The metropolitan center of the Greater Los Angeles Area (and Southern California) forms an arc stretching west from Downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica. It lies south of the base of the Santa Monica Mountains (generally along Sunset Boulevard) and north of Interstate 10. The areas of East LA and Boyle Heights, extending just east of Downtown to Interstate 710, may also be included. Including East LA, the arc of Central Los Angeles is just over 20 miles long and 5 miles tall at its widest point (at Hollywood). Central Los Angeles exhibits a singular urban character and is, contrary to popular mythology, among the most densely populated areas of the nation. Although the character of the individual communities is diverse, a unifying theme seems to be found in an abundance of palm trees, razor wire, and 2- to 4-level light-earth-toned apartment buildings. Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties in Southern California The Greater Los Angeles Area is the suburban area around the city of Los Angeles, California. ... Southern California Los Angeles, rush hour on the Harbor Freeway San Diego Southern California, sometimes abbreviated SoCal, is an informal name for the southern one-third of the state of California. ... The Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles as seen from USC, which makes up most of Downtowns skyline. ... Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica is a coastal city located in Los Angeles County, California USA, by the Pacific Ocean, south of Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, west of Westwood, Los Angeles, and north of Venice. ... Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. ... Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. ... Interstate 10, or I-10, is the southernmost east-west, coast-to-coast interstate highway in the United States. ... East Los Angeles, California (unincorporated community) East Los Angeles (region) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Boyle Heights is a district on the east side of Los Angeles, California. ... Interstate 710, known as the Long Beach Freeway along its entire length, is a double-sided, north-south spur of Interstate 10 in Los Angeles County, California. ... ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ... Barbed tape or razor wire is a mesh of metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose it is to prevent passage by human beings. ...

Arteries

The primary artery to the west of Downtown is Wilshire Boulevard, running 15.5 miles to the coast in Santa Monica. Other major east-west arteries include Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, Melrose Avenue, Beverly Boulevard, 3rd Street, Olympic Boulevard, Pico Boulevard, and Venice Boulevard. Major arteries running east of Downtown include Ceasar Chavez Avenue, 1st, 3rd, and 4th Streets, and Whittier and Olympic Boulevards. Major north-south arteries include (in east to west order) Main, Broadway, Figueroa, Alvarado, Hoover, Vermont, Western, Crenshaw, Rossmore, Vine, La Brea, Fairfax, La Cienega, Robertson, Westwood, Sepulveda, and Lincoln. Wilshire Boulevard is the principal east-west surface street in Los Angeles, California. ... Hollywood Boulevard in the 1950s Hollywood Boulevard is an avenue in Hollywood, California, United States, beginning at Sunset Boulevard in the east and running northwest to Vermont Avenue, where it straightens out and runs due west to Laurel Canyon Boulevard. ... Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. ...

Communities

The communities encompassed by the arc of Central Los Angeles are extremely diverse in terms of ethnicity, income, and urban character. Some of these communities include: the unincorporated neighborhood of East LA; the City of Los Angeles neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Downtown, Westlake, Echo Park, Koreatown, Mid-City, Wilshire Center, Hancock Park, Los Feliz, Thai Town, Little Armenia, Hollywood, Fairfax, Miracle Mile, Baldwin Hills, Ladera Heights, Park La Brea, Century City, Westwood, West LA, and Sawtelle; and the independent municipalities of West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. The Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice is often included. Additionally, depending on perspective, some might include Palms (LA neighborhood), the Marina del Rey (unincorporated), and Culver City (independent municipality), or the LA neighborhoods of University Park, Exposition Park, and West Adams, just south of Downtown around USC. East Los Angeles, California (unincorporated community) East Los Angeles (region) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... Boyle Heights is a district on the east side of Los Angeles, California. ... The New Otani Hotel is the tallest hotel in the Little Tokyo area. ... New Chinatown, Los Angeles postcard, late 1940s Chinatown in Downtown Los Angeles, California, was originally located less than a mile from its current location. ... The Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles as seen from USC, which makes up most of Downtowns skyline. ... The lake in Echo Park. ... Koreatown, also known as Wilshire Center, is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California. ... Hancock Park is a wealthy neighborhood in west-central Los Angeles, California. ... Los Feliz is a neighborhood in the north-central region of the city of Los Angeles, California. ... Thai Town is a strip of Hollywood Boulevard that is heavily populated by Thai food restaurants. ... Little Armenia is a nickname for the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, due to the large number of Armenian stores and other businesses which have opened in the neighborhood in the last several years. ... ... The Miracle Mile is lined by many high-rise buildings. ... Park La Brea is a neighborhood in west-central Los Angeles, California. ... View of the Century City skyline from the Getty Center. ... High-rise buildings line Wilshire Boulevard through the Westwood area Westwood, or Westwood Village, is a district in western Los Angeles, California. ... West Los Angeles, also called the Westside, is generally considered to be the portion of Los Angeles, California and its suburbs that lies east of the Pacific Ocean including Brentwood, west of La Brea Avenue (varying definitions set the boundary at Fairfax Avenue or even the eastern border of Beverly... The huge federal building in Sawtelle (which is often mistakenly thought to be in Westwood). ... West Hollywoods logo illustrates the citys borders. ... For other uses, see: Beverly Hills (disambiguation). ... Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica is a coastal city located in Los Angeles County, California USA, by the Pacific Ocean, south of Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, west of Westwood, Los Angeles, and north of Venice. ... Venice Beach and Boardwalk Venice, California, is a district of the city of Los Angeles, California. ... Palms is a district in western Los Angeles, California. ... Marina del Rey boat harbor Marina del Rey is a census-designated place and seaside town located in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, California. ... Culver City sign near the intersection of the 405 and the 90. ... Exposition Park is located in South Central Los Angeles, across the street from the University of Southern California (USC). ... West Adams is a neighborhood southwest of downtown Los Angeles, California. ... The Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles as seen from USC, which makes up most of Downtowns skyline. ... The University of Southern California (also known as USC), Southern Californias oldest private research university, is located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California. ...

Structure

Downtown retains primacy as a metropolitan central node, but much centralizing activity has shifted to the Westside, concentrating in the areas of Westwood, Century City, and West Los Angeles, so that it may be said that metropolitan Los Angeles has two primary centers. Both areas have strong retail environments, vast quantities of commercial office space, significant cultural institutions, and major universities (UCLA in Westwood and USC downtown). Downtown remains the focus of the rail and freeway transportation networks, and has the primary concentration of government offices. The Westside is closer to LAX and generally has cooler weather and less air pollution due to its proximity to the ocean. Large concentrations of people live in and around both areas – largely working class non-whites (Mexicans, Central Americans, Koreans, and Chinese) around Downtown and middle to upper class whites around the Westside. The Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles as seen from USC, which makes up most of Downtowns skyline. ... The Westside is generally considered to be the portion of Los Angeles, California and its suburbs that lies east of the Pacific Ocean including Brentwood, west of La Brea Avenue (varying definitions set the boundary at Fairfax Avenue or even the eastern border of Beverly Hills), south of the Santa... High-rise buildings line Wilshire Boulevard through the Westwood area Another view of the Westwood skyline Westwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California. ... View of the Century City skyline from the Getty Center. ... West Los Angeles, also called the Westside, is generally considered to be the portion of Los Angeles, California and its suburbs that lies east of the Pacific Ocean including Brentwood, west of La Brea Avenue (varying definitions set the boundary at Fairfax Avenue or even the eastern border of Beverly... The University of California, Los Angeles, popularly known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university situated in the neighborhood of Westwood within the city of Los Angeles. ... The University of Southern California (also known as USC), Southern Californias oldest private research university, is located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California. ... LAX may refer to Los Angeles International Airport LAX (TV series) Lacrosse (sport) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Aside from these two centers there are large concentrations of office buildings along most of Wilshire Boulevard, especially in Koreatown, Beverly Hills, and Sawtelle. Retail activity thrives throughout the area. Significant Westside (west of La Brea) retail districts include downtown Santa Monica (on and around the Third Street Promenade), Westwood Village (between Wilshire Blvd and UCLA), Rodeo Drive (Beverly Hills), Melrose Avenue west of La Brea Avenue, and the area around the Beverly Center Mall on La Cienega Boulevard. Major retail districts east of La Brea include Koreatown (concentrated along Vermont, Western, Wilshire, and Olympic), Central American retail at MacArthur Park in Westlake around the intersection of Wilshire and Alvarado, Mexican retail in much of East LA and on Broadway in Downtown, and tourist-oriented retail on Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea and Vine. Nightlife is centered in Hollywood along Hollywood Boulevard and in West Hollywood along Sunset Blvd (the Sunset Strip). Wilshire Boulevard is the principal east-west surface street in Los Angeles, California. ... The Third Street Promenade is a pedestrian street in Santa Monica, California. ... High-rise buildings line Wilshire Boulevard through the Westwood area Westwood, or Westwood Village, is a district in western Los Angeles, California. ... The Beverly Center Mall, an eight story, monolithic structure located at the edge of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, California between La Cienega and San Vicente Boulevards, is one of Los Angeless most popular shopping centers. ... Map of La Ciénega Boulevard and the unbuilt SR 170 freeway La Ciénega Boulevard is a major north/south arterial road that runs from El Segundo Boulevard in El Segundo, California, United States, northward to Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. ... Koreatown, also known as Wilshire Center, is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California. ... MacArthur Park is a park in western Los Angeles, California, and named after General Douglas MacArthur. ... East Los Angeles, California (unincorporated community) East Los Angeles (region) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles as seen from USC, which makes up most of Downtowns skyline. ... ... Hollywood Boulevard in the 1950s Hollywood Boulevard is an avenue in Hollywood, California, United States, beginning at Sunset Boulevard in the east and running northwest to Vermont Avenue, where it straightens out and runs due west to Laurel Canyon Boulevard. ... West Hollywoods logo illustrates the citys borders. ... Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. ... The Sunset Strip is a mile and a half stretch of Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, that runs from Crescent Heights Boulevard in Hollywood to Doheny Drive in West Hollywood. ...

Housing is relatively dense throughout the area with two especially notable concentrations. Wilshire Boulevard is lined with high-rise condominium towers between Westwood and Beverly Hills; real estate in this corridor is some of the most expensive and desirable in the city. Another notable concentration occurs in the area bordered by Wilshire, Normandie, 6th, and Vermont in Koreatown; the two census tracts here are the densest in Southern California, filled mostly with immigrant families packed into small apartment buildings of various age and height. Wilshire Boulevard is the principal east-west surface street in Los Angeles, California. ... High-rise buildings line Wilshire Boulevard through the Westwood area Another view of the Westwood skyline Westwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California. ... For other uses, see: Beverly Hills (disambiguation). ... Koreatown, also known as Wilshire Center, is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California. ... Southern California Los Angeles, rush hour on the Harbor Freeway San Diego Southern California, sometimes abbreviated SoCal, is an informal name for the southern one-third of the state of California. ...

Transit

Contrary to popular mythology, public transit is significant in the central Los Angeles area. The area is served by the Los Angeles County MTA throughout the county and the City of Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus system on the Westside, with significant overlap. The central transit hub is Union Station, where the MTA’s rail system meets the regional commuter rail (Metrolink) and many commuter bus routes operated by the MTA and other agencies converge. Broadway in downtown is a focus of most local bus routes, and the 7th Street / Metro Center subway station (along 7th St at Figueroa, Flower, and Hope) is a major transfer point. Hollywood, is also a transit hub with several significant bus routes meeting the Red Line subway along Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Vine. Another major intersection of bus routes with the subway occurs at Wilshire and Vermont in Koreatown. Major convergences of bus routes also occur at the UCLA transit center in Westwood Village and around the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Map of California showing Los Angeles County. ... The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the County of Los Angeles. ... Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica is a coastal city located in Los Angeles County, California USA, by the Pacific Ocean, south of Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, west of Westwood, Los Angeles, and north of Venice. ... The Big Blue Bus is a municipal bus operator in Los Angeles Westside, USA, mostly serving Santa Monica, Westwood, and Venice. ... Waiting room in Union Station, Los Angeles Union Station in Los Angeles, which opened in May 1939, is the last of the great train stations built in America, but even with its massive and ornate waiting room and adjacent ticket concourse, it is considered small in comparison to other union... Metrolink is a commuter rail system that serves the Southern California region. ... ... Hollywood Boulevard in the 1950s Hollywood Boulevard is an avenue in Hollywood, California, United States, beginning at Sunset Boulevard in the east and running northwest to Vermont Avenue, where it straightens out and runs due west to Laurel Canyon Boulevard. ... Koreatown, also known as Wilshire Center, is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California. ... The University of California, Los Angeles, popularly known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university situated in the neighborhood of Westwood within the city of Los Angeles. ... High-rise buildings line Wilshire Boulevard through the Westwood area Westwood, or Westwood Village, is a district in western Los Angeles, California. ... The Third Street Promenade is a pedestrian street in Santa Monica, California. ... Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica is a coastal city located in Los Angeles County, California USA, by the Pacific Ocean, south of Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, west of Westwood, Los Angeles, and north of Venice. ...