A vacation or any other tour to a particular destination becomes much more fruitful if planned appropriately and in advance. It helps save time and money and also helps you get acquainted with the location before you actually travel to it. It becomes even more critical to obtain sufficient information about a particular place if it is larger in size like the San Gabriel Valley, California.

Basic information about Sab Gabriel Valley:
San Gabriel Valley is situated in Southern California and is one of the major valleys in the state. Most of the areas of the valley are situated toward the east of the Los Angeles city. The valley comprises of San Gabriel Mountains, San Rafael Hills, Puente Hills, San Jose Hills and Chino Hills. San Gabriel River flows from the valley’s center toward the south. The valley has derived its name after the river and the river was originally named after the San Gabriel Archangel mission which was a Spanish mission originally built in the year 1771.

The valley is spread across 200 miles with 31 cities and 5 unincorporated communities that form a part of the valley. The oldest incorporated city in the valley is Pasadena which was incorporated in 1886. The valley has been inhabited by humans since the ancient times. Tongva were the first inhabitants that settled in the valley. Another native American community to have settled in the valley were the Indian tribe Hahanog-na who lived in the north. First Europeans arrived in the valley in the year 1769. The valley has a population of round 2 million and the populace of the valley is considered to be among the most diverse in the United States.

Important sites in San Gabriel Valley:
• Pasadena is the oldest city in the valley and houses several theatres and art houses.
• Pasadena also houses the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA.
• California Institute of Technology is among the top 10 universities in the world. It is also located in Pasadena.
• San Gabriel Mission is a historic site and is a popular tourist destination.

San Gabriel Valley is known for:
San Gabriel Valley is popular for the Tournament of Roses Parade which is help annually and is broadcasted live on TV on New Year’s Day. The popular Rose Bowl football game takes place after the annual parade. The valley is famous globally for the Jet Propulsion Lab among the scientific community and California Institute of Technology among the students and academicians.

Best restaurants and hotels in San Gabriel Valley:
San Gabriel Valley has a diverse population and therefore the restaurants in the valley also reflect this cultural diversity. Armando’s Mexican Restaurant, as the name suggests is famous for its Mexican food. Petrillo’s Pizza Restaurant is popular for Pizza and Pasta and San Gabriel Shanghai Restaurant is famous for the Chinese food.

Points of interest:
For academicians and students, California Institute of Technology is a major point of interest. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is of the interest of scientists and engineers. Tourists can visit several locations such as San Gabriel Mission or on New Year’s day, they can watch the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Local or travel tips:
The valley is chiefly served by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Cities in the valley have well-developed transportation systems.