Duarte is a city in Los Angeles County, California, with a 2020 population of 21,727. It is located along historic U.S. Route 66 and is bordered by the San Gabriel Mountains and nearby cities including Bradbury, Monrovia, Irwindale, and Azusa. The city is named after Andrés Avelino Duarte, a ranchero who founded the community on his land grant, Rancho Azusa de Duarte.
The area was originally settled around 500 B.C. by Shoshonean-speaking Native Americans, later called Gabrieliño or Tongva, who relied on oak trees for acorn-based meals. European contact began in 1769 with Spanish expeditions led by Don Gaspar de Portolà and diarist Juan Crespí. In 1771, the Franciscans established Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, which became a hub for converting the Tongva to agriculture. After Mexican independence in 1821, mission lands were nationalized.









