Mission San Gabriel Archangel, established in 1771, is the
cradle of the San Gabriel Valley and one of many missions in California. It
suffered from earthquake damage in the past, but it has undergone a major
restoration process over the years. In the 1990s, plans to turn the area on
Mission Road into a tourist attraction have largely failed. San Gabriel has its
own school district, San Gabriel Unified School District, which serves the
majority of citizens in San Gabriel. However, the south portions of San Gabriel
are served by Garvey School District. Alhambra Unified School District operates
San Gabriel High School, which serves both Alhambra and San Gabriel residents
who live adjacent to the school. This area brings much appraisal business as a
multitude of families move in and out of San Gabriel. Since 1993 the San
Gabriel Valley Chinese New Year parade and festival is held annually and
jointly by the cities of San Gabriel and Alhambra on Valley Boulevard, where
the road is closed off. The parade starts at Valley and Del Mar Ave in San
Gabriel (near Norms Restaurant and Hawaii Supermarket) and ends in Alhambra. |