West Covina Tutors

About West Covina

Less than twenty miles east from the downtown skyscrapers, West Covina, California is a suburb of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley. Fleeing political turmoil in New Mexico, John A. Rowland and William Workman migrated to California in 1841 where Rowland applied for a Mexican land grant. Not surprisingly, the two men found more trouble in California as they joined sides with politician Pio Pico in a dispute between native born Californians and the Mexican-born governor Manuel Micheltorena. Rowland and Workman led a group of men into battle against the forces of Micheltorena in 1845 at Cahuenga Pass in the San Fernando Valley. Named the Battle of Providencia, the short conflict ended with only two casualties, a horse and a mule. Micheltorena and his forces fled the scene giving up the governorship to Pico, who had also served as governor in the 1830’s. For their loyalty, Pico granted Rancho La Puente in the eastern San Gabriel Valley to Rowland and Workman. The future cities of Covina and West Covina were originally part of this rancho. Rowland and Workman raised cattle and crops with citrus a primary commodity. Indeed, orange and lemon groves dominated the landscape in West Covina for several decades. After World War II, however, the trees came down to make way for residential building as West Covina became the fastest growing city in the United States between 1950 and 1960 increasing its population from about 5,000 to 50,000. Today, the city has a diverse population and continues to grow.

A West Covina tutor will keep you caught up on your most difficult academic subjects so you can take time away from the books to experience the exciting things to do in West Covina and the greater Los Angeles area. For the outdoors minded, it’s just a short drive north to the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale. The park features a large lake with canoeing, kayaking and fishing as well as a swim beach. There are also several miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails around the dam. West Covina is also close to Whittier Narrows, a 1,492-acre park offering three lakes with boating and fishing, BMX racing, hiking and equestrian trails, picnic areas and a disc golf course.

For more outdoor fun, the Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park offers more recreational opportunities a few miles to the northeast in San Dimas. The park is nearly 2,000 acres surrounding Puddingstone Lake with a variety of amenities such as hiking, biking and horseback trails, picnic grounds, swimming and camping. Designated as a fishing and recreational area in the 1950’s the park has undergone numerous improvements over the years and is now one of the best outdoor facilities in Los Angeles County.

For history buffs the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is only 14 miles away in nearby Yorba Linda. The museum features a wide range of exhibits exploring subjects such as the Vietnam War, Life in the White House and Watergate. Visitors can also climb aboard Army One, the presidential helicopter used by Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. The restored helicopter is the same one which transported Nixon away from the White House after his resignation in August of 1974. The library is also the site of the house where Nixon was born in 1913. Nixon’s father built the house a year earlier and ran a citrus ranch on the property until 1922 when the family moved to Whittier.