La Puente, California

In 1769, the Gaspar de Portolà expedition (the first European exploration party in the Los Angeles area), along with Father Junípero Serra, built a bridge over the San Jose Creek.

In 1884, the area was named Puente (bridge in Spanish; in old Spanish the noun was often feminine, as opposed to modern Spanish el puente).

The community began in 1841 when European settlers arrived from New Mexico and obtained the 48,000 acre (194 km²) Rancho La Puente.