Westminster, California

Westminster, California
City
Asian Garden Mall (Phuoc Loc Tho Tet), 2008
Seal
Motto: "The City of Progress Built on Pride." [1]
Location of Westminster within Orange County, California.
Westminster, California Location in the United States
Coordinates: 33°45′5″N 117°59′38″W / 33.75139°N 117.99389°WCoordinates: 33°45′5″N 117°59′38″W / 33.75139°N 117.99389°W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Orange
Incorporated (city)	March 27, 1957[2]
Government
• City council[3]	Mayor Tri Ta Margie L. Rice Sergio Contreras Diana Carey Tyler Diep
• City manager	Eddie Manfro[4]
Area[5]
• Total	10.049 sq mi (26.027 km^2)
• Land	10.049 sq mi (26.027 km^2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km^2)  0%
Elevation[6]	39 ft (12 m)
Population (April 1, 2010)[7]
• Total	89,701
• Estimate (2013)[7]	91,739
• Density	8,900/sq mi (3,400/km^2)
Time zone	PST (UTC−8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC−7)
ZIP codes	92683–92685
Area codes	657/714
FIPS code	06-84550
GNIS feature IDs	1652811, 2412236
Website	www.westminster-ca.gov

Westminster Mall Entrance

Westminster is a city in Orange County, California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

History

Westminster was founded in 1870 by Rev. Lemuel Webber as a Presbyterian temperance colony. The name is derived from the Westminster Assembly of 1643, which laid out the basic tenets of the Presbyterian faith. For several years of its early history, its farmers refused to grow grapes because they associated grapes with alcohol.

Westminster was incorporated in 1957, at which time it had 10,755 residents. Originally, the city was named Tri-City because it was the amalgamation of three cities: Westminster, Barber City, and Midway City. Midway City ultimately refused incorporation, leaving only Barber City to be absorbed into the newly incorporated Westminster. The former Barber City was located in the western portion of the current city of Westminster.

Westminster is landlocked and bordered by Seal Beach on the west, by Garden Grove on the north and east, and by Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley on the south.

Westminster surrounds the unincorporated area of Midway City, except for a small portion where Midway City meets Huntington Beach to the south.

A large number of Vietnamese refugees came to the city in the 1970s, settling largely in an area now officially named Little Saigon, and the city is unofficially known as the "capital" of overseas Vietnamese with 36,058 Vietnamese Americans and at 40.2% (2010), the highest municipal concentration of Vietnamese Americans.

Westminster won the All-America City Award in 1996.^[8]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	585		—
1900	1,590		171.8%
1910	4,550		186.2%
1920	7,997		75.8%
1930	14,822		85.3%
1940	16,115		8.7%
1950	23,433		45.4%
1960	33,663		43.7%
1970	60,076		78.5%
1980	71,133		18.4%
1990	78,118		9.8%
2000	88,207		12.9%
2010	89,701		1.7%
Est. 2014	92,068	[9]	2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

2010

The 2010 United States Census^[11] reported that Westminster had a population of 89,701. The population density was 8,926.5 people per square mile (3,446.5/km²). The racial makeup of Westminster was 32,037 (35.7%) White (25.6% Non-Hispanic White),^[12] 849 (0.9%) African American, 397 (0.4%) Native American, 42,597 (47.5%) Asian, 361 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 10,229 (11.4%) from other races, and 3,231 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21,176 persons (23.6%). A total of 36,058 residents were of Vietnamese ancestry (40.2% of city residents), the highest concentration of Vietnamese Americans of any community in the United States.

The Census reported that 89,031 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 381 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 289 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 26,164 households, out of which 10,759 (41.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 14,986 (57.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 3,681 (14.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,810 (6.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,114 (4.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 151 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,247 households (16.2%) were made up of individuals and 2,170 (8.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40. There were 20,477 families (78.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.74.

The population was spread out with 20,920 people (23.3%) under the age of 18, 8,568 people (9.6%) aged 18 to 24, 24,065 people (26.8%) aged 25 to 44, 23,356 people (26.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 12,792 people (14.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.7 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

There were 27,650 housing units at an average density of 2,751.5 per square mile (1,062.4/km²), of which 15,135 (57.8%) were owner-occupied, and 11,029 (42.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%. 51,408 people (57.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 37,623 people (41.9%) lived in rental housing units.

During 2009–2013, Westminster had a median household income of $52,633, with 16.7% of the population living below the federal poverty line.^[12]

2000

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 88,207 people, 26,406 households, and 20,411 families residing in the city. The population density was 8,724.2 inhabitants per square mile (3,368.6/km²). There were 26,940 housing units at an average density of 2,664.5 per square mile (1,028.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 45.79% White, 0.99% African American, 0.61% Native American, 38.13% Asian, 0.46% Pacific Islander, 10.19% from other races, and 3.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.70% of the population.

There were 26,406 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.32 and the average family size was 3.71.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,450, and the median income for a family was $54,399. Males had a median income of $37,157 versus $28,392 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,218. About 10.7% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Westminster is located at 33°45′5″N 117°59′38″W / 33.75139°N 117.99389°W (33.752418, -117.993938).^[14] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.0 square miles (26 km²), all land. The San Diego Freeway and a short segment of the Garden Grove Freeway pass through Westminster.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Westminster is in the 34th Senate District, represented by Republican Janet Nguyen, and in the 72nd Assembly District, represented by Republican Travis Allen.^[15]

In the United States House of Representatives, Westminster is split between California's 47th congressional district, represented by Democrat Alan Lowenthal, and California's 48th congressional district, represented by Republican Dana Rohrabacher.^[16]

Economy

Top employers

According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[17] the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of employees
1	Westminster School District	1,150
2	Southern California Edison	603
3	Ito Farms	600
4	Kindred Hospital Westminster	450
5	City of Westminster	397
6	BE Aerospace	350
7	Wal-Mart	350
8	Sears	300
9	Westminster High School	250
10	LBS Financial Credit Union	225

Education

Four different school districts have boundaries that overlap parts or more of the City of Westminster:

• Westminster School District
• Garden Grove Unified School District
• Huntington Beach Union High School District
• Ocean View School District

Notable people and groups

• Harrod Blank, documentary filmmaker
• Jeromy Burnitz, MLB player for the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates^[18]
• Mike Burns, MLB player for the Milwaukee Brewers^[19]
• Paul Caligiuri, retired American soccer player, best remembered for his game-winning goal widely dubbed the "Shot heard round the world,"which he scored in a 1–0 World Cup qualifier victory over Trinidad and Tobago on November 19, 1989.
• Mark Eaton, former Utah Jazz player^[20]
• Danny Flores (1929–2006), head of the rock group The Champs
• Ken Hoang, professional video gamer and contestant on Survivor Gabon
• Ryan Klesko, former MLB first baseman^[21]
• Iris Kyle, 10-time overall Ms. Olympia professional bodybuilder
• Carlos Palomino, Boxer Former Welterweight Champion
• Vang Pao, Hmong Former Major General of the Royal Lao Army
• Nam Phan, professional mixed martial artist and a contestant in The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck
• Poreotics, dance crew who won ABDC Season 5 in 2010.
• Stafford Repp, American film & television actor best known for his role as Chief O'Hara in the Batman television series.
• Westminster Chorus, won multiple international awards, most notably the Pavarotti Trophy of Choir of the World 2009.

Landmarks

• A memorial and final resting place for the victims of the Pan Am plane involved in the Tenerife Disaster March 27, 1977, is located in Westminster.
• The Vietnam War Memorial is located Sid Goldstein Freedom Park, next to the Westminster Civic Center. The project was initiated by Westminster City Councilman Frank G. Fry in 1997 and completed in 2003.,^[22]
• Final resting place for frontman Bradley Nowell of the band Sublime. Nowell died of a heroin overdose in his San Francisco hotel room on May 25, 1996.

Business sector

The city's major shopping mall is Westminster Mall, which consists of more than 180 stores. The mall is located south of the 405 freeway, between Goldenwest Street and Edwards Street. And in Westminster's Little Saigon community, the Asian Garden Mall (Phước Lộc Thọ), a large Asian mall, exists.

Since joining the Sequential Brands company, the DVS Shoes footwear brand relocated from Torrance, California to Westminster. The company's headquarters is located on Fenwick Lane.^[23]

References

1. "Westminster, California". Retrieved 2008-11-03.
2. "California Cities by Incorporation Date" (Word). California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
3. "Mayor and City Council". City of Westminster. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
4. "City Manager". City of Westminster. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
5. "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files – Places – California". United States Census Bureau.
6. "Westminster". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
7. "Westminster (city) QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
8. "AAC Winners by State and City". National Civic League. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
9. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
11. "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Westminster city". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
12. "Westminster (city) QuickFacts".
13. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
14. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
15. "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
16. "Communities of Interest - City". California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
17. City of Westminster CAFR
18. "Jeromy Burnitz Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
19. "Mike Burns Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
20. "Mark Eaton". Basketball-Reference.Com. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
21. "Ryan Klesko Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
22. "Vietnam War Memorial in Westminster". letsgoseeit.com.
23. "Contact Us". DVS Shoes. DVS Shoes. December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.

External links

• Official website