Downeyis a city located in southeastLos Angeles County,California,United States, 13 mi (21 km) southeast ofdowntown Los Angeles. It is considered part of theGateway Cities. The city is the birthplace of theApollo space program, and is the hometown ofRichard and Karen Carpenter. It is also the home of the oldest still operationalMcDonald'srestaurant in the world. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 111,779