MORE ABOUT THE DISTRICT

Industry

The * refers to Unincorporated cities (a populated geographic area that is governed by the county).

City Sign
City Hall

History

The history of the site begins with the family of William and Nicolasa Workman, who emigrated with John Rowland and others in 1841. Rowland and Workman received a land grant for Rancho La Puente from the governor of Alta California, and the ranch eventually grew to almost 49,000 acres. The Workmans quickly established themselves as cattle ranchers and did well financially during the Gold Rush, supplying fresh beef in the gold fields. When a series of floods and droughts in the 1860s largely put an end to cattle ranching in the area, the family transitioned by expanding more into agriculture, including the main crops of wheat and grapes. By 1870, the Workmans remodeled their adobe home to its current appearance, including the addition of new first-floor rooms and a new second floor. Unfortunately, the family bank in Los Angeles collapsed in 1876, leading to the loss of most of the family’s wealth and land. Though the Workman House and 75 acres of land around it stayed with the family after the bank failure, even that was lost by the end of the 1800s.

Following the discovery of oil by their son on land they owned in the Montebello hills, the Workmans’ grandson, Walter P. Temple, and his wife, Laura, bought the Workman House and surrounding land in 1917. The family decided to build a home next to the Workman House, which came to be known as La Casa Nueva (The New House). The Spanish Colonial Revival mansion is filled with architectural crafts ranging from decorative tile to stained glass to carved plaster and wood. During the 1920s, Walter Temple was involved in numerous business endeavors, including oil drilling in Alaska, Texas, Mexico, and greater Los Angeles, and real estate development in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. In 1923, he founded the Town of Temple, soon renamed as Temple City. Sadly, like the Workmans, the Temples lost their wealth through failed investments and lost the Homestead to foreclosure in 1932. After that, the property was used as a boys’ military school and a convalescent hospital before the City of Industry purchased the property in the 1960s and 1970s. Restoration of the Homestead took several years, and the museum opened in May 1981.

  • Incorporated: June 18, 1957
  • City Structure: Council / Manager Form of Government
  • Population: 440 (2017 California Department of Finance Estimate)

Demographics 

The 2020 United States census reported that Industry had a population of 264. The population density was 22.4 inhabitants per square mile (8.6/km2). The racial makeup of Industry was 119 (45.1%) White, 9 (3.4%) African American, 0 (0.0%) Native American, 37 (14.0%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 55 (20.8%) from other races, and 44 (16.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 130 persons (49.2%).[51]