PICO RIVERA : FOCUS

Tale of 2 Towns

For much of this century, Pico Rivera was a community divided. North of Washington Boulevard was the town of Pico. To the south were a string of fertile farms and vast ranches in an area known as Rivera. Pico, named for Pio Pico, one of early California’s Mexican governors, was the commercial core with grocery and feed stores and gas stations clustered along Whittier Boulevard. Rivera, which is said to take its Spanish name for its location between the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel River, was nothing more than fields of grapes, walnuts and oranges. When talk of Downey annexing Rivera surfaced in the mid 1950s, business interests in Pico quickly opposed the move and pushed for cityhood with Rivera--one city under a single name, Pico Rivera. It happened on Jan. 29, 1958. Today old Pico remains the city’s commercial heart, while Rivera is largely residential. And some still fondly call Washington Boulevard “our Mason-Dixon line.”

CITY SERVICES City Hall 942-2000

6615 Passons Blvd.

Police (business) 949-2421

6631 Passons Blvd.

Fire (business) 699-3268

4864 S. Durfee Ave.

Post Office 942-7008

6320 Passons Blvd.

Library 942-7394

9001 Mines Ave.

In Emergency, Dial 911GOVERNMENT City Council: Gil de la Rosa (mayor), Garth Gardner (mayor pro tem), John Chavez, Al Natividad, James Patronite

City Manager: Dennis Courtemarche

Fire Chief: Michael Aviani

Police Chief (Captain) : John Barnick

AREA LAWMAKERS Congress: Esteban E. Torres, Democrat, 34th District; 8819 Whittier Blvd., No.101, Pico

Rivera 90660; (213) 695-0702

State Assembly: Charles M. Calderon, Democrat, 59th District; 1712 W. Beverly Blvd., No. 202, Montebello 90640; (213) 721-2904

State Senate: Joseph B. Montoya, Democrat, 26th District; 11001 Valley Mall, No. 204, El Monte 91731; (818) 575-6956

County Supervisor: Peter F. Schabarum, 1st District; Hall of Administration, Room 856, 500 W. Temple St., Los Angeles 90012; (213) 974-4111

STATISTICS Population: 56,951

Area: 8.40 square miles

Incorporation: Jan. 29, 1958

Median household income: $24,406

Median home value: $65,729

Median age: 28.1 years

Racial/ethnic mix: Latino, 80.1%; white, 63.7%; black, 0.4%; other, 35.9%

(Total is more than 100% because racial/ethnic breakdowns overlap) Statistics: Donnelley Demographics (1985 estimates)