Whittier is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The 14.7-square-mile city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 census figure. Whittier was incorporated in February 1898 and became a charter city in 1955. The city is named for the Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier and is home to Whittier College.