Whittier was a Quaker Colony established in 1887 southeast of Los Angeles. The colony was named for John Greenleaf Whittier, the famous Quaker poet from Massachusetts. Greenleaf Avenue became the main street of the town and the intersection at Philadelphia Street was selected as the town center. Like many communities in the area, citrus became the dominant industry. The first load of citrus trees were brought to Whittier to 1889. Soon the Quaker Brand was known over the United States. Quakers established schools almost everyplace they settled, and those who founded Whittier wanted it to be a college town. The roots of Whittier College can be traced in 1889 with the formation of the Whittier Academy. The name was changed to Whittier College in 1895. Richard Nixon, who moved to Whittier with his family as a child, graduated from Whittier College. - NRHP, 1 February 2002