was $56,993. The average household net worth was at $807,328.

Income