Picture of Citrus Ave in Covina CA

About the City of Covina, CA

The City of Covina is one of the smallest cities in California. It sits on just 7 square miles and has a population of about 49,000 people. It is 22 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the Eastern San Gabriel Valley. Covina was not always this small. There was a time that it sat on just about a square mile, prompting the town slogan One Mile Square and All There. One should not confuse Covina with the City of West Covina. West Covina has a larger land area and larger population and is to the south and west of Covina.

Covina has a long history. For between 5,000 and 8,000 years it was home to the Tongva, a Native American tribe. It, however, became a city in 188 2when Joseph Swift Phillips bought a farm there several thousand acres in size. The name Covina is a combination of cove and vine. This speaks to the way the coves form around the San Gabriel Mountains. The city prospered on the production of oranges and grapefruit – it was the 3rd largest producer of oranges in 1909. Today, however, Covina is mainly home to residential homes and apartments. A mayor, a city council, and a city manager governed the city. The city has made an effort to preserve old feel of the downtown area. Many of the mom and pop small businesses provide much-needed goods and services to visitors and residents alike.

Covina Community Programs

The City of Covina has many community programs that work closely with the government and business leaders to improve the quality of life for everyone in the community. One of the biggest is Covina Center for performing arts. There you can watch and listen to all kinds of music honoring many of America’s greats. Tickets to attend events are available online.

Food banks are also a common feature of community projects in the city of Covina. There are several food kitchens where those in need can get healthy meals. Make sure to check whether you qualify as there are certain kitchens that serve only residents from certain areas. Users may have to show an ID in order to receiveĀ service. Also, the food banksĀ are not open every day of the week.

If you cannot make your way to a food kitchen for one reason or another you can take advantage of meals on wheels. Just call them and let them know your location and they will deliver meals to you there (their number is available online).

There are many service organizations where members get together to carry out different projects in the community. They include a Lion’s Club, Rotary Club, Woman’s Club, Daughters of the American Revolution, Kiwanis Club of South Hills, The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency and several others. The volunteer services that these groups provide are a vital part of community life.

A great new community program is the Five Acres – Behavioral Health Services Covina.

To finish here is one interesting bit of information. Covina is home to Rick Baker who wrote the film Men in Black.