El Monte, California

El Monte, California, where a statue of Liberty sits outside City Hall

El Monte in Los Angeles County reportedly has the largest car dealership in the U.S., Longo Toyota. It, and several other businesses are the greatest employers in the city where a more than 75% Hispanic population lives, works and plays.

El Monte contains a mix of industrial and residential properties, and the city 's master plan looks toward enhancing residential opportunities and health with new parks, walking paths connecting the city and more ways to help residents become healthy. El Monte's school kids and adults weigh more than the California average of obese and overweight individuals. The parks include baseball fields, picnic areas, and a beautiful aquatic center for recreation swims.

For tourists, one of the highlights to a visit is the El Monte Historical Museum on 3150 Tyler Ave., El Monte, CA 91731
(626) 444-3813 or (626) 580-2232

Open Tuesdays through Fridays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sundays 1 to 3 p.m., subject to change - always call first before going.

Another landmark signifies the end of the Santa Fe Trail which began in Missouri and ended in El Monte. Santa Fe Trail Historical Park at 3675 Santa Anita Avenue in El Monte is a one area park designated by the State of California as a Historical Landmark #975. There are a variety of parks and amenities open to the public in El Monte.

El Monte's architectural styles and influences include neighborhoods with examples of early 1900s revival styles, such as Spanish Colonial and Craftsman bungalows. Its commercial areas feature visually diverse post–World War II functional architecture with few, if any, historically significant structures. The lack of prominent themes in and around the city means that future building includes no specific plans or preferences in design.

Rio Hondo and San Gabriel Rivers run through this portion of the San Gabriel Valley defined by freeways - Interstate 605 and Interstate 10, which divides the city in half.

While the proximity to Los Angeles makes El Monte strategically situated and utilized for a variety of film and TV productions, one celebrity from the black & white era of television came from El Monte-- Mr. Ed, the talking horse. Mr. Ed was a parade and show horse foaled in El Monte in 1949. Named Bamboo Harvester, his trainer was Les Hilton, who had apprenticed under Will Rogers. Mr. Ed did many of his scenes in one take. Actor Alan Young provided an insider secret when he said they used peanut butter Mr. Ed to eat so he would move his mouth. In 1968 Mr. Ed was put quietly to sleep with no publicity fanfare.