'''ARCADIA'''

is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately Interwiki: convert » 13|mi|km northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Arcadia is part of a cluster of cities, along with Temple City, Rosemead, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a growing Asian population. It is the site of the Santa Anita Park racetrack and home to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. The city had a population of 56,364 at the 2010 census, up from 53,248 at the 2000 census. The city is named after Arcadia, Greece.
In 2010, Bloomberg Businessweek named Arcadia as one of the "Best Places to Raise Your Kids: 2010," for the second year in a row.

HISTORY

Arcadia's beginnings go back over 3,000 years to the Tongva ("Gabrielino") Indian tribe, whose inhabitants lived in what is today Los Angeles County. Their fluid borders stretched from the San Gabriel Mountains in the north to Long Beach in the south, and from the island of Pimu (Catalina) in the west into today's San Bernardino County to the east. These people were also known as the Gabrielinos, a name taken from the Spanish San Gabriel Mission (in present-day San Gabriel, California), and under whose control these people worked during the mission period in California. One of Arcadia's settlements of these Native Americans was known as Aleupkigna (or “Aluupkenga) (McCawley, William. The First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles. Malki Museum/Ballena Press, 1996) on what later became the Rancho Santa Anita, one of many land grants created during Mexican rule of California (1821–1848). The Tongva are still alive and well today, living in the Los Angeles area and other neighboring communities.

GEOGRAPHY

Located northeast of downtown Los Angeles, Arcadia is bordered by six other communities: Pasadena, Sierra Madre, El Monte, San Marino, Monrovia, and Temple City.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Interwiki: convert » 11.1|sqmi|km2. Interwiki: convert » 10.9|sqmi|km2 of it is land and Interwiki: convert » 0.2|sqmi|km2 of it (1.87%) is water.

ECONOMY

Arcadia's economy is driven by wholesale trade, retail trade, manufacturing, health care and social assistance, arts, entertainment, and recreation. Revenue from the Santa Anita Racetrack has long supported capital improvements for the City of Arcadia, resulting in the City having very little bonded indebtedness.
The Westfield Santa Anita mall (formerly the Santa Anita Fashion Park) is a major shopping center in the city. In 2005, the Westfield Santa Anita completed its first phase of expansion featuring a new food court, Sport Chalet, Borders Books and Music, Dave & Busters, numerous smaller retailers, various full-service eateries in an area known as Restaurant Square, and a 16-screen AMC Theatres. In 2008, expansion of the mall continued as the Promenade outdoor structure was completed, with new high-end retailers such as Coach and Talbots.
The proposal by Caruso Affiliated and Magna Entertainment to build a second large shopping mall adjacent to Westfield Santa Anita on the grounds of the Santa Anita Park racetrack will be coming into fruition in 2010. The controversial project, known as "The Shops at Santa Anita", has prompted heated debate among some residents in the community and enormous spending by corporate interests in favor and against the project. If the second mall is built, the combined size of the two malls will make Arcadia the largest retail shopping district in Los Angeles county. "The Shops at Santa Anita", which required City Council approval, will, according to early plans, include signature retail, restaurants, and landscaping featuring a large decorative water display, all situated in what is the race track's southern parking area.

EDUCATION

For primary and secondary education the city is served by the Arcadia Unified School District. Reading scores for the AUSD are 76.6% higher than the state average and math scores are 67.9% higher than the state average. It is estimated that 88% of Arcadia students are at public schools and 12% in private and/or parochial institutions.
Arcadia Unified School District has one highly ranked and prestigious high school, Arcadia High School. It is among the few public high schools in California to receive a distinguished GreatSchools Rating of 10 out of 10. There are three middle schools , and six elementary schools, two which are winners in the United States Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Schools program. Approximately five percent of California schools are awarded this honor each year following a rigorous selection process. Eligibility is based on federal and state criteria including the No Child Left Behind program, Academic Performance Index (API), and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The requirements are many and strict, and are based on such areas as a strong curriculum, solid library media services, professional teachers, and counseling programs at all grade levels. In 2010, BusinessWeek ranked Arcadia as the best place to raise children in the state of California for the second year in a row by, citing the city's excellent school system as one of the factors in addition to the city's low crime rate.
:ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

• Baldwin Stocker Elementary 422 West Lemon Ave. Arcadia K–5 604 students
• Camino Grove Elementary 700 Camino Grove Ave. Arcadia K–5 682
• Highland Oaks Elementary 10 Virginia Dr. Arcadia K–5 628
• Holly Avenue Elementary 360 West Duarte Rd. Arcadia K–5 623
• Longley Way Elementary 2601 Longley Way Arcadia K–5 485
• Reid (Hugo) Elementary 1000 Hugo Reid Dr. Arcadia K–5 620

:MIDDLE SCHOOLS

• Dana (Richard Henry) Middle 1401 South First Ave. Arcadia 6–8 782
• First Avenue Middle 301 South First Ave. Arcadia 6–8 839
• Foothills Middle 171 East Sycamore Ave. Arcadia 6–8 836

:HIGH SCHOOLS

• Arcadia High School 180 Campus Dr. Arcadia 9–12 3,657

Academic Performance Index (A.P.I.) measures the academic performance and growth of schools on a variety of academic measures.Arcadia H.S. scored 890, making it the highest performing large high school in California. In 2010, Arcadia High had 29 National Merit Award Finalists.


The American Wowcity is a web-based platform for local business search, ideas and expression, a resource of opportunities, and a network of inspirational young people and their projects.

2,994 members from United States
345 members visited United States
35 members online from United States