Azusa is a city in Los Angeles County, California, in the San Gabriel Valley at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Its population was 50,000 at the 2020 census, and the city was founded in 1887 and incorporated in 1898. The name Azusa comes from the Tongva word Azuksa, meaning skunk. The city's defining feature is its geography. Known as the Canyon City, Azusa sits at the entrance to San Gabriel Canyon, where the San Gabriel River emerges from the mountains into the valley. That position gives residents direct access to the canyon's hiking and camping and to the Angeles National Forest, a defining amenity of life in the city. Azusa also carries a layer of automobile history, sitting on the 1926 and 1933 alignment of Route 66. The historic alignment and the city's downtown evoke that era, while the modern transportation story is defined by the Metro A Line, formerly the Gold Line, which serves Azusa and connects it to Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles. The Interstate 210 freeway also runs along the city's edge, reinforcing its role as a commuter gateway at the eastern end of the San Gabriel Valley. Education anchors the community. The Azusa Unified School District operates the public schools, and Azusa Pacific University, a Christian university with roots dating to 1899, is located in the city, adding students, faculty, and campus life. The result is a San Gabriel Valley city that pairs a college-town presence and Route 66 heritage with mountain recreation and a commuter rail link to the rest of the region.