Unincorporated community in California, United States
This article is about the unincorporated community called East Los Angeles. For the broader region, see
Eastside Los Angeles
.
Place in California, United States
East Los Angeles
(
Spanish
:
Este de Los Angeles
), or
East L.A.
, is an
unincorporated area
situated within
Los Angeles County, California
, United States. According to the
United States Census Bureau
, East Los Angeles is designated as a
census-designated place
(CDP) for statistical purposes. The most recent data from the
2020 census
reports a population of 118,786, reflecting a 6.1% decrease compared to the
2010
population of 126,496.
[3]
The
concentration of Hispanic/Latino Americans
is 95.16 percent, the highest of any city or census-designated place in the United States outside of
Puerto Rico
.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
Original East Los Angeles
[
edit
]
Historically, when it was founded in 1873, the neighborhood northeast of downtown known today as
Lincoln Heights
was originally named East Los Angeles, but in 1917 residents voted to change the name to its present name. Today it is considered part of
L.A.'s Eastside
, the geographic region east of the
Los Angeles River
that includes three neighborhoods within the city of Los Angeles (
Boyle Heights
,
El Sereno
and Lincoln Heights) and the unincorporated community in Los Angeles County known today as "East Los Angeles". Lincoln Heights is 4 miles (6 km) northwest of present-day East Los Angeles. When Lincoln Heights, the first east-side subdivision created in 1873, changed its name in 1917, Belvedere (Belvedere Gardens and Belvedere Heights) and surrounding unincorporated county areas were given the moniker of East Los Angeles. By the 1930s, most maps had started to label the Belvedere area as "East Los Angeles".
Belvedere
[
edit
]
The cornerstone of the first building of
Occidental College
was laid in September 1887 on Rowan Street.
[5]
In 1896, the building was destroyed by fire.
[5]
On April 2, 1905, it was reported that the
Janss Investment Company
would be developing an area "on Boyle Heights" (later,
Boyle Heights
would refer only to a smaller area to the west, i.e. the neighborhood now called Boyle Heights within the Los Angeles city limits). The 170-acre (0.69 km
2
) tract was located at the eastern terminus of the
Los Angeles Railway
's
"R" streetcar line
.
Originally known as "Hazard's Eastside Extension", was to be named
Highland Villa
,
[6]
but would later be rechristened
Belvedere Heights
.
[7]
[8]
Belvedere Heights, at its launch in 1905, extended from the L.A. city limits (Indiana Av.) on the west to Rowan Av. on the east, from Aliso St. on the south to Wabash Av. on the north, the northwestern portion of today's East Los Angeles,
[6]
thus including the lower portions of what today is called
City Terrace
.
By the early 1920s, workers in the sprouting industrial district to the south were seeking nearby housing. At the time, the unincorporated region was undeveloped and or preserved for
agriculture
and
oil extraction
.
[9]
Belvedere township included the territory that in 1902 became the city of
Montebello
.
[10]
By 1922 Janss advertised that it had sold 6000 lots there and that 35,000 people lived in Belvedere Heights. Buildings that were described as being in Belvedere Heights included the junior high school on Record between Brooklyn and Michigan, now called Belvedere Middle School.
[11]
In February 1921 Janss announced that it had purchased 150 acres (61 ha) adjacent to the end of the streetcar line on Stephenson Avenue, now
Whittier Boulevard
, south of Belvedere Heights, and divided the empty land into housing lots of square-mile
grid cells
.
[12]
Janss called the new tract
Belvedere Gardens
,
[11]
an area still found today on maps for the area east of the
Long Beach Freeway
.
[13]
The area was able to avoid being annexed into the City of Los Angeles because of a private groundwater utility formed in 1926 now known as the
California Water Service
, which would later become a customer of the
Metropolitan Water District
. Prior to the passage of
Proposition 13
in 1978, governing bodies would set property taxes independently leading to a cumulative overlapping rate including bond taxes for large infrastructure projects such as the building of the Port of Los Angeles; however unincorporated areas were often forced to incorporate or be annexed into these taxing entities in order to obtain critical municipal services such as water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct. For decades, the lack of a city property tax and bond taxes made East Los Angeles a tax haven for the working class.
New name: East Los Angeles
[
edit
]
In 1932 local business leaders gave the name East Los Angeles to Belvedere and adjacent areas (that had been known as Belvedere Gardens, Belvedere Heights, Laguna, etc.) However, in 1937 the Automobile Club of Southern California put up three large signs, "Belvedere Gardens". This led to the business leaders uprooting the signs, with a "burial ceremony" for the signs with 150 state, county and city officials attending, and rechristening the area, East Los Angeles. Several county buildings were renamed in line with the new appellation. At that time the area had 75,000 residents and was "declared to be the largest unincorporated locality in the world."
[14]
East Los Angeles was a significant site during the
Chicano Movement
, which included the
East L.A. Walkouts
in 1968 and the National
Chicano Moratorium
, in which
Ruben Salazar
was killed.
[15]
[16]
Multiple campaigns by residents have been made for
cityhood
for East Los Angeles, such as in 2010.
[17]
Geography
[
edit
]
East L.A. is located immediately east of the
Boyle Heights
district of Los Angeles, south of the
El Sereno
district of Los Angeles, north of the city of
Commerce
, and west of the cities of
Monterey Park
and
Montebello
.
The unincorporated area known as
City Terrace
[18]
occupies the northern part of the CDP. The Census Bureau definition of the area may not precisely correspond to the local understanding of the community.
Climate
[
edit
]
East L.A. has a very warm
hot-summer Mediterranean climate
.
Climate data for East Los Angeles, California (1981?2010 normals)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)
|
73
(23)
|
74
(23)
|
76
(24)
|
80
(27)
|
83
(28)
|
85
(29)
|
90
(32)
|
92
(33)
|
91
(33)
|
83
(28)
|
77
(25)
|
73
(23)
|
81
(27)
|
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)
|
48
(9)
|
48
(9)
|
51
(11)
|
53
(12)
|
57
(14)
|
61
(16)
|
65
(18)
|
65
(18)
|
63
(17)
|
58
(14)
|
52
(11)
|
47
(8)
|
56
(13)
|
Average
precipitation
inches (mm)
|
3.78
(96)
|
3.53
(90)
|
2.66
(68)
|
0.93
(24)
|
0.33
(8.4)
|
0.06
(1.5)
|
0.01
(0.25)
|
0.03
(0.76)
|
0.18
(4.6)
|
0.30
(7.6)
|
1.21
(31)
|
2.43
(62)
|
16.43
(417)
|
Source:
[19]
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
East Los Angeles is the least ethnically diverse community in
Los Angeles County
, as noted by the
Los Angeles Times'
"
Mapping L.A.
" survey.
Mexican
(85.4%) and
Italian
(0.2%) are the most common ancestries.
Mexico
and
El Salvador
were the most common foreign places of birth.
[20]
2010
[
edit
]
The
2010 United States Census
[21]
reported that East Los Angeles had a population of 126,496.
Population density
was 16,973.5 people per square mile (6,553.5/km
2
). The racial makeup of East Los Angeles was 53,934 (50.5%)
White
(1.5% Non-Hispanic White),
[22]
817 (0.6%)
African American
, 1,549 (1.2%)
Native American
, 1,144 (0.9%)
Asian
, 63 (0.0%)
Pacific Islander
, 54,846 (43.4%) from
other races
, and 4,143 (4.3%) from two or more races.
Hispanic
or
Latino
of any race were 122,784 persons (97.1%).
The Census reported that 126,176 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 174 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 146 (0.1%) were institutionalized.
There were 30,816 households, out of which 17,509 (56.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15,497 (50.3%) were
opposite-sex married couples
living together, 7,104 (23.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3,238 (10.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,516 (8.2%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 199 (0.6%)
same-sex married couples or partnerships
. 3,781 households (12.3%) were made up of individuals, and 1,781 (5.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.09. There were 25,839
families
(83.8% of all households); the average family size was 4.33.
The population was spread out, with 39,804 people (31.5%) under the age of 18, 15,193 people (12.0%) aged 18 to 24, 37,354 people (29.5%) aged 25 to 44, 23,281 people (18.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 10,864 people (8.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
There were 32,201 housing units at an average density of 4,320.8 per square mile (1,668.3/km
2
), of which 10,986 (35.7%) were owner-occupied, and 19,830 (64.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.2%. 47,123 people (37.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 79,053 people (62.5%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, East Los Angeles had a median household income of $37,982, with 26.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
[22]
2000
[
edit
]
As of 2000,
[23]
there were 124,283 people, 29,844 households, and 25,068 families residing in the community. The population density was 16,697.4 inhabitants per square mile (6,446.9/km
2
). There were 31,096 housing units at an average density of 4,177.8 per square mile (1,613.1/km
2
). The racial makeup of the community was 39.3%
White
, 4.52%
Black
or
African American
, 1.29%
Native American
, 0.77%
Asian
, 0.06%
Pacific Islander
, 54.01% from
other races
, and 4.22% from two or more races. 96.8% of the population were
Hispanic
or
Latino
.
As of 2000, speakers of
Spanish
as a
first language
accounted for 87.30%, while
English
accounted for 12.65%,
Japanese
was spoken by 0.16%,
Armenian
made up 0.09%,
Vietnamese
was at 0.07%,
Chinese
at 0.05%,
Russian
at 0.04%,
Tagalog
at 0.03%, and
Mandarin
was at 0.03% of the population.
[24]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1960
| 104,270
| | ?
|
---|
1970
| 104,881
| | 0.6%
|
---|
1980
| 110,017
| | 4.9%
|
---|
1990
| 126,379
| | 14.9%
|
---|
2000
| 124,283
| | ?1.7%
|
---|
2010
| 126,496
| | 1.8%
|
---|
2020
| 118,786
| | ?6.1%
|
---|
There were 29,844 households, out of which 51.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.0% were non-families. 12.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.15 and the average family size was 4.42.
The age distribution of the community was as follows: 34.6% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 14.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.2 males.
The median income for a household in the community was $28,544, and the median income for a family was $29,755. Males had a median income of $21,065 versus $18,475 for females. The
per capita income
for the community was $9,543. About 24.7% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.0% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over. East Los Angeles has a very large Latino population that consists of Mexicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, and Nicaraguans.
Latino communities
These were the ten
cities
or
neighborhoods
in Los Angeles County with the largest percentage of
Latino residents
, according to the 2000 census:
[27]
- East Los Angeles, California
, 96.7%
- Maywood, California
, 96.4%
- City Terrace, California
, 94.4%
- Huntington Park, California
, 95.1%
- Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
, 94.0%
- Cudahy, California
, 93.8%
- Bell Gardens, California
, 93.7%
- Commerce, California
93.4%
- Vernon, California
, 92.6%
- South Gate, California
, 92.1%
Homelessness
[
edit
]
In 2022,
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
's Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count counted 617 homeless individuals in East Los Angeles.
[28]
Government
[
edit
]
In the
United States House of Representatives
house, East Los Angeles is in the
California's 34th congressional district
district served by
Jimmy Gomez
.
At the
California State Legislature
, East Los Angeles is in
the 26th Senate District
, represented by
Democrat
Maria Elena Durazo
, and in
the 52nd Assembly District
, represented by
Democrat
Wendy Carrillo
.
[29]
As East Los Angeles is an unincorporated community, it does not have a local government and relies on the County of Los Angeles for local services. Supervisor
Hilda L. Solis
represents East LA on the
Board of Supervisors
.
The East Los Angeles
county hall
houses the
Los Angeles County Department of Public Works
- East Los Angeles Building And Safety Office.
[30]
Since East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area, fire protection in East Los Angeles is provided by the
Los Angeles County Fire Department
with ambulance transport by
Care Ambulance Service
.
The
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
(LASD) operates the East Los Angeles Station in East Los Angeles.
[31]
The
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
operates the Central Health Center in
Downtown Los Angeles
, serving East Los Angeles.
[32]
The
United States Postal Service
East Los Angeles Post Office is located at 975 South
Atlantic Boulevard
.
[33]
Transportation
[
edit
]
Light rail
service to East L.A. is provided by the
E Line
's Eastside Extension, which opened in 2009 as the Gold Line. The E Line train is not the first light rail line to travel to East LA. In the early 1900s, people needing to access the cemeteries on the east side took the streetcar, the Stephenson Avenue Line. Stephenson Avenue (before 1920) now known as Whittier Boulevard. In time factories needed a better road to move their goods south. Stephenson Avenue was public choice. Historian Matt Roth of the
Auto Club
says Whittier Boulevard is the main thoroughfare through the east side. "The City Council renamed it Whittier Boulevard in 1921," he says, "out of recognition that it was serving an inter-regional function because it was the main road to Whittier and beyond."
[34]
Into the 1960s
Union Pacific
Chicago
-bound passenger trains made stops in East Los Angeles.
[35]
The
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(Metro) provides
bus
service from East L.A. throughout the L.A. area. A Metro Customer Center is located at 4501 B Whittier Blvd.
[36]
Local shuttle service is provided by
El Sol
(the East Los Angeles Shuttle).
The Metro Atlantic
Parking Structure
is a paid daily on-site parking with 238 spaces and paid reserved on-site parking 24 spaces supporting the E Line.
[37]
Bike rack
Spaces and bike lockers also support most E Line stations.
Education
[
edit
]
Primary and secondary schools
[
edit
]
Public schools
[
edit
]
East Los Angeles is split between
Los Angeles Unified School District
and
Montebello Unified School District
.
[38]
[39]
LAUSD operates Amanecer PC in East Los Angeles, which is a
preschool
.
[40]
LAUSD
elementary schools
in East Los Angeles include Anton, Belvedere, Brooklyn Avenue, City Terrace, Eastman, Fourth Street, Ford Boulevard
(open July 1, 1923), Harrison, Humphreys Avenue Elementary School and
STEM
Magnet
School (open July 1, 1922), Robert F. Kennedy, Marianna, Rowan Avenue and Hamasaki Elementary
medical
and
science
magnet
, originally named Riggin Elementary School and renamed in 1990.
[41]
[39]
Montebello USD schools include Gascon Elementary School, Montebello Park Elementary School, and Winter Gardens Elementary School.
[39]
At one time Hammel Elementary School was in East Los Angeles.
[42]
Middle schools
include Belvedere and Griffith
STEAM
Magnet.
[39]
In 2017, a petition was started to remove the name
D. W. Griffith
from the East Los Angeles middle school because his 1915 film
The Birth of a Nation
celebrated the
Ku Klux Klan
.
[43]
[39]
Griffith who also co-produced
The Life of General Villa
, a
biographical
action?drama film starring
Pancho Villa
as himself, shot on location in Mexico during the
Mexican Revolution
.
[44]
James A. Garfield High School
and
Computer Science
Magnet is the sole traditional LAUSD public
high school
in East Los Angeles.
[39]
Garfield High School opened its doors in 1925, grades 7 through 12. It was a six-year school in which one could earn two diplomas, one from Garfield Junior High School after completion of 9th grade and one from Garfield Senior High School. By the late 1930s, Garfield became overcrowded and a new Junior High School for grades 7 through 9 was built, Kern Avenue Junior High School, located on Fourth Street and Kern Avenue, now called Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School.
[45]
Garfield High School participates in the "
East LA Classic
" against
Theodore Roosevelt High School
a
football
game that traditionally draws over 25,000 fans.
[46]
Ramona Opportunity High School, an alternative all
girl public high school
, is in East Los Angeles serving grades 7-12.
[47]
Esteban Torres High School
opened in 2010 on the former Hammel Street Elementary School grounds and in former housing developments. There are five autonomous pilot high schools located on the
Esteban E. Torres
High School campus, part of the Los Angeles Education Partnership's network of partner and community schools.
[42]
[48]
[49]
Monterey High School, a continuation high school, serves the needs of at-risk students in the East Los Angeles community.
In 2013 adult education programs from the
Eastside Learning Center
and
East Los Angeles Occupational Center
relocated at the
East Los Angeles Star Hospital
site to form an adult learning center and high school academy. The modified 1929, three-story structure houses the
Hilda L. Solis Learning Academy School of Technology, Business and Education
(STBE) high school and
East LA Star Adult Education
[50]
[51]
East Los Angeles College
(ELAC) was part of unincorporated East Los Angeles before it was annexed by Monterey Park in the early 1970s.
Charter schools
[
edit
]
Other schools in the area include the
Knowledge Is Power Program
(KIPP)
charter schools
Raices Academy (Grades
Transitional kindergarten
(TK)-4), Iluminar Academy (Grades TK-4), Sol Academy (Grades 5-8), Academy of Innovation (Grades 5-8).
[52]
The KIPP is a nationwide network of free open-enrollment college-preparatory schools. The Arts in Action Community Charter Elementary School (Grades TK-5) open and started classes at its new school site in the 2019?2020 school year.
[53]
Five middle schools that include in 2014 the Animo
Ellen Ochoa
Charter Middle School was founded and named after former
astronaut
and Director of the
Johnson Space Center
. The Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 8 opened August 1, 2014.
[54]
The Arts in Action Charter Middle school opened in summer 2020.
Construction of a new Ednovate Charter High School to be named Esperanza College Prep was started on October 2021. Expected to be ready by fall 2022. Once completed, about 440 Esperanza students currently split between Hilda Solis Learning Academy and the former Our Lady of Soledad (
Our Lady of Solitude
) School will be taught under one roof. A performance space and a
dance studio
will allow a
Baile Folklorico
dance program to practice.
[55]
The Alliance Morgan McKinzie High School opened August 31, 2009.
[56]
The
Oscar De La Hoya Animo Charter High School
was temporary in the Salesian Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles before it moved to it new location in Boyle Heights (it opened its doors in August 2003).
Private schools
[
edit
]
The
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
operates
Catholic
private schools
in the CDP.
[39]
Schools include
Our Lady of Lourdes
School (July 1, 1980 K-8),
[57]
St. Alphonsus
School (July 1, 1980 K-8),
[58]
and
Our Lady of Guadalupe
School (July 1, 1980 K-8).
[59]
Public libraries
[
edit
]
East Los Angeles
[
edit
]
The
County of Los Angeles Public Library
operates the East Los Angeles Library.
[39]
[60]
The East Los Angeles Library opened on May 1, 1923; originally it was a collection of books in a store. A building was built to house the collection several months later. A new library building opened in 1924. In 1932 the library moved to a new building. In 1967 the library moved into another building, which was 15,120 square feet (1,405 m
2
) large. In 2004 the library moved to its current location, a 26,300 square feet (2,440 m
2
) facility designed by Stephen Finney of the
Glendale
firm CWA AIA, Inc. The current library has areas for adults and children, the
Chicano
Resource Center (CRC) established in 1976, a 175-person meeting room, a computer room, a Friends of the Library bookstore, and free parking areas. The library design has
Mayan
design and themes, as requested from area residents. References to the sun and moon, which are themes in Mayan art, were incorporated in the library.
[60]
Anthony Quinn
[
edit
]
The county operates the
Anthony Quinn
Library with a
moderne architecture
, originally known as the Belvedere Library, which opened in January 1914. In 1925 the library moved to a storefront facility; at that time its collection was several thousand books. In 1937 the library moved to a new site. In 1973 the library moved to its current location. On January 5, 1982, the library took its current name; the childhood house of actor Anthony Quinn was located on the present day site of the library, and the library was renamed after Quinn. In 1987, Quinn donated his collection of movie scripts, scrapbooks, and personal papers to the library name after him.
[61]
The First Supervisorial District funded a renovation that occurred in 2000. The library reopened in February 2001 with a new appearance and new furnishings.
[39]
[62]
Other
[
edit
]
The county operates the El Camino Real Library at 5,529 sq ft. with a meeting room capacity 45.
[39]
[63]
The library opened in 1929 as the Stephenson Library. In 1972 the library moved to its current location, and in 1975 it was rededicated as the El Camino Real library, as it is located on the historic
El Camino Real
.
[63]
The library was rededicated again in November 2014 after a renovation and expansion that added a
meeting room
, teen area, and outdoor reading patio.
[64]
The county operates the City Terrace Library. The library has been in its current location since 1979 and refurbished in 2009.
[39]
[65]
[66]
Notable places
[
edit
]
Our Lady of Solitude
[
edit
]
Our Lady of Solitude
, known as Soledad Church, opened its doors on
Christmas Day
in 1925. Located in the neighborhood now known as Old Town Maravilla. The church was constructed in
Spanish Colonial Revival
architecture. In December 1931, the Church held its first outdoor procession in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a ritual that continues today. The Guadalupe
Procession
is the oldest religious procession in Los Angeles.
[67]
Starting in the 1960s, labor leader
Cesar Chavez
and members of the
United Farm Workers
met with the Claretian priests, who also became activists, in the church's basement. The street in front of the church is known as
Cesar Chavez Avenue
. In October 1993, the
Los Angeles City Council
and the
County Board of Supervisors
approved the renaming of the stretch of roadway, but agreed to delay the change until 1994 and to put up historic plaques along Brooklyn Avenue to accommodate the opposition,
[68]
many of whom believed that the new name would cause people to forget the
Jewish history of the area
. In 1979, the tile-clad
cupola
and
bell tower
were removed due to termite damage, and the
bells
were reinstalled near the church entrance.
[69]
The Golden Gate Theater
[
edit
]
The former
Golden Gate Theater
movie palace a
Spanish Baroque Revival
Churrigueresque
-style building built in 1927, is one of fewer than two dozen buildings in Los Angeles in the Spanish Churrigueresque style and one of a few remaining in southern California. The Golden Gate Theater is the first East Los Angeles building listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.
[70]
Maravilla Handball Court and El Centro Grocery
[
edit
]
Completed in 1928 the Maravilla
handball
court was built brick-by-brick by residents, with the El Centro Grocery and residence added in 1946. The oldest remaining handball court in the Los Angeles region. In the early 1940s, Michi and Tommy Nishiyama operated the property and in the 1950s following Michi's internment at a
Japanese relocation camp
. The only court in East Los Angeles where players still played
bola basca
, also known as
Basque pelota
.
[71]
In 2012, the Maravilla handball court and grocery store were put on the
California Register of Historical Resources
.
[72]
Veterans memorial
[
edit
]
The obelisk-shaped monument at Atlantic Park was dedicated on May 30, 1930,
[73]
during a Memorial Day Parade that ended at what was then called Belvedere Gardens Park. A plaque on the monument reads, "In memory of heroes of all American wars." According to a
Los Angeles Times
story at the time, over 2,000 ex-servicemen and members of service clubs marched in the parade.
[
citation needed
]
Latino Walk of Fame
[
edit
]
The Walk of Fame is similar to the one in
Hollywood
but with a focus on
Latino
celebrities. The Latino Walk of Fame was inaugurated on April 30, 1997, to honor outstanding leaders who have made historical and social contributions with a Sun Plaque on Whittier Boulevard the heart of East L.A. Spaces have been created for over 280 plaques. Permanent granite plaques have been put in place for the first 20 honorees. The merchants’ association of East Los Angeles sponsors a comprehensive clean-up campaign that cleans the sidewalks and gutters daily and removes litter and trash.
[74]
[75]
Though the Latino Walk of Fame is there, it seems to go unnoticed, "The Latino Walk of Fame had a good run once it started...".
El Pino
[
edit
]
El Pino (The Pine Tree)
is a large
bunya pine
located on the southeastern corner of Folsom Street and N. Indiana Street overlooking the Wellington Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles and the Boyle Heights from atop a small hill.
[76]
The people of East Los Angeles consider the tree a
living monument
of the area's multifaceted ethnic background.
[77]
The tree has become a symbol of community resistance to the
gentrification
of their neighborhood.
[77]
[78]
Parks and recreation
[
edit
]
Los Angeles County operates parks and recreation in East Los Angeles.
Built in 1942 and originally known as Soledad Park, the 39.1-acre (15.8 ha) Belvedere Community Regional Park has a baseball diamond and picnic area that was upgrade in the 1980s, basketball courts, a playground, community center, fitness zone, gymnasium, skate park, soccer field, splash pad, an Olympic-size swimming pool, and tennis courts.
[39]
[79]
The park was renamed in 1949 and has a
Vernacular architecture
style. The LA county constructed a courthouse and sheriff's station on the south end of Belvedere Park in the mid-1950s. Then more buildings were added in time, in conjunction with the East Los Angeles Library, turning the southern end of the park into in effect a civic center. The construction of the
Pomona Freeway
(I-60) in the 1960s cut through the park, dividing it into two connected by a bridge. In the late 1960s the county also constructed a pond (Belvedere Lake) in the southern area of the park, known to locals as "El Parque de los Patos" (The duck park). The park is a popular place for festivals and host musicians, artisans, fishing and other events in its lakeside amphitheater. The
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
supplies the lake with
rainbow trout
during the Winter through early Spring and
catfish
during the Summer. There are also some
largemouth bass
,
carp
and
bluegill
in the lake.
[80]
On August 29, 1970, Belvedere Park was the starting point of the
Chicano Moratorium
. An estimated 30,000 people marched from Belvedere Park to Laguna Park (now Salazar Park). In the 1990s the northern region of the part was revitalized.
[81]
Atlantic Avenue Park has a children's play area, picnic, and barbecue areas, a men's locker room, a women's locker room, and a 50-meter, six-lane swimming pool. In addition, the park has a rose garden maintained by volunteers.
[82]
Eugene A. Obregon Park is named after
Eugene A. Obregon
, a veteran and
Medal of Honor
recipient. The park's official opening was on May 26, 1966. The park includes basketball courts, ceramic rooms, a community room, a computer center, a fitness zone, a gymnasium, a multi-purpose field, a swimming pool, and a walking path.
[39]
[83]
The 8.4-acre (3.4 ha)
Salazar Park
is within East Los Angeles and has a
moderne architecture
. The county purchased the original 1.47 acres (0.59 ha) of park property from
Cedars of Lebanon Hospital
on March 8, 1938. The land was officially designated as the "East Los Angeles Playground" two months later. On June 25, 1940, the property was renamed the "Laguna Park and Playground." On September 17, 1970, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors gave the park its current name. The park includes a baseball diamond, basketball courts, a children's play area, a community room, a computer center, a gymnasium, picnic shelters, a senior center, a swimming pool, and tennis courts.
[39]
[84]
On August 29, 2014, the County dedicated a plaque at the site in honor of Ruben Salazar.
[85]
The 4.8-acre (1.9 ha) Saybrook Park is also in East Los Angeles. The County Board of Supervisors approved final plans for developing the park on May 1, 1973. The park includes two outdoor basketball courts, a ball diamond, children's play areas, a community building with a community room, a computer technology building with a computer room, picnic and barbecue areas, and a tennis court.
[39]
[86]
City Terrace County Park was developed in 1933 by
Works Progress Administration
crews; the park occupied a piece of 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) terrace that was formed after crews hacked a rugged and barren hill. In 1957 600,000 cubic yards (460,000 m
3
) of soil that had been removed from the construction of the
Los Angeles Civic Center
was transported to the City Terrace County Park. The soil filled a ravine, tripling the park's original acreage. The park has a basketball court, a children's playground, a community room, a computer center, a gymnasium, a multi-purpose field, a swimming pool, and tennis courts.
[39]
[87]
The Eastside Eddie Heredia Boxing Club, operated by the county, is inside a former fire station. The club was named after Eddie Heredia, the first club champion, who died of leukemia at age 17. One of the members of the Heredia club became a member of the United States Olympic Boxing Team and entered the
2008 Beijing Olympics
.
[39]
[88]
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Roberto Esteban Chavez
, artist, muralist
- Julian Nava
United States Ambassador to Mexico and prominent educator
- Gary Clarke
, American actor best known for his role as Steve Hill
- Oscar De La Hoya
, world boxing champion and 1992 Olympic gold medalist,
[89]
[90]
born to
Mexican migrant farmworker
parents
[91]
: 101
- Jaime Escalante
, educator, subject of the film
Stand and Deliver
[92]
- Seniesa Estrada
, world boxing champion
[93]
- Dorothy Granada
, nurse, humanitarian, and peace and social justice activist who was raised in East Los Angeles and won the
International Pfeffer Peace Award
in 1997
[94]
- Suzanna Guzman
,
mezzo soprano
, an original associate artists of
Los Angeles Opera
- Antonia Hernandez
, philanthropist, attorney, activist
- Sam Johnson
, American football player
[95]
- Patrick Kearney
, serial killer, rapist, and necrophile
[96]
- Constance Marie
, actress
[97]
- Carlos Mencia
, comedian
[90]
- Xavier Montelongo
, professional boxer
[98]
- Carlos Montes
, Chicano activist and co-founder of the
Brown Berets
[99]
- Sergio Mora
, boxer
[100]
- Edward James Olmos
, actor, producer, and director
[101]
- Dan Pena
,
financial analyst
on
Wall Street
- Anthony Quinn
, actor
- Luis J. Rodriguez
, writer and activist
[102]
- Lucille Roybal-Allard
, U.S. Representative
[103]
- Hope Sandoval
, singer and songwriter
[104]
- Jesse Valadez
, owner of the famous
lowrider
Gypsy Rose
- Linda Vallejo
is an American artist known for painting, sculpture and ceramics.
- Antonio Villaraigosa
, 41st mayor of Los Angeles
- Maria Helena Viramontes
, writer and professor
[105]
[106]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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External links
[
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]
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