On August 7, 1909, the name "West Covina" appeared for the first time in a newspaper. Covina Argus editor J. L. "Louie" Matthews had heard that the people of the farming lands to the south and west of town wanted a better name for their growing community than "Walnut Center," and in an editorial, he gave voice to their desire.1,2 Consensus was immediate, and thus was "West Covina" born.
Source: Newspapers.com
References:
1 Pflueger, D. H. 1964. Covina: Sunflowers, Citrus, Subdivisions. Castle Press, Pasadena, California, 372pp.
2 Covina Argus, August 7, 1909, p.4.
