San Marino is a city in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2020 United States census the population was 12,513, a decline from the 2010 United States census.

History

Origin of name The city takes its name from the ancient Republic of San Marino, founded by Saint Marinus who fled his home in Dalmatia (modern Croatia) at the time of the Diocletianic Persecution.

The seal of the City of San Marino, California is modeled on that of the republic, depicting the Three Towers of San Marino each capped with a bronze plume, surrounded by a heart-shaped scroll with two roundels and a lozenge (of unknown significance) at the top. The crown representing sovereignty on the original was replaced with five stars, representing the five members of the city's governing body. Beneath the city's seal are crossed palm fronds and orange branches.

The city celebrated its centennial in 2013, including publication by the San Marino Historical Society of a 268-page book, San Marino, A Centennial History, by Elizabeth Pomeroy.Pomeroy, Elizabeth. San Marino, A Centennial History. San Marino Historical Society, 2012. In September 2014, this book and author Elizabeth Pomeroy received a prestigious Award of Merit for Leadership in History from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). American Association for State and Local History Awards

Early history The site of San Marino was originally occupied by a village of Tongva (Gabrieleño) Indians located approximately where the Huntington School is today. The area was part of the lands of the San Gabriel Mission. Principal portions of San Marino were included in an 1838 Mexican land grant of 128 acres to Victoria Bartolmea Reid, a Gabrieleña Indian. (After her first husband, also a Gabrieleño, died in 1836 of smallpox, she remarried Scotsman Hugo Reid in 1837). She called the property Rancho Huerta de Cuati. After Hugo Reid's death in 1852, Señora Reid sold her rancho in 1854 to Don Benito Wilson, the first Anglo owner of Rancho San Pascual. In 1873, Don Benito conveyed to his son-in-law, James DeBarth Shorb, , including Rancho Huerta de Cuati, which Shorb named "San Marino" after his grandfather's plantation in Maryland, which, in turn, was named after the Republic of San Marino located on the Italian Peninsula in Europe.

History (1900s) In 1903, the Shorb rancho was purchased by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927), who built a large mansion on the property. The site of the Shorb/Huntington rancho is occupied today by the Huntington Library, which houses a world-renowned art collection, research and rare-book library, and botanical gardens. In 1913 the three primary ranchos of Wilson, Patton, and Huntington, together with the subdivided areas from those and smaller ranchos, such as the Stoneman, White, and Rose ranchos, were incorporated as the city of San Marino.

The first mayor of the city of San Marino was George Smith Patton (1856–1927), the son of a slain Confederate States of America colonel in the U.S. Civil War (also named George Smith Patton, 1833–1864). He married Ruth Wilson, the daughter of Don Benito Wilson. Their son was the World War II general George S. Patton Jr.

To a prior generation of Southern Californians, San Marino was known for its old-money wealth and as a bastion of the region's WASP gentry. By mid-century, however, other European ethnic groups had become the majority.

In the 1980s, San Marino was home to serial killer and con-man Christian Gerhartsreiter. Posing as a member of the British aristocracy and relative of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten, Gerhartsreiter murdered John and Linda Sohus in 1985. Gerhartsreiter then fled to Greenwich, Connecticut and assumed a new alias. The body of John Sohus was discovered in San Marino in 1994 and Gerhartsreiter was later convicted of the killing in 2013. Linda Sohus' body has never been found.

In 1970, the city was 99.7% White. By 1990, the city's households were 23.7% Asian.

History (2000s) In 2000, the city's Asian households increased to 40%.

In recent decades, immigrants of Chinese and Taiwanese ancestry have come to represent more than 60% of the population, perhaps due to its location in the San Gabriel Valley, known to be a popular destination for East Asian immigrants.

Geography The city is located in the San Rafael Hills, and it is divided into seven zones, based on minimum lot size. The smallest lot size is about , with many averaging over . Because of this and other factors, most of the homes in San Marino, built between 1920 and 1950, do not resemble the houses in surrounding Southern California neighborhoods (with the exception, perhaps, of neighboring portions of Pasadena). San Marino has also fostered a sense of historic preservation. With minor exceptions, the city has strict design review and zoning laws.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , virtually all land.

San Marino is restrictive of commercial operations in the city. It is one of the few cities that requires commercial vehicles to have permits to work within the city.

Demographics

San Marino first appeared as a census-designated place in the 1920 U.S. census. Prior to incorporation, the community belonged to unincorporated San Gabriel township.

Racial and ethnic composition {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+San Marino city, California – Racial and ethnic composition !Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) ! !2010 !2000 !1990 !1980 |- |White alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |27.7%(3,469) |37.1%(4,872) |44.6%(5,771) |62.4%(8,090) |87.8%(11,688) |- |Black alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.5%(58) |0.4%(53) |0.2%(29) |0.2%(28) |0.4%(52) |- |American Indian alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0%(4) |0%(1) |0%(0) |0.1%(11) |0%(0) |- |Asian alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |60.6%(7,581) |53.3%(7,010) |48.4%(6,271) | |32.1%(4,166) | |7.1%(947) |- |Pacific Islander alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.1%(7) |0%(2) |0.1%(9) |- |Other race alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.2%(22) |0.2%(25) |0.2%(24) |0.1%(9) |0%(0) |- |Multiracial (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |3.9%(484) |2.5%(329) |2.1%(270) |— |— |- |Hispanic/Latino (any race) |style='background: #ffffe6; |7.1%(888) |6.5%(855) |4.4%(571) |5.1%(655) |4.7%(620)

2020 census As of the 2020 census, San Marino had a population of 12,513, down from 13,147 in 2010. The median age was 48.1 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,208 households in San Marino, of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 69.6% were married-couple households, 8.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 12.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 4,482 housing units, of which 6.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%.

The most reported ancestries were Chinese (43.9%), Taiwanese (10.3%), English (10.1%), German (8.6%), Irish (7.5%), and Mexican (4.0%). 2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that San Marino had a population of 13,147. The population density was . The racial makeup of San Marino was 5,434 (41.3%) White (37.1% Non-Hispanic White), 55 (0.4%) African American, 5 (0.0%) Native American, 7,039 (53.5%) Asian, 2 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 198 (1.5%) from other races, and 414 (3.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 855 persons (6.5%).

The census reported that 13,066 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 81 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 4,330 households, out of which 1,818 (42.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,220 (74.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 367 (8.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 143 (3.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 42 (1.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 22 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. Of all households, 531 (12.3%) were made up of individuals, and 359 (8.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02. There were 3,730 families (86.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.28.

The population was spread out, with 3,422 people (26.0%) under the age of 18, 712 people (5.4%) aged 18 to 24, 2,353 people (17.9%) aged 25 to 44, 4,351 people (33.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,309 people (17.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

There were 4,477 housing units at an average density of , of which 3,959 (91.4%) were owner-occupied, and 371 (8.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%; 11,834 people (90.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,232 people (9.4%) lived in rental housing units.

2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 12,945 people, 4,266 households, and 3,673 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,437 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 51.98% White, 0.15% African American, 0.05% Native American, 47.7% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.25% of the population. More than one-third of the city's population, 33.3%, was Chinese.

There were 4,266 households, out of which 42% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.9% were non-families. Of all households 12% were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the city, the age distribution of the population showed 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years (this was older than average age in the U.S.). For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

Arts and culture Notable sites

San Marino is the location of the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. In 1919, Henry E. Huntington provided limited access to his art collection, library containing the rare books and historical documents, and botanical collection. The Huntington's library contains 8 million manuscripts, 440,000 rare books, 454,000 reference books, 900,000 prints and ephemera, 777,000 photographs, and 300,000 digital files. The Huntington's art collections are housed in his large Neoclassical–Palladian mansion and feature European and American art spanning more than 500 years. In addition, the surrounding botanical gardens span approximately 120 acres and contain more than a dozen themed gardens. Collectively, the institution is known as "The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens", or as "The Huntington," to the public.