Introduction to La Verne, California
La Verne is situated in Los Angeles County. The city was established in 1887 and was incorporated in 1906. The city is located in the foothills of the San Gabriel-Pomona Valleys. Los Angeles is 35 miles away from La Verne. It's home to the University of La Verne.
History
In the 1830s Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado gave Don Palomares a 15,000 acre land grant. The land he acquired is now comprised of the cities of Glendora, Claremont, San Dimas, Pomona and La Verne. During the mid-1880s an enterprenuer named Issac W. Lord bought a portion of the land that Jose Palomares owned and was able to persuade the Santa Fe Railroad to place its railroad line heading to Los Angeles through his property.
In 1887 he divided the land into numerous lots which he sold and named the new town Lordsburg. While the land boom was occurring, he constructed the Lordsburg Hotel. By the time the hotel construction was finished the demand for property in the city had significantly diminished and the hotel was vacant for several years. A small group of members of the German Baptist Brethren Church purchased the hotel and convinced others of the denomination that the land was an excellent location for higher education.
They established Lordsburg College in 1891. During this era the region became covered with a variety of field crops and citrus trees. In 1917 after the death of Issac W. Lord the community decided to change the name of the town to La Verne which was the name of a unincorporated village in the area. La Verne was recognized as a thriving citrus growing area. However, after World War II ended the vast majority of the orange groves were removed in order to build homes.
Attractions in the Area
- Pomona Raceway.
- Fairplex Exposition Complex.
- Mountain Meadows Golf Course.
- Claremont Heritage.
- Raymond W. Alf Museum of Paleontology.
- Pacific Railroad Museum.
Higher Education
La Verne is home to the private non-profit University of La Verne. The university was originally named Lordsburg College. The University of La Verne is comprised of the following:
- College of Arts & Sciences.
- College of Education and Organizational Leadership.
- School of Continuing Education.
- College of Law.
- College of Business & Public Management.