Monrovia always had big dreams of remaining a small town.

For more than 30 years, it toiled to shed blight and biker bars and redevelop itself into a 21st century version of quaint Americana.

Today it is home to a number of national retailers, a cafe-lined downtown and one of the largest concentrations of high-tech firms in the San Gabriel Valley, all spread at the foot of a majestic mountain range.
 
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