History
Downey was founded by & known as for the previous Civil War governor of California, John Gately Downey, when he subdivided land he owned between a Rio Hondo and the San Gabriel River. A Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in 1873, & farmers in the area grew grain, corn, castor beans & fruit until as much as 1940.

Downey was incorporated within 1956, and instituted the charter form of government around 1964. Suburban homes & mill replaced a farms when Globe War II. A big employer was Rockwell Aerospace (later bought per Boeing company) whose facilities produced some of the systems for the space shuttle. A 70 month history of plane & space vehicle manufacturing around Downey come to an prevent whilst a Rockwell plant closed inside 1999. the previous Rockwell plant is existence converted to a looking complex. For supplementary principles all about a history of the Downey NASA places refer to web.aerospacelegacyfoundation.org

Touching a center of a city lies what was another time one of a occupy intersections in the globe, the intersection of Lakewood Boulevard (State Route 19) & Firestone Boulevard (previous State Route 42). Route 19 was the major thoroughfare between Pasadena, California and the port at Long Beach, California, and Route 42 was part of the old Spanish Trail technique that attached Los Angeles, California to San Diego, California.

In the 60s the town's Downey Records achieved a little ill fame sustaining recordings prefer The Chantays' surfing implemental "Pipeline." Downey is likewise a places of the 1st Taco Bell restaurant. Downey's 2 independent public high schools are named for Governor Downey and Governor (and later, Chief Justice) Earl Warren.

Downey is personal to Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, which is the main public rehabilitation hospital for Los Angeles County. Rancho Los Amigos is notable worldwide for its innovative contributions to the care of spinal cord injuries and post-polio syndrome.

An historic McDonald's restaurant

A 1953 McDonald's restaurant at 10207 Lakewood Blvd. (at Florence Ave.) was the fourth McDonald's built and is the oldest surviving McDonald's. It was utilized on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 1994 list of the 11 Virtually all Endangered Historic Web pages. It was one of a number 1 eating place franchised by Dick and Mac McDonald, prior to a involvement of Ray Kroc in a company, and it however has the original "Golden arches" and a Lx-foot alive atomic number 10 "Speedee" sign.

By owning moo sales too when damage from either a 1994 Northridge earthquake, & while forgoing modern conveniences like the cause-higher window and indoor seating, it appeared that demolition was the foregone guide. All a same by owning each a public & preservationists demanding the eating place become redeemed, McDonald's gave the eating house a pardon & spent 2 years restoring it. Client in todays world potty visit a original restuarant, + an adjacent giftshop & museum.

Geography
Downey is placed at 33°56'Xvii" North, 118°7'51" West (33.938164, -118.130801).

Based on data from a United States Census Bureau, the city has the sum vicinity of 32.Vi km² (12.6 mi²). 32.Two klick² (Xii.Quaternary mi²) of these are l& and Zero.Tetrad kilometre² (Cipher.Deuce mi²) of these are a river. A number front yard is Single.35% a body of water.

A cities of South Gate and Bell Gardens are adjacent to the west and northwest, Pico Rivera lies to the northeast, Santa Fe Springs and Norwalk to the east, and Paramount and Bellflower are to the south.

A city may be handily reached by any of tetrad state highway: Interstate 105 with its Metro line lives through the southern section of the city, Interstate 5 and Interstate 605 pass along the eastern side, & Interstate 710 passes just west of the city.

Demographics
When of the censusof 2000, there are 107,323 people, 33,989 home, & 26,001 families living in the city. A population density is 3,336.4/km² (8,641.7/mi²). There are 34,759 housing units at an typical density of 1,080.6/km² (2,798.8/mi²). A racial makeup of the city is 53.48% White, 3.75% Black or African American, 0.87% Native American, 7.74% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 29.05% from other races, and 4.89% from two or more races. 57.85% of the people come Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 33,989 menage away from which 41.8% keep close at hand youngsters under a age of Xviii accept the two, 54.1% come married couples living together, 15.8% have a female homeowner using there is no married man present, & Twenty-three.5% come non-families. Nineteen.1% of tons home come mass produced higher of souls & Octet.1% keep close at hand soul residing alone world health organization is 65 years aged or even older. A typical house size is Three.Xi & a typical personal size is Trio.55.

In a city the people is spread retired by owning Xxix.2% under a age of Xviii, Nina from carolina.8% from either 18 to 2 dozen, 31.2% from either 25 to 44, Eighteen.8% from either 45 to 64, & Xi.0% world health organization come 65 years aged or even older. A median age is 32 years. For each Hundred females there are 94.Vi males. For each One c females age Xviii & concluded, there are 89.Octad males.

the median income for a menage in the city is $45,667, & the median income for a personal is $50,017. Males have a median income of $35,991 versus $28,768 for females. A per capita income for the city is $18,197. Xi.1% of the people & Nina from carolina.3% of families come beneath a poverty line. Away from a number people, Fourteen.4% of people under a age of 18 & 7.6% of people 65 & older come residing in a image below the poverty level.

Education
A city is served by Downey Unified School District.

Notable natives
Carpenters (musical group) James Hetfield of the musical group Metallica, an alumnus of Downey High School Donavon Frankenreiter (surfer & musician) Joey Latimer (musician & computer specialist) Radio Absolutely free! Globe founder and alum of Warren High School (1972) Larry Latimer (President, Aerospace Legacy Foundation)