Bellflower, California

Infobox Settlement
official_name = City of Bellflower, California
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settlement_type = City
motto = "The Friendly City" "Growing Together"


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map_caption = Location of Bellflower in Los Angeles County, California


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = California
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Los Angeles
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leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = [http://www.bellflower.org/home/index.asp?page=239 Scott Larsen]
leader_title1 = Mayor Pro Tem
leader_name1 = [http://www.bellflower.org/home/index.asp?page=240 Dorothy King]
leader_title2 = City Council
leader_name2 = [http://www.bellflower.org/home/index.asp?page=237 Ray Smith] [http://www.bellflower.org/home/index.asp?page=238 Raymond Dunton] [http://www.bellflower.org/home/index.asp?page=234 Randy Bomgaars]
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area_total_km2 = 15.9
area_land_km2 = 15.7
area_water_km2 = 0.2
area_total_sq_mi = 6.2
area_land_sq_mi = 6.1
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1
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population_as_of = 2000
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population_total = 72878
population_density_km2 = 4853.5
population_density_sq_mi = 11754.5
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timezone = PST
utc_offset = -8
timezone_DST = PDT
utc_offset_DST = -7
latd = 33 |latm = 53 |lats = 17 |latNS = N
longd = 118 |longm = 7 |longs = 39 |longEW = W
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 22
elevation_ft = 71
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 90706-90707
area_code = 562
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 06-04982
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1652671
website = http://www.bellflower.org/
footnotes =

Bellflower is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is a suburb of Los Angeles. It was incorporated on September 3, 1957. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 72,878.

The city derives its name from a mispronunciation of "belle fleur", a variety of apple tree. Originally settled by dairy farmers of Dutch, Japanese, and Portuguese descent, Bellflower and neighboring Paramount served as the milk production centers for Southern California until soaring post-World War II property values motivated most of the farmers to move several miles east to the Dairy Valley/Dairyland/Dairy City area (now the cities of Cerritos, La Palma, and Cypress). Seemingly overnight, the city's pastures and farms were replaced by sprawling subdivisions of inexpensive, largely prefabricated single-story houses. In the 1950s and 1960s, Bellflower Boulevard, the city's main thoroughfare, was a thriving commercial strip. However, suburban growth in Orange County and the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys made Bellflower's relatively humble housing tracts decidedly unattractive, and by the 1990s much of its original population--and the businesses that served it--had left and the city began to show signs of urban problems. The departed were replaced by just about every ethnicity imaginable, which renders daily communication impossible, to the extent that the "A-B-C" region, formed by Bellflower and neighboring Artesia and Cerritos, is considered one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse in the United States. Bellflower Boulevard has recovered some of its previous business traffic in the last decade. The urban problems Bellflower experienced in the 1980s and 1990's were made worse by a city council that didn't want to spend any money to revitalize the city's aethetics nor was it willing to help bring new businesses to the city. Starting in 2000, the city council was infused with new members and a desire and drive to improve the city of Bellflower. Bellflower has spent millions to beautify the city in recent years. In the last 8 years, new businesses have flooded the city.

Geography

Bellflower is located at coor dms|33|53|17|N|118|7|39|W|city (33.888165, -118.127604)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.9 km² (6.2 mi²). 15.7 km² (6.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.14%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 72,878 people, 23,367 households, and 17,128 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,635.6/km² (11,999.5/mi²). There were 24,247 housing units at an average density of 1,542.3/km² (3,992.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 46.09% White, 13.09% Black or African American, 0.92% Native American, 9.69% Asian, 0.70% Pacific Islander, 24.38% from other races, and 5.13% from two or more races. 43.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 23,367 households out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.59.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.9% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,362, and the median income for a family was $42,822. Males had a median income of $32,658 versus $28,012 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,982. About 12.8% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature Bellflower is located in the 27th Senate District, represented by Democrat Alan Lowenthal, and in the 50th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Hector De La Torre. Federally, Bellflower is located in California's 34th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +23 [cite web | title = Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest? | publisher = Campaign Legal Center Blog | url=http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html | accessdate = 2008-02-10] and is represented by Democrat Lucille Roybal-Allard.

Emergency and Other Public Services

Fire protection in Bellflower is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department from stations 23 and 98. Ambulance transport is provided by Care Ambulance Service. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement from a substation in Bellflower and the regional station in Lakewood. The Clifton M Brakensiek Library is a branch of the County of Los Angeles Public Library.

Education

Most of Bellflower is within the Bellflower Unified School District. St. John Bosco High School [http://www.bosco.org] , privately run, is also in Bellflower.

Famous natives and residents

* Chris Carter, screenwriter and producer ("The X-Files")
* Ray Comfort, Christian author and evangelist and founder of Living Waters Publications and co-founder of The Way of the Master
* Tony Barach Dennis, musician (drummer), (Kelly Richey, Laurie Morvan, The Carpenters) Actor ("Les Miserables", "A Christmas Carol", "The Philadelphia Story")
* Robby Gordon, NASCAR and rally driver
* Don Hahn, Disney Producer ("Beauty & The Beast")
* Carlos Hernandez, boxer
* Trevor Hoffman, baseball player
* Malcolm David Kelley, actor ("Lost")
* Jeff Kent, baseball player
* Carlos Quentin, baseball player for the Chicago White Sox
* Ashley Lelie, NFL receiver
* Kerry McCluggage, producer, former head of Paramount Television
* Kimberly McCullough, emmy winning soap actress
* Todd McMillon, football player
* Art Olivier, former mayor of Bellflower and Libertarian Party candidate for Vice President in the 2000 presidential election and candidate for Governor of California in the 2006 election
* Jerry Quarry, boxer
* Mike Quarry, boxer
* Kirk Saarloos, a pitcher, currently playing for the baseball club, Oakland Athletics
* Cindy Sheehan, anti-war activist
* Bill Thompson, UC Irvine professor, lawyer (OJ Simpson's DNA lawyer)
* Ron Yary, University of Southern California NFL Player with Minnesota Vikings

External links

* [http://www.bellflower.org/ Bellflower official website]
* [http://lacdcs.com/station-end-page-13.html LA County Disaster Communications Service ( DCS ) Lakewood Sheriff Station]