Phillips Ranch, Pomona, California

Phillips Ranch is a master-planned community, first developed by Louis Lesser in 1965. It is located in the southwestern portion of the city limits of Pomona, in Los Angeles County, California. It is located near the Pomona Freeway (SR 60) and the Chino Valley Freeway (SR 71). The zip code serving the neighborhood is 91766. Phillips Ranch is 4 miles southwest of downtown Pomona, and is mostly working to upper-middle class. Many residents use "Phillips Ranch, CA" as a return address, which is an acceptable alternative to Pomona, CA, according to the United States Postal Service. Phillips Ranch is often referred to by its neighborhood name instead of by the city name.

History

1910 postcard image of Pomona Valley with Mt. Baldy in distance.

Phillips Ranch is located on land which served as part of the ranch of Louis Phillips, who in 1864 acquired the southern end of the 22,340-acre (90.4 km2) Rancho San Jose from two businessmen who had previously bought it from Ricardo Vejar.

In 1964, Louis Lesser Enterprises, Inc. purchased Philips Ranch, one of the largest parcels of undeveloped land in Los Angeles County, and developed 10,000 housing units.[1]

Geography

Phillips Ranch, with Mt. San Antonio in the background

Phillips Ranch is bounded by the 71 Freeway to the east, Chino Hills to the south, Diamond Bar to the west, and the Westmont Ridge to the north. The elevation of the community is 800 feet above sea level, but it is as high as 950 feet, the peak being located at the northwestern tip of the neighborhood on Mission Blvd. and Temple Avenue.

Education

Like the remainder of Pomona, Phillips Ranch is served by the Pomona Unified School District, which stretch as far south as parts of Diamond Bar. The community is served by two elementary schools: Decker Elementary School and Ranch Hills Elementary School.

Diamond Ranch High School is located on the hills where Diamond Bar and Phillips Ranch (a community located in the southwestern portion of the city limits of Pomona) meet. In 2003 and 2007 Diamond Ranch was titled a California Distinguished School by the California Department of Education.[2] Pomona has been criticized for its construction of Diamond Ranch High School in the city's more affluent area of Phillips Ranch because of the inequities in the rest of the school district and for the almost $68 million tab for building this architecturally unique campus in the hilly area.[2] However, the City of Industry provided $5.4 million, and sold 80 acres of an undeveloped hill land parcel for one dollar, for the school.[2]

Higher education

Main surface thoroughfares in Phillips Ranch

View of Pomona Valley and Phillips Ranch from Diamond Ranch High School

References

External links

Coordinates: 34°02′10″N 117°47′03″W / 34.0361°N 117.7842°W / 34.0361; -117.7842

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