Commerce, California
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Commerce is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 12,568. It is bordered by Vernon on the west, Los Angeles on the northwest, East Los Angeles on the north, Montebello on the east, Downey and Bell Gardens on the south, and Maywood on the southwest. The Los Angeles River forms part of its southwestern boundary, and the Rio Hondo separates it from Downey. Commerce is served by the Long Beach and Santa Ana freeways, as well as the Los Angeles Metro's Metrolink commuter rail service.
The city was incorporated in 1960 to prevent neighboring cities such as Vernon and Los Angeles from annexing industrial land for tax revenue. In the 1970s and 1980s, Commerce successfully negotiated the turbulent period of deindustrialization that hammered nearby cities such as South Gate and Norwalk, maintaining much of its manufacturing and goods-distribution base and successfully converting former industrial land to lucrative commercial uses. The most notable example of this phenomenon is the Citadel outlet mall, which occupies the site of a former tire factory. With a major rail yard within its borders, Commerce has also benefited greatly from the huge expansion in international trade traffic through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, albeit at the expense of severe air pollution caused by truck congestion on the Long Beach Freeway.
Commerce residents have an enviable array of civic services funded from taxes on the local card club and the Citadel. This includes four libraries, a senior center, a teen center, and a city-owned camp located in the San Bernardino National Forest. Commerce is also one of the few cities in California that is able to provide its residents with free bus service. As might be expected, residential turnover is low compared to surrounding cities, although Commerce has moved from an almost exclusively Anglo city at its inception to one that is now overwhelmingly Latino.
Geography
Commerce is located at 34°0'2" North, 118°9'17" West (34.000613, -118.154781)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.0 km² (6.6 mi²). 17.0 km² (6.6 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 12,568 people, 3,284 households, and 2,686 families residing in the city. The population density is 738.6/km² (1,913.6/mi²). There are 3,377 housing units at an average density of 198.5/km² (514.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 44.76% White, 0.78% Black or African American, 1.58% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 46.94% from other races, and 4.77% from two or more races. 93.61% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,284 households out of which 47.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% are married couples living together, 19.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% are non-families. 15.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.80 and the average family size is 4.17.
In the city the population is spread out with 33.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 28 years. For every 100 females there are 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,040, and the median income for a family is $36,572. Males have a median income of $27,738 versus $22,857 for females. The per capita income for the city is $11,117. 17.9% of the population and 15.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- Commerce official website (http://www.ci.commerce.ca.us/)