Bell Gardens Tutors

About Bell Gardens

About ten miles southeast from downtown Los Angeles, Bell Gardens, California is considered a “Gateway City” linking Los Angeles, Orange County and the Pacific Ocean. The area which is now Bell Gardens was originally part of the Mexican land grant, Rancho San Antonio, deeded to Spanish soldier and native Californian Antonio Maria Lugo in 1810. Known as Don Antonio, Lugo was born at Mission San Antonio de Padua in Monterey Park. As a young man, he joined the Spanish army and served so faithfully that at the age of 35, in 1810, the Spanish governor of California granted him the nearly 30,000-acre rancho in one of the most sought after areas of Southern California. Separated from the San Gabriel Valley by the low rolling Puente Hills in the north and only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, Rancho San Antonio was one of the finest cattle ranges in early 19th century California with an abundance of water. Indeed, Lugo started with only a few head of horses and cattle but greatly increased his herds which thrived on the land. When his sons were born, he acquired Rancho San Bernardino and it was said at the time that Lugo’s herds ranged over a “thousand hills.” In fact, some estimated that he owned more land than any other Californian in history. Some questioned whether Don Antonio even knew how many animals he owned. He continued to retain his land after Mexican independence in 1821 and after the U.S. Mexican War in 1848. He lived to be 85 years old, dying in 1860 at one of his many adobe homes in Compton, just a few miles south of Bell Gardens. Fortunately, he didn’t live to see the terrible drought which plagued California a few years after his death and wiped out herds of cattle throughout the state including those of his sons.

For most of the late 18th century and early 19th century the area was mainly agricultural. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many Japanese-American farmers migrated south, some finding the fertile soil in Bell Gardens particularly appealing. With American entrance into World War II, however, the Japanese lost their land and were interred in concentration camps until 1945. Some returned, but after the war real estate investors began buying up land in Bell Gardens for residential developments. Today, Bell Gardens has a large Latino population.

It’s certain that a Bell Gardens tutor will help you get caught up on your most difficult academic subjects so you can take some time away from the books to experience the exciting things to do in Bell Gardens and the larger urban area. It’s just a short drive south down Interstate 710 to Long Beach harbor. Visitors to Long Beach can take a tour of the famous Queen Mary, built at a time when ocean liners were the primary way to travel overseas. The Queen Mary’s interior has been restored so that it looks much as it did when it embarked on its maiden voyage in 1936.

Long Beach Harbor is also the embarkation point for Santa Catalina Island. “26 miles across the sea,” Catalina is the gem of the Channel Islands and hosts thousands of tourists each year on its sandy beaches in the retro town of Avalon and at Two Harbors. Originally owned by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, Catalina now offers a wide variety of activities and attractions. The island’s circular, art deco Casino has a large dance floor and movie theater. Descanso Beach features cabanas, a restaurant and kayaking.