The City of Monterey Park is 7.73 square miles in size and located in the San Gabriel Valley, just east of Los Angeles.  Incorporated on May 29, 1916, it is a City that combines almost a century of history and tradition with a modern approach to business, neighborhoods, people, and community.

In the 1980s, Monterey Park was billed as "Little Taipei". Many businesses from Chinatown, Los Angeles began to open up stores in Monterey Park, such as the Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant. In the 1970s and 1980s, many waisheng ren Taiwanese immigrants began moving into Monterey Park and Mandarin Chinese was dominant in the city during that time period. By the late 1980s, however, immigrants from Mainland China and Vietnam have moved into Monterey Park as well. In the 1990 census this city had the first Asian descent majority population in the continental United States.

It is conveniently located adjacent to three major freeways that provide north-south and east-west access to all of Southern California - bounded on the west by the Long Beach Freeway (710), on the north by the San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10), and the south by the Pomona Freeway (State Highway 60).  Because of its central location and proximity to downtown Los Angeles, Monterey Park is well served by public rail and bus transit lines, providing residents and employees with many alternative ways to traveling to work, shopping, and home.