Arcadia's first notable settler was Hugo Keid, who was deeded the land by the Spanish government. As the first individual land owner of the area.

Reid was the first to stock cattle and build the first structure.

A succession of owners followed until Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin bought a large area of land for $200,000 in 1875.

Impressed with the foothill landscape, greenery and oak trees, Haldwin soon turned his sights to cityhood for his "Paradise". With a population of 500, Arcadia became a city in 1903.

The city is known as a "community of homes," where great emphasis is placed on preserving "green space" and the environment.

The Arcadia Unified School District is one of the most highly medical services are available locally, and an excellent assortment of recreation and leisure activities are offered for all ages.

Arcadia enjoys a broad commercial base - from a large regional mall (Westfield Shoppingtown) to small boutiques in downtown Arcadia.

Santa Anita Race Track is considered to be one of the finest horse racing facilities in the country.

The City of Azusa, located in the foothills of the Sun Gabriel Mountains, was founded in 1887 and incorporated, The area was part of a Mexican land grant that was turned into farmland.

Luis Arenas, the original farmer in the area, sold his holdings to Henry Dalton in 1844. it was Dalton who developed the land and changed the name to Azusa de Dalton.

The area grew after 1854 when gold was discovered in the San Gabriel Canyon. A town named El Doradoville was built at the fork of the San Gabriet Mountains to accommodate 2,000 miners. it was destroyed by flood waters in the 1860s.

Around the same time, part of Dakon's property was confiscated for home Steading and more people began moving into the area.

Today, Azusa is a community with a strong sense of family and history. The city transitioned through the farming tradition experienced by other cities in the area before the gave way to homes and industries.

Azusa is home to Northrop Grumman, Azusa Pacific University. Nursery, Morris National, and Optical Research.

The city has a vibrant industrial and diverse neighborhoods. Azusa is a model of an older suburban community undergoing exciting renewal, continuing to be the gateway to the American dream."

In the 1860’s, the City of Baldwin Park was part of the grazing land owned by the San Gabriel Mission. A drought resulted in a decline in cattle ranching and homesteaders began moving into the area in 1875, squatting on lands north of what is now Ramona Boulevard.

The community was first known as Pleasant View and consisted of small farms and vineyards. The name changed to Vineland in 1880, where life centered around a small general store located where Los Angeles and La Rica streets are today

The name Baldwin Park was adopted in 1906 when community leaders convinced wealthy landowner Elias J. Baldwin to lend his namesake to Vineland and abandon his plan to build a new town nearby called Baldwinville.

Today, the city is making major strides in attracting new business and providing community services.

Approximately 140 new homes have been built in the last two years.

While Baldwin Park has long been known as the home of In ‘N’ Out Burger, the company has continued to expand its operations with recently-completed office, maintenance and training facilities.

Hidden away in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains is the small, gated and exclusive City of Bradbury, named after Lewis Leonard Bradbury. Bradbury acquired 2,750 acres of the northwest portion of the Rancho Azusa de Duarte in 1892

The rancho was a Mexican land grant awarded to Andres Duarte before California became part of the United States.

Bradbury, who made a fortune in mining gold and silver in Mexico, is famous for the construction of the Bradbury Building, a Los Angeles historic landmark

At the end of World War II, large parcels on the Bradbury Ranch were sold to people looking for spacious building sites offering privacy and country living in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Members of the Bradbury Estates Property Owners Association realized during the building boom that they needed to incorporate to protect their unique community from falling victim to the bulldozers of the tract developers. As a result, the City of Bradbury incorporated on July 26, 1957.

Today, the city is known for its wide-open horse estates and natural surroundings.

The City of Claremont, perhaps best known for its tree-lined streets, historic buildings, and college campuses,was founded in 1887 after a Santa Fe railroad line was routed through the area.

Located 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, Claremont offers a balanced community that provides a variety of programs and services for all age groups; offers a full range of housing; supports thriving commercial and industrial centers; protects the environment while encouraging appropriate development; and respects traditional values while embracing new ideas.

Pomona College, the first of the Claremont Colleges,was founded in 1887 -- the same year the railroad came to town.

The city is proud of its tree-lined streets, estimating it owns more than 23,000 trees.

The new 210 Freeway extension into San Bernardino County makes everything the city has to offer more accessible than ever. City officials say the new freeway has reduced "pass through" traffic congestion on surface streets by as much as 75 percent, while local merchants have reported seeing some increase in business due to the reduced congestion.

The City of Covina was incorporated on August 14, 1901, on a 2,000-acre tract purchased by J.S. Phillips from the Hollenbeck holdings in 1882. Originally laid out as an agricultural area focusing on the citrus industry, the city’s motto once boasted of being "A Mile Square and All There."

Today, the city has grown to include seven square miles in a community which still maintains a small town atmosphere but enjoys the quality of life services offered by local government.

New growth has included the opening of a 325,000 square foot IKEA store providing 300 new jobs, as well as bringing enhanced shopping opportunities for residents and sales tax revenue to support city services.

“Smart Growth” philosophy is at the core of future mixed use housing projects, where residents in the downtown area may live and work in a progressive urban environment, close to mass transit opportunities.

The city attracts visitors from throughout the San Gabriel Valley and beyond for its festivals including the annual Orange blossom Festival and the Covina Christmas Parade.

In 1956, Diamond Bar Ranch looked much as it did in 1840, with its golden hills peppered by green stands of oak and walnut trees, and grazed by large herds of cattle.

Transamerica Corporation, which purchased 8,000 acres of Brea Canyon, soon mapped out a master-planned community that today has become home to more than 56,000 residents.

Incorporated in 1989, the City of Diamond Bar continues to balance country living with a progressive approach to promoting and assisting business enterprises.

Diamond Bar is conveniently located at the center of three major Southern California market areas — Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. The city is served by award winning school districts and offers a variety of recreational facilities and amenities including 10 parks, a public golf course, and a Little League sports complex. The Diamond Bar Center, a 22,500 square foot community/senior center in Summit Ridge Park offers complete facilities for community classes, recreation activities, weddings, meetings and banquets.

Whether you’re looking for a place to live, work or play, Diamond Bar is the place.

In 1841, the governor of Alta California granted nearly 7,000 acres of land in the upper San Gabriel Valley to Corporal Andres Duarte and his wife. Duarte named the area Rancho Azusa de Duarte.

In the mid-1800s, most of the rancho was sold to help pay Andres Duarte’s debts. Dr. Nehemiah Beardslee purchased land from Duarte, started the first school and laid out the first section of Duarte’s water lines.

Much of the remaining land was divided into 40-acre plots and sold to individuals. The community grew into an agricultural community specializing in citrus production.

Duarte was incorporated in 1957. Today, the city is home to the world renowned City of Hope Medical Center, and businesses ranging from homegrown shops and restaurants to Wal-Mart, Target, Staples, car dealerships and a float-builder for Pasadena’s annual Tournament of Roses Parade.

The community is richly diverse with stable, safe and friendly neighborhoods, clean streets, hiking and bike trails and a backdrop of lush green foothills.

Duarte also offers a variety of services including a Teen Center, Senior Center, Community Fitness Center, and a Performing Arts Center. To reach all those locations the city offers a free Duarte bus.

It was the Gold Rush of 1849-1850 that brought the first permanent residents to El Monte. In 1851, the Thompson family arrived in the area after a 14-month trip from Iowa. Although they originally came in search of gold, they decided to settle down at the end of the Santa Fe Trail and take up farming.

Today, the city is a growing residential, industrial, and commercial city in the San Gabriel Valley. El Monte manufactures aerospace products, electronic equipment, and glass bottles. The city is also known as the home of the largest auto dealer in the world, Longo Toyota.

The city prides itself on its heritage and boasts of its El Monte Historical Museum, where visitors will learn that El Monte — where the freeway now crosses over Valley Boulevard — once was home to Gay’s Lion Farm, a local tourist attraction that supplied lions to many Hollywood productions.

The city also was known for decades as the home of Legion Stadium, a structure that had its beginnings as an old El Monte High School auditorium but later hosted all the big rock and roll bands of the 1950s.