San Marino is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States.

[9] The city takes its name from the ancient Republic of San Marino, founded by Saint Marinus who fled his home in Dalmatia (modern Croatia) at the time of the Diocletianic Persecution.

[10][11] The seal of the City of San Marino, California is modeled on that of the republic, depicting the Three Towers of San Marino each capped with a bronze plume, surrounded by a heart-shaped scroll with two roundels and a lozenge (of unknown significance) at the top.

[13] The site of San Marino was originally occupied by a village of Tongva (Gabrieleño) Indians located approximately where the Huntington School is today.

Principal portions of San Marino were included in an 1838 Mexican land grant of 128 acres to Victoria Bartolmea Reid, a Gabrieleña Indian.

In 1873, Don Benito conveyed to his son-in-law, James DeBarth Shorb, 500 acres (2.0 km2), including Rancho Huerta de Cuati, which Shorb named "San Marino" after his grandfather's plantation in Maryland, which, in turn, was named after the Republic of San Marino located on the Italian Peninsula in Europe.

[14][15] In 1903, the Shorb rancho was purchased by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927), who built a large mansion on the property.

Their son was the World War II general George S. Patton Jr. To a prior generation of Southern Californians, San Marino was known for its old-money wealth and as a bastion of the region's WASP gentry.

The body of John Sohus was discovered in San Marino in 1994[18] and Gerhartsreiter was later convicted of the killing in 2013.

[20] San Marino is considered home to many different Chinese restaurants and is often thought to a small, quaint town with its exception to Huntington Gardens.

The city is located in the San Rafael Hills, and it is divided into seven zones, based on minimum lot size.

Because of this and other factors, most of the homes in San Marino, built between 1920 and 1950, do not resemble the houses in surrounding Southern California neighborhoods (with the exception, perhaps, of neighboring portions of Pasadena).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2), virtually all land.

[8] According to the 2020 Census, San Marino had a median household income of $174,253, with 9.0% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

With a median home price of $2,699,098,[42] San Marino is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area.

San Marino is one of the county's cities with the highest proportion of residents of Asian ancestry.

These were the ten neighborhoods in Los Angeles County with the largest percentage of Asian residents, according to the 2000 census:[49] San Marino is the location of the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Across from City Hall, at the northeast corner of Huntington Drive and San Marino Avenue, is the Centennial Clock, donated to the community in 2005 by the Rotary Club of San Marino in celebration of Rotary International's 100th anniversary.

[57] In the middle of San Marino lies Lacy Park, a 30-acre (120,000 m2) expanse of grass and trees.

Originally named Wilson Lake in 1875, the land was purchased by the city in 1925 and dedicated as a park.

It is one of the few neighborhood parks that charge for admission, with a $5 fee for non-San Marino residents on weekends.

A picnic area is often the site of musical concerts, civic events and pancake breakfasts.

[58] In recent years, proposals from SMHS alumni Brent and Derek Barker to build a dedicated dog park on the unlandscaped western edge of the park have been shelved due to strident opposition from some of the city's elderly residents.

At the west entrance of the park is the Rose Arbor, which is of special significance for the people of San Marino.

In recent years the care and upkeep of the Rose Arbor itself has been augmented by private donations from residents who have chosen to sponsor individual posts.

Elections are consolidated with the county and are held on the first Tuesday, following the first Monday in November of odd numbered years.

In 2015, the state enacted a law to require municipalities to consolidate their elections beginning January 1, 2018.

The current city council members are: San Marino's Fiscal Year 2019-2020 operating budget is $25,807,192.

Its public funding is supplemented by private donations raised through the San Marino Schools Foundation.

[52] Father of the Bride, The Wedding Singer, In Name Only, and The Holiday were filmed in San Marino.