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Glendale (pronounced /ˈglɛndeɪl/) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, is bisected by the Verdugo Mountains, and is a suburb in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The city is bordered to the southwest by the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles; to the west by Burbank; to the northwest by the Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles; to the northeast by the city of La Cañada Flintridge and the unincorporated La Crescenta area; to the east by Pasadena; and to the southeast by the Eagle Rock and Glassell Park neighborhoods of Los Angeles. The Golden State, Ventura, Glendale, and Foothill freeways run through the city. The city is policed by the Glendale Police Department. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 194,973. Since then, there have been estimates of 201,326 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2004 and 207,007 by the California State government in 2005, making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the seventeenth largest city in the state of California. Glendale is famous for having helped father in conjunction with Burbank the emerging age of aviation, with its now defunct Grand Central Airport. Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, located in Glendale, contains the remains of many celebrities and local residents. It is famous as the pioneer of a new style of cemetery.
History
The area was long inhabited by the Tongva people. José María Verdugo, a corporal in the Spanish army from Baja California, received a grant of the Rancho San Rafael in 1798, an area he had been farming since 1784. In 1860 His grandson Teodoro Verdugo built the Verdugo Adobe, which is the oldest building in Glendale. The property is the location of the Oak of Peace where early Californio leaders including Jesus Pico met in 1847 and decided to surrender to Lieutenant Colonel John C. Frémont. Verdugo's descendants sold the ranch in various parcels, some of which are included in present-day Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, and Highland Park neighborhoods of Los Angeles. 
In 1884, residents gathered to form a town and chose the name "Glendale". Residents to the southwest formed "Tropico" in 1887. The Pacific Electric Railroad brought streetcar service in 1904. Glendale incorporated in 1906, and annexed Tropico 12 years later. An important civic booster of the era was Leslie Coombs Brand (1859-1925), who built an estate in 1904 called El Miradero featuring an eye-catching mansion whose architecture combined characteristics of Spanish, Moorish, and Indian styles, copied from the East Indian Pavilion at the 1893 Columbian World Exposition (World's Fair) held in Chicago, which he visited. Brand loved to fly, and built a private airstrip in 1919 and hosted "fly-in" parties, providing a direct link to the soon-to-be-built nearby Grand Central Airport. The grounds of El Miradero are now city-owned Brand Park and the mansion is the Brand Library, according to the terms of his will. [1]. Brand partnered with Henry E. Huntington to bring the Pacific Electric Railway, or the "Red Cars," to the area. Today, he is memorialized by one of the city's main thoroughfares, Brand Boulevard. 
The city's population rose from 13,756 in 1920 to 62,736 in 1930. The Forest Lawn Memorial Park opened in 1917. Pioneering endocrinologist and entrepreneur Dr. Henry R. Harrower opened his clinic in Glendale in 1920, which for many years was the largest business in the city. The American Green Cross, an early conservation and tree preservation society, was formed in 1926 (it disbanded three years later and the current organization of that name is unrelated). In 1964, Glendale was selected by George Lincoln Rockwell to be the West Coast headquarters of the American Nazi Party. Its offices, on Colorado Street in the downtown section of the city, remained open until the early 1980s. Industry and development
The city saw significant development in the 1970s.
GeographyGlendale is located at (34.170939, -118.250081)[5] at the juncture of two large valleys, the San Fernando and the San Gabriel. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 79.4 km² (30.7 mi²). 79.4 km² (30.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.07%) is water. It is bordered to the north by the foothill communities of La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta, and Tujunga; to the south by the Atwater Village community incorporated by the city of Los Angeles; to the east by Pasadena and Eagle Rock (also incorporated within Los Angeles); and to the west by the city of Burbank. DemographicsStatisticsForeign-born residents accounted for 54% of the population in 2000. Glendale has a distinctively ethnic flavor, with large Armenian, Iranian, Filipino and Arab populations, and many businesses catering to them. As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 194,973 people, 71,805 households, and 49,617 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,456.1/km² (6,362.2/mi²). There were 73,713 housing units at an average density of 928.6/km² (2,405.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.6% White, 1.6% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 16.1% Asian American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.6% from other races, and 10.1% from two or more races. 19.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 71,805 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.27. In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $41,805, and the median income for a family was $47,633. Males had a median income of $39,709 versus $33,815 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,227. About 13.6% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over. Armenian populationGlendale is the city with the largest Armenian population in the United States[7]. Census figures indicate that people of Armenian heritage make up 40% of the city's population, totaling some 85,000 Armenian-Americans, and 29.61% of the city's population, some 54,180 people, speak the Armenian language at home[1]. As of 2007, two of the five members of Glendale's city council are of Armenian descent, Ara J. Najarian and Bob Yousefian. Armenian families have lived in the city since the 1920s, but the surge in immigration escalated in the 1970s and has fundamentally altered Glendale, transforming a former bastion of Anglo-Saxon, Protestant political power into a cultural melting pot[citation needed]. Evidence of Armenian influence pervades Glendale, and includes many restaurants, several Armenian schools, ethnic/cultural organizations, and on Armenian-language business and storefront signs. The Armenian community itself has evolved into a diverse group, with some in wealthy neighborhoods in the hills and poorer immigrants in south Glendale. The transition has not always been smooth, as evidenced by various controversies, including:
EducationThe Glendale Unified School District operates the public schools in Glendale. The GUSD high schools include Glendale High School and Herbert Hoover High School and Clark Magnet High School, as well as Crescenta Valley High School located in the adjacent unincorporated community of La Crescenta. A number of private schools also operate in Glendale, including Chamlian Armenian School, Holy Family High School, Salem Lutheran School and Glendale Adventist Academy. Glendale is also home to Glendale Community College. PoliticsThe city of Glendale, along with neighboring Burbank and Pasadena, falls under California's 29th district in the United States House of Representatives. Congressman Adam Schiff has represented the district since 2000, and his vocal stances on issues regarding US-Armenia relations reflect the large Armenian presence in the district. Though the 29th district contains six other cities, Glendale, the district's largest city, is much less Democratic than its five sister cities as it is the only city in the district to have more registered Republicans (50.4) than Democrats(48.9). Bill Clinton, who pulled a campaign stop in the picturesque Glendale Galleria, lost the city in the 1992 election. In the state legislature Glendale is located in the 21st Senate District, represented by Democrat Jack Scott, and in the 38th and 43rd Assembly Districts, represented by Republican Cameron Smyth and Democrat Paul Krekorian respectively. Federally, Glendale is located in California's 29th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +12[10] and is represented by Democrat Adam Schiff. Hospitals in GlendaleGlendale Memorial Medical Center and Glendale Adventist Medical Center are the two major medical centers serving the city of Glendale. Glendale Memorial Medical Center and Glendale Adventists Medical Center have both gone through a program of expanding services. Community organizations
The City of Glendale includes a variety of nonprofit organizations that enhance the quality of life in Glendale. Strong links between local residents, business owners, and government have created a network of organizations that provide support in the areas of education, employment, homeless services, after-school activities, and social services. Local organizations include:
ScientologyGlendale was the location of L. Ron Hubbard's original Church of Scientology in 1954[2], and is still home to many Scientology branches and organizations, such as the Mission of Brand Blvd., The Montrose Church of Scientology, The Way to Happiness Foundation International, Sterling Management Systems, and WISE Member Charter Committies. In addition, Glendale is home to several World Institute of Scientology Enterprises[3]. Sister cities
Currently, Glendale has the following sister cities.[11]
Notable natives
See alsoNotes
External links
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