Pomona

History

At the time Spanish conquistadors first arrived in California, the Tongva people inhabited what is now Pomona and the LA Basin. The area eventually became part of Mexico, and what is now Pomona was claimed by Ricardo Véjar and Ygnacio Palomares in the 1830s. The first Anglo-Americans arrived prior to 1848 when the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo resulted in California becoming part of the United States. In 1875, a group of real estate developers called the Los Angeles Immigration and Land Cooperative Association held a contest to name the burgeoning town. The winning entry, submitted by citrus worker Solomon Gates, was Pomona, the name of the Roman goddess of fruit. Phillips sold a parcel of his land to William "Uncle Billy" Rubottom, in 1866 who founded a new town there and named it Spadra after his hometown, now part of Clarksville, Arkansas. The site of Spadra is west of the Pomona Station along Pomona Blvd. just east of the 57 (Orange) Freeway. Spadra became a stagecoach stop, Rubottom built the Spadra Hotel and Tavern to serve travelers, and by 1870, Spadra had 400–500 residents, three stores, a school, and a post office. In 1873, Phillips convinced the Southern Pacific Railroad to build a line to Spadra. Phillips thought Spadra would become a great town, and built his Phillips Mansion there in 1875, which together with the Spadra Cemetery are the only two remnants of the town that still exist today. Fullerton's Main north–south road was named Spadra Road for its first 75 years, as long before the 57 Freeway it was the road through Brea Canyon to Spadra, and was later renamed Harbor Boulevard. The Southern Pacific Railroad had a terminus at Spadra, but the line was extended east to Colton, and Spadra lost momentum. In 1964, the area was annexed by…

Geography

Pomona is east of Los Angeles in the Pomona Valley, located at (34.060760, −117.755886). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , over 99% of it land. Pomona is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles, north of Santa Ana, west of Riverside, and west of San Bernardino. Pomona is bordered by the cities of San Dimas on the northwest, La Verne and Claremont on the north, Montclair and Chino on the east, Chino Hills and Diamond Bar on the south, Walnut, South San Jose Hills, and Industry on the southwest, and the unincorporated community of Walnut Islands on the west. The Los Angeles/San Bernardino county line forms most of the city's southern and eastern boundaries. Pomona has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa) with hot, dry summers and mild, damp winters, and a large amount of sunshine year-round. Summers are characterized by sunny days and very little rainfall during June through September. Fall brings cooler temperatures and occasional showers, as well as seasonal Santa Ana winds originating from the northeast.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  28,837
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,987
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  22,709
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  22,656
• California Towhee

  Melozone crissalis (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  21,098
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  20,710
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,340
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

  Setophaga coronata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  18,035

Most recent

• M 2.77 — 2026-10-15
  3 km NNW of San Jacinto, CA
• M 2.71 — 2026-10-11
  4 km E of San Jacinto, CA
• M 3.16 — 2026-10-09
  2 km SW of Signal Hill, CA
• M 2.7 — 2026-10-08
  2 km WNW of Fontana, CA
• M 2.6 — 2026-10-06
  4 km NNW of Big Bear City, CA
• M 2.51 — 2026-10-05
  31 km SW of Dana Point, CA