Cerrito

Cerrito is the Spanish language diminutive of the word cerro, meaning "mountain" or "hill". Cerrito(s) may mean "little hill(s)"; El and los are articles equivalent to the English language word the (male/gender non-specific).

Cerrito, Cerritos, El Cerrito, or Los Cerritos may refer to:

Settlements

Cerritos, California

Cerritos (formerly known as Dairy Valley because of the preponderance of dairy farms in the area) is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,041. It is part of the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, California Metropolitan Statistical Area designated by the Office of Management and Budget.

History

Cerritos was originally inhabited by Native Americans belonging to the Tongva (or "People of the Earth"). Later, the Tongva would be renamed the "Gabrieleños" by the Spanish settlers after the nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcangel. The Gabrieleños were the largest group of Southern California Indians as well as the most developed in the region. The Gabrieleños lived off the land, deriving food from the animals or plants that could be gathered, snared, or hunted, and grinding acorns as a staple.