1542Infrastructure
While Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo first discovered California for Spain in 1542, Spanish colonization did not begin until 1769 with the Portolá expedition.
1771Government
In 1771, the entire valley, including present-day Monrovia, came under the domain of the newly established Mission San Gabriel, initially located along the San Gabriel River nea...
1833History
Following Mexico's independence from Spain and the Mexican Congress's enactment of secularization laws in 1833, the government of Alta California began the process of secularizi...
1875History
Rancho Santa Anita then changed hands several times before Lucky Baldwin acquired it on April 8, 1875.
1885History
Monroe acquired an additional 90 acres in 1885.
1886Military
In 1886, Monroe partnered with Edward F.
1887Government
Incorporated in 1887, it has grown from a sparse community of orange ranches to a residential community of over 37,000.
1888Military
Monrovia was connected to Los Angeles by rail in 1888 through the efforts of the San Gabriel Valley Rapid Transit Railroad Company.
1890History
=== Surrounding areas ===
== Demographics ==
Monrovia first appeared as a town in the 1890 U.S.
1892Infrastructure
The Los Angeles Terminal Railway briefly assumed control over the rail line in 1892 before selling the railway to Southern Pacific in 1893.
1900History
Census; and as a city in the 1900 U.S.
1903Government
In 1903, the Pacific Electric railway opened a line to Monrovia.
1910History
It also contributed to Monrovia's growth with the population nearly tripling over a decade to 3,576 in 1910.
1920History
From 1920 to 1930, Monrovia's population increased from 5,480 to 10,890.
1923Military
After construction stagnated during World War I, it increased in the post-war years with a record number of building permits being issued in 1923.
1930Government
In 1930, the Monrovia Airport, also known as the Foothill Flying Club, was commercially established.
1932Infrastructure
The small airstrip claimed to have had 12,000 paying customers use the airfield in 1932 and on May 19, 1938, the first airmail flight took off from Monrovia Airport.
1953History
The 35-acre airfield, used as a runway as well as an airplane repair and storage service, was forced to close in 1953 after being sold to Consolidated Engineering Corporation fo...
1956Architecture
In 1956, the old Carnegie library building was torn down and a new library was constructed.
1961Disaster
The Granite Building has served as the city hall, fire and police department facilities since 1961 and the fire department since 1974.
1986History
== Notable people ==
Ashley Sanchez Professional Soccer Player for the Washington Spirit in the NWSL and the USWNT
== In popular culture ==
The house seen in the 1986 horror-...
1995Military
In 1995, Monrovia received the All America City Award from the National Civic League.
2000Infrastructure
reported that in 2000, Mexican (27.0%) and German (7.9%) were the most common ancestries.
2007Civil Rights
In March 2007, a new library was voted on by the people of Monrovia.
2016Architecture
In 2016, Metro opened a new at-grade light rail station in Monrovia, Monrovia station, at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Duarte Road.
2018History
The exterior house seen in the 2018 post-apocalyptic horror thriller film Bird Box, which was streamed worldwide on Netflix, is at 304 North Canyon Boulevard and the corner of E...
2023History
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $97,083, and the per capita income was $47,622.
2024History
In 2024, a mother black bear and her young cubs began regularly visiting a home in Monrovia situated close to the mountains to cool-off and play in the property's swimming pool.