Bell Gardens

History

The area of Bell Gardens has a history dating back thousands of years. The Tongva established settlements in the area, including the village of Chokishgna. The village prospered until the arrival of the Spanish, after which it came under the influence of Mission San Gabriel in 1771. In the late 18th century, when the area was associated with a large amount of land situated along the lower basin of the Rio Hondo area in Los Angeles County, Bell Gardens was once a bustling agricultural center for Californios during the Spanish Empire, 1509–1823, the Mexican government, 1823–1848, and the United States, after the Mexican-American War concluded in 1848. Among those early Spanish settlers was one of California's first families, the Lugos. While stationed at Mission San Antonio de Padua near Salinas, California, Francisco Lugo's son Antonio Maria Lugo was born in 1783. In 1810 Antonio Lugo, a 35-year-old corporal in the Spanish army, was given the Rancho San Antonio land grant. The land grant was a reward for his military service during the establishment of the Franciscan Missions in California while being the attendant of colonization for the area. Today, the grant includes the cities of Bell Gardens, Bell, Maywood, Vernon, Huntington Park, Walnut Park, Cudahy, South Gate, Lynwood and Commerce. Antonio Lugo built several adobe homes within the boundaries of the Rancho San Antonio grant, and raised cattle. One of the adobe houses, built in 1795, is the oldest house in Los Angeles County and is still standing at 7000 Gage Avenue. Lugo was given a term as Mayor of Los Angeles. According to Dr. Roy Whitehead in his book Lugo, "Don Antonio Maria Lugo…rode around Los Angeles and his Rancho San Antonio in great splendor. He never adopted American dress, culture or language and…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , over 99% of it land. Bell Gardens is bordered by Bell and Cudahy on the west, Commerce on the north and northeast, Downey on the southeast, and South Gate on the southwest. The city is about southeast of Downtown Los Angeles.

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  45,267
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  40,846
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  37,018
• Allen's Hummingbird

  Selasphorus sasin (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  31,871
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

  Setophaga coronata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  29,264
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  29,076
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  29,072
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  28,873

Most recent

• M 3.81008714964485 — 2026-09-30
  4 km SE of Piru, CA
• M 3.55404092525043 — 2026-09-27
  7 km WSW of Hermosa Beach, CA
• M 2.53 — 2026-09-18
  11 km N of Fillmore, CA
• M 2.94 — 2026-09-17
  4 km SSE of Compton, CA
• M 2.56 — 2026-09-13
  27 km SSE of Malibu, CA
• M 2.65 — 2026-09-12
  4 km E of Lennox, CA