Whittier, California

Southern Pacific Railroad Depot

Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California, USA. It is near Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, La Habra and La Mirada. It is one of the oldest cities in the Los Angeles Area. Early settlers included Manuel Nieto and Pio Pico. In the 1880s, the land that is now Whittier was bought by Quakers, who named the city after John Greenleaf Whittier, a Quaker poet. These Quakers started Whittier College. In the early 1900s, Whittier was mostly orange groves, but became a suburb of Los Angeles after World War II. In 1987, a large earthquake hit the city, destroying many buildings and leading to a wave of civic activism. This activism helped save many old buildings, including the Bank of America Building, the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, and the Hoover Hotel.

The 2020 United States Census reported that Whittier had a population of 87,306.

Whittier's largest employers are Whittier College, Presbyterian Hospital, and Whittwood Mall. There has been talk of new development on the site of Nelles School for Boys and in Uptown. Besides Whittier College, Whittier has a community college, Rio Hondo College, five public high schools (Whittier, California, Pioneer, Santa Fe, and La Serna High), and several elementary and middle schools.

Many famous people have lived in Whittier, including Richard Nixon, who attended Whittier High and was a lawyer in the Bank of America Building.

Whittier, California Media

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  Pío Pico State Historic Park is a National Historic Landmark and a California State Park consisting of the former rancho of Governor Pico.

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  The 1847 Battle of Río San Gabriel was a decisive victory of American forces against the Californios during the U.S. conquest of California.

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  Cover of a Whittier Chamber of Commerce brochure, c. 1920

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  Home of C.W. Harvey, corner of Painter & Beverly, Whittier, California, c. 1888

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  California State Reform School at Whittier, c. 1901 (CHS-1157)

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  Whittier Village Clock, c. 1915 (corner of Greenleaf and Philadelphia). The Whittier Village clock is mounted on the National Bank of Whittier Building, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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  Standard Oil Building, 7257 Bright Avenue, Whittier, California

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  Lou Henry Hoover School, Whittier, California, built 1938

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  Frieze at Hoover School, designed by Bartholomew Mako