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Duarte is a city located in Los Angeles County, California , USA . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 21,486. The name of the city is pronounced "'dwär-dE" by most locals. Newscasters and others unfamiliar with the area generally say "doo-wär-tay," which is closer to the proper Spanish pronunciation. BACKGROUND/HISTORY Around 500 B.C. , a band of Shoshonean -speaking Indians established settlements in what is now the San Gabriel Valley . These Native Americans came to be called the Gabrieliño indians by early Spanish explorers, and are now referred to as the Tongva . The Tongva did not practice agriculture, but instead relied upon the wild seeds, berries, and plants that grew near the rivers and marshlands. Since the San Gabriel Valley area was home to large numbers of oak trees such as Coast Live Oak and Interior Live Oak , a staple of the Tongva diet was an Acorn mush made by boiling acorn flour. Duarte's history with European s dates back to 1769 , when all land in California was claimed by the King Of Spain . The first Europeans visited the San Gabriel Valley, including Duarte, during a 1769 expedition from San Diego to Monterey Bay commanded by Don Gaspar De Portolà . Accompanying Portolà was a Franciscan priest from Father Junipero Serra's order in Mexico , Juan Crespi , who served as the diarist of the expedition. Much of what is known of early California is known only from the detailed descriptions recorded by Crespi. In 1771 , the Franciscans established the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in the San Gabriel Valley. The mission was a resting point for early California travelers and gathered most of the native Tongva into an agricultural lifestyle. Following Mexican independence in 1821 , the mission lands were nationalized. In 1841 , the governor of Alta California granted to former Mexican corporal Andres Duarte and his wife nearly 7,000 acres of prime land in the central-northern San Gabriel Valley. Andres Duarte named his new holdings "Rancho Azusa de Duarte." (The name "Azusa" was derived from the Tongva Indians' name for the land, ''Asuksa-gna''.) In the mid- 1800s , most of the rancho was sold to help defray Andres Duarte’s debts. One of those who purchased land was Dr. Nehemiah Beardslee, who started the first school in Duarte (which now bears his surname) and laid out the first section of Duarte’s water lines. Much of the remaining land was divided into 40-acre plots and sold individually. Many of Duarte’s earliest pioneer families came to Duarte in the mid-1800s for their health, the pleasant climate, and the fertile soil. English settlers, Americans from the Midwest and deep South, Latinos who remained from the Rancho and Japanese immigrants enabled Duarte to grow into a thriving agricultural community specializing in citrus production. Two premier medical institutions were started in Duarte in the early part of the 20th Century . In 1928 , the Jewish Relief Association started a tuberculosis sanitarium on 40 acres of land south of Duarte Road. This later evolved into the world-renowned City Of Hope Medical Center , a recognized leader in fighting cancer and other catastrophic diseases. In 1930 , a group of Carmelite nuns established the Santa Teresita Rest Home, known today as Santa Teresita Hospital. From four small cottages, this medical facility has developed into one of the finest hospitals in the region. In 1957, a dedicated group of community members, fearing annexation by neighboring cities, led a fight for incorporation. Indeed, parts of the original Rancho had already been annexed by neighboring Monrovia, Azusa, Irwindale, and Baldwin Park. At the same time, a rival group representing an affluent enclave in the foothills started a competiting drive for incorporation, and broke off to form the separate City of Bradbury. A 2001 Los Angeles Times article stated that their petition for incorporation arrived in Sacramento on August 22 , 1957 , "mere moments" before the petition that would have included them in the City of Duarte. Still, ties between the two communities remain in that they both form the Duarte Unified School District, share the same post office and zip code, and have combined public services such as Angeles County Sheriff http://www.lasd.org/ (which for both cities is labeled "Duarte") and garbage pickup. Like many of its neighbors, modern Duarte is a Bedroom Community . The City of Duarte is geographically isolated from population centers to the east and south due to the San Gabriel River and rock quarry operations in Irwindale and Azusa. These factors have proven to be an ongoing economic challenge for local businesses as the city attracts little outside spending, and most residents spend their money elsewhere. Still, over the past few decades, the city leadership has succeeded in bringing retail development to the western portion of Duarte beginning, notably, with the redevelopment of the Big Sky Drive-in Theater as a shopping plaza with a Gemco superstore (which is now a Target superstore). GEOGRAPHY Duarte is located at 34°8'25" North, 117°57'42" West (34.140416, -117.961678). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 17.3 Km² (6.7 Mi² ). 17.3 km² (6.7 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000 , there are 21,486 people, 6,635 households, and 4,889 families residing in the city. The Population Density is 1,241.9/km² (3,215.7/mi²). There are 6,805 housing units at an average density of 393.3/km² (1,018.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 52.02% White , 9.08% Black or African American , 0.94% Native American , 12.62% Asian , 0.11% Pacific Islander , 19.99% from Other Races , and 5.23% from two or more races. 43.41% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 6,635 households out of which 38.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% are Married Couples living together, 13.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% are non-families. 21.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.16 and the average family size is 3.70. In the city the population is spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the city is $50,744, and the median income for a family is $56,556. Males have a median income of $39,812 versus $33,045 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city is $19,648. 11.3% of the population and 8.4% of families are below the Poverty Line . Out of the total population, 13.3% of those under the age of 18 and 10.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. GOVERNMENT The city has a Council-manager Government with a five-member city council. NOTABLE RESIDENTS Notable residents have included:
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