San Marino, California |
San Marino, which coincidentally shares the same name as the tiny Republic of San Marino, has roots similar to the other cities located in the San Gabriel Valley. Originally part of the vast holdings belonging to the San Gabriel Mission, a Mexican Land Grant in 1870 awarded a majority of the land to an Indian lady named Senora Victoria Reid, a widow of an Englishman. Mrs. Reid deeded the land to Don Benito Wilson, who in turn later deeded the land to J. de Barth Shorb. Mr. Shorb chose the San Marino name after his grandfather´s plantation back in Maryland, which traces its roots back to the Republic of San Marino.3 The modern-day boundaries of the city of San Marino were aggregated together by a collection of peoples in 1913. After Henry E. Huntington purchased the Shorb Estate, he and two other majority land owners of Wilson and Patton, along with a few other smaller land holders, incorporated their collective holdings into the city San Marino. George S. Patton, Sr. served as the first mayor.4 After Mr. Huntington passed away in 1927, his estate was converted into a house for the arts, a collection of treasures ranging from artful masterpieces to rare books and historical documents. He already had a passion for books, art, and gardens, as seen when he first began his collection in 1919. Another landmark of San Marino which dates back to the California Missions era is the El Molino Viejo, or The Old Mill. Completed in the year 1816 as a grist mill for the San Gabriel Mission, this is the oldest remaining commercial building in all of Southern California.
As of the 2000 census, the population of the city of San Marino stands at 12,945 residents, or 3406.6 residents per square mile.8 Nearly 49% of the population is white, 48% of the population claiming Asian heritage, and the remaining 3% comprising of other races. There are 4,266 households in the city and 3,673 families, which rounds out to an average household size of 3.03 people and an average family size of 3.26 members.9 The estimated median household income of families in San Marino in 2007 was $148,910, compared to $59,948 for the state of California. The average value of a home in San Marino in 2007 was $2,014,465, compared to $532,300 for the state of California.10 Over one-fourth of its residents were under the age of 25 in the 2000 census (or 26.5%).11 The education of the young peoples of San Marino takes place mainly within the San Marino Unified School district. Its elementary schools include Valentine Elementary School and Carver Elementary School. Once students have completed the 5th grade, they then attend Huntington Middle School for 6th-8th grade instruction. Students then finish out the remainder of their grade school years at San Marino High School. Other statistical measurements of SMHS´s success can be seen in its API score, which was 922 out of 1000 for the year 2006, ranking it fifth among comprehensive California high schools. 100% of graduating seniors for the class of 2006 took the newly revised SAT, averaging a score of 1824, with scores of 584 in verbal, 597 in writing, and 643 in math skills, Of 317 graduates in the class of 2006, 85% went on to enroll at four-year institutions.13 Asians make up nearly 70% of the student demographic in San Marino schools as of the year 2005. One may attribute such excellence in the realm of education to the strong support the Asian community has continued to provide.14
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