California Fool’s Gold — Exploring the City of Walnut

This Los Angeles County community blog is about the City of Walnut, a wealthy, woodsy Los Angeles suburb located in the southeastern portion of the San Gabriel Valley.

**Pendersleigh & Sons**‘ Official Map of Walnut, available on **merchandise** and **art prints**

William R. Rowland Adobe Redwood Ranch House

Before it took on its current Asian persuasion, Walnut was mostly Caucasian. Before that, of course, it was inhabited by the Tongva people, whose village in the area was called Pemookangna. After the Spaniards arrived it was mostly used as a ranch that grew walnuts, wheat, grapes, fruit trees, and as pasture for cattle. By the 1840s, the Spaniards called the area Rancho de Nogales, which means Walnut Ranch. Many of those walnuts were pickled. In 1868, John Rowland and William Workman divided the land into La Puente to the west and Walnut to the east. The city was incorporated in 1959. In 1975, the William R. Rowland Adobe Redwood Ranch House was designated an Historical Landmark.

A few years back, a number of well-heeled Taiwanese businesspeople moved to Walnut. Ten years ago, Asians, non-Latino whites, and Latinos of any race still made up roughly equal populations of the city and CNN hailed Walnut as a model of diversity. Since then, large numbers of Cantonese, mainland Chinese, and especially Filipinos have moved to the area while numbers of white and Latino residents have diminished. The city’s changing character is reflected in the variety of popular restaurants including Heartland’s Market and Kitchen, Apo Apo Deli Café, UCC Cafe, Colima Burgers, Coffee Break, Sate House, El Taco Nazo, Ninja Sushi, Mikasa, Kalahi Bakery, the New York Pizzeria, Osuna’s, Bangkok BBQ, Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe, Upper House Boba Tea Shop, and Donut Tree. Donut Tree, open 24 hours a day, serves as a sort of de facto community center. When my roommate Tim Shimbles and I went there, it was packed with retirees speculating about Oprah‘s reasons for announcing her retirement. The retirees came and went during our visit, all seeming to know one another, and almost invariably arriving and departing in nice cars.

Hockneyesque collage panorama of Walnut’s downtown

Walnut is a decidedly tranquil, some would say, sleepy suburb. Money named it the 70th best place to live in 2009, thus placing it above all other California cities, although there doesn’t seem to be a lot to do. Its “downtown” is a cluster of shopping centers known as “The Village” and is dominated by chains like Applebee’s, Panda Express, Kohl’s, Staple’s, Starbucks, and Millie’s, albeit quaintly rendered in the Craftsman style. As with many suburbs, most of the businesses are spread out along the main thoroughfares, clustered in shopping centers with names like Flag Automotive Center, Lemon Creek Village, and Walnut Tech Business Center. As we know from films like Poltergeist, Blue Velvet, and Paranormal Activity, sleepy towns usually have their share of ghosts, and Walnut is no exception according to this website.

Wildin’ out at the Walnut Family Festival (source unknown)

In the autumn, Walnut hosts a parade and fair held in Suzanne Park which is known as the Walnut Family Festival.

Wolfgang Delgado (left) and Darius McCrary (right)

There aren’t that many famous Walnut natives. Former Amoebite Wolfgang Delgado used to live there, as did Darius McCrary (Family Matters‘ Eddie Winslow). The self-described “Latin Elvis” and “Latin Frank Sinatra,” Gerardo “la Pelota” Meija, moved there from Ecuador and became the world’s first Latino Rap superstar with his megahit, “Rico Suave.” Walnut is also the birthplace of drummer Ricky Lawson.

A few films have been shot in Walnut, in part or in whole, including Awaken the Dead, Background(ed), Freudian Eyebrow, Hangman, The Call, Zodiac, and Lakeview Terrace.