WHO WE ARE: PROFILING GLENDALE AND BURBANK GLENDALE OFFERS CHANCES FOR THOSE IN ETHNIC GROUPS.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

GLENDALE - Those of Armenian ancestry form the largest ethnic group in Glendale - overshadowing other groups by at least twice as much - and continue to be the largest source of immigrants to the city, according to 2000 Census figures.

Nearly 54,000 people in Glendale - whose population is estimated at about 200,000 - identified themselves as having Armenian roots. About 7,200 of them came to Glendale after 1995.

Glendale residents who participated in the census questionnaire identified themselves in 42 separate ethnic categories - but combining people of related heritage, Latinos, Asians and those of European descent creates significant population blocks.

Glendale City Manager Jim Starbird, however, said the numbers revealed generalized truths about the community but warned against reading too much into them.

``It causes me to ask for a lot more information,'' Starbird said. ``Without more detail and looking more deeply into the numbers, you can arrive at conclusions both positive and negative, that are not truly reflective of the population.''

According to the census results, Armenians rank next to last on the list for median household incomes at $28,505, and are in the bottom third of the list for the percent of those 25 and over with a bachelor's degree or higher at 23.3 percent.

Those of Egyptian ancestry, however, reported a median household income of $69,063, and 75.9 percent of the population 25 and over has a bachelor's degree or higher, but their population is reported at 467 people.

``You can't come to a conclusion that Egyptians are wealthier,'' Starbird said. ``One family making $50 million a year could be driving that number.'' The new figures could translate into increased funding and political muscle for groups that make a strong showing, some said.

Ardashes Kassakhian, director of the Armenian National Committee of America's Western Region, said the organization encouraged Armenian- Americans to participate in the census because it felt the group had been underserved in terms of opportunities within the city.

``To statewide candidates and even presidential candidates, it sends an important message that Armenians are a significant portion of the population of Southern California and we vote,'' he said.

CLAUDIA YERNAZIAN

Staying true to her roots

Claudia Yernazian moved to the United States in 1982 from Argentina, where her family was heavily involved in the country's thriving Armenian community.

In a city where residents of Armenian ancestry make up the largest ethnic block - at least 53,840 in Glendale, according to the 2000 Census - Yernazian works hard to be true to her mixed cultures and to pass them on to her twins Soledad and John, now 18.

``I'm very proud of being Armenian - I speak Armenian, cook Armenian food and keep the customs and cultures, and my kids love the food, have Armenian friends and go to Armenian functions,'' said Yernazian, 46. ``And we speak Spanish at home. My kids don't speak Armenian. That's how I was able to preserve the Spanish language at home.''

Yernazian worked as a highly paid jet engine mechanic until she was laid off in the early 1990s. After years of struggling, she was able to climb back to the same salary - making well above the reported Armenian median household income of $28,505 in Glendale - as a notary public who is administrative assistant to the chief counsel of Cigna HealthCare.

``It was very easy to switch countries,'' said Yernazian, whose father was born in Philadelphia. ``I didn't have to learn English like a lot of Armenians do, because I came to the country knowing the language.''

RICHARD "DICK" KEMP

Remembering the early days

Richard ``Dick'' Kemp, born in 1925 at the Glendale Sanitarium and Hospital - now known as Glendale Adventist - remembers when houses and people were scarce in Glendale.

``They had a horse ranch where they bred and trained horses next to Glenoaks Elementary School,'' said the 78-year-old. ``You felt like you'd gone from the cow country to the big city.''

Kemp's mother was an emigrant from Norway in the early 1900s and his father's grandparents were German immigrants - which adds up to making him an American, he said.

About 21 percent of those who responded to a 2000 Census questionnaire in Glendale identified themselves as of German ancestry while about 2.5 percent classified themselves as of Norwegian backgrounds.

A successful architect, according to the Department of Education - he's the architect of record on 354 public school projects in California, he said - Kemp followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father. Now, he's retired and his son is taking over his firm.

Kemp's five children - exceeding Glendale's highest average household size of 3.43 - began echoing his path early on while growing up in Glenoaks Canyon. They all attended Glenoaks Elementary, Wilson Junior High School and Glendale High School. Kemp graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, and each of his children graduated from a university.

FRANCISCO J. GUERRA

Bringing the whole family along

Francisco J. Guerra left Mexico and his family as a 17-year-old boy in 1985 to find a job in the United States. He eventually moved his entire family when he got settled.

``I told my family in Mochoacan that Glendale was very peaceful, that it was accessible with lots of stores and good schools,'' said the 35-year-old.

Guerra got a certificate and began working as a mechanic, earning a little more than the $36,207 median household income of Glendale's population of Mexican descent.

Guerra's parents and three siblings moved to Glendale to be with him in 1987, part of a steady wave of Mexican immigrants moving to the city. Glendale's reported population of 22,029 people of Mexican ancestry is second only to Armenians, according to census figures.

The family worked hard - with Guerra as a mechanic and his brother as a welder - and pooled their resources to buy a house in South Glendale.

Guerra recently got married and said he would like to raise children in the city.

CAPTION(S):

photo, 3 boxes

Photo:

Claudia Yernazian, an Armenian immigrant from Argentina living in Glendale, says that she was ahead of the game in the U.S. because ``I came to the country knowing the language.''

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) CLAUDIA YERNAZIAN (see text)

(2) RICHARD ``DICK'' KEMP (see text)

(3) FRANCISCO J. GUERRA (see text)