Chapter 14 The Southwest Border Area: Tricultural Development

The Southwest is dominated by three existing cultures: Spanish American, American Indian, and European Indian. 

Santa Clarita is located in the Southwest Border region, therefore it has all three cultures as well.  Santa Clarita has a strong Hispanic or Latino population. The American Indian population is less than 5%, with very few Indian reservations in Southern California. 

The Hispanic presence in this region has increased dramatically due to the opportunites that California has to offer.  In addition, women are having more children. 

POPULATION

Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County with a population of 177,045 in January 2008. Santa Clarita is the 24th largest city in the State of California and one of the 150 biggest cities in the U.S. In Los Angeles County, only Los Angeles with a population of 4.0 million, Long Beach with less than 493,000, and Glendale with slightly over 207,000 were larger than Santa Clarita. Consequently, Santa Clarita plays an important role in the County based on its size.

Over the past ten years, Santa Clarita’s population size has continued to steadily increase. During this time period, the population growth was the result of new housing construction in the City as well as annexations of surrounding areas into the city limits. Santa Clarita’s population continues on an upward trend, while other comparison cities including Burbank, Glendale, Lancaster, Palmdale, and Pasadena appear to have slowed down since 2006.

In fact, Santa Clarita’s population grew by 17.1% from 2000 to 2008 and was almost twice the growth experience in all of Los Angeles County. Only the communities of Lancaster and Palmdale in the Antelope Valley grew more than Santa Clarita.

By the year 2010, the population is forecasted to exceed 181,000. Growth is forecasted to continue over the coming decades to 226,000 by the year 2030.

INCOME

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Source	Amount
2008 City of Santa Clarita Median Household Income	$84,253
2008 City of Santa Clarita Average Household Income	$101,679

EDUCATION

Santa Clarita’s population is well-educated with 61% of adults at least 25 years of age having some college or higher. People in the City are more educated when compared to the Los Angeles County average in which only 43% have attained some college or higher. This indicates a greater likelihood for professionals and technical employees residing in the City.

http://neighborhood.cdn.movoto.com/CA/91351-population-by-education-level-chart.png

NAME OF COLLEGE	ENROLLMENT
California Institute of the Arts	1,324
The Master's College	1,000
College of the Canyons	16,504
California State University, Northridge	35,446
Total	54,274

Source: Individual school web sites, September 2008

AGE:

  Santa Clarita’s population is relatively young in age. Approximately 29% are between the ages of 25 and 44 and 25% are school age between the ages of 5 and 19.

ETHNICITY

In general, the City’s population is not as diverse as the County’s population. Close to 70% of Santa Clarita’s population describes itself as White. However, due to the large influx of immigrants from a variety of countries as well as a large increase in multi-racial families more than 20% of the population describes itself as either “Other” or more than two races.

More than one-fourth or 27% of Santa Clarita’s population is Hispanic compared to 47% of Los Angeles County and
36% of California’s population

Santa Clarita’s Asian population is quite diverse. In fact, 27% of the City’s Asian population is Filipino followed by 24% who are Korean. An additional 16% are Asian Indian and 11% are Chinese.

CRIME IN SANTA CLARITA:

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Santa Clarita, California – Hispanic gangs

Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, It is located about 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and occupies most of the Santa Clarita Valley with a total of 47.8 sq. miles. Santa Clarita was incorporated in fairly recently in 1987 as the union of several previously existing communities, including Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, and Valencia.
The FBI rates it as the sixth safest city in the United States with at least 100,000 inhabitants. Nearby Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, in Ventura County, traditionally alternate between the first and second spots on the list. Santa Clarita was also ranked as number 18 of the top 100 places to live by Money magazine in 2006. Santa Clarita’s most notable attractions are the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park, which is the number 1 employer of residents of the city.
According to the 2008 US Census, the total population of Santa Clarita is 178,062 people. Only 28.8% of residents are Hispanic, 71.3% of residents are White, 6.9% are Asian, and 2.5% are Black or African American. 20.2% of residents are foreign born, and 29.4% speak a language other than English in the home. 31.6% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 87.5% of residents have a high school degree. Only 4.5% of families and 7% of individuals live below the poverty line. The median family income is $94,003.

Hispanic gangs in Santa Clarita

1. Malditos Mexicanos Surenos 13 (MMS), Canyon Country area
2. Canones 13 (CNS), Canyon Country area
3. Brown Familia 13 (BF), Canyon Country area
4. South Side Riders 13 (SSR), Canyon Country area
5. Newhall 13 (NH), Newhall area
6. Val Verde park 13(VVP), Val verde area

 http://www.streetgangs.com/hispanic/santaclarita

To learn more about the Maquiladoras and the Border Industrialization Program click on this link:  http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Mexico/Class_Poverty_MaquilaZone.html