Rowland Heights is an unincorporated area in and below the Puente Hills in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 48,993 at the 2010 census. Rowland Heights is in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and represented by the County of Los Angeles (County Board of Supervisors) and is the largest census designated place in Los Angeles County by area and the county's fourth largest CDP by population. The area is known for its high Chinese population and was once known as “Little Taipei” in the 80s and 90s, when the area saw an influx of wealthy immigrants from the island of Taiwan.