NationMaster - Encyclopedia: South Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the south and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly known as South Central Los Angeles (or South Central for short). In 2003, the city of Los Angeles changed the area's official name from South Central Los Angeles to South Los Angeles, hoping to blur collective memories of violence and blight. The city gave it its present name because the name South Central had become almost synonymous with urban decay and street crime. However, the name is not very widely used; most residents of Los Angeles (including residents of South Los Angeles) still use the old name. The City of Los Angeles (from Spanish Los Ãngeles , meaning the angels), also known as L.A., is the second-largest city in the United States in terms of population, as well as one of the worlds most important economic, cultural, and entertainment centers. ... 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Geographic Definition

While the name South Central derives from the neighborhood's historical core along south Central Avenue, the neighborhood is generally considered to cover most of the area of the City of Los Angeles south of the Santa Monica Freeway and east of the San Diego Freeway, including neighborhoods such as West Adams, Watts, and Leimert Park. Neighboring communities such as Compton, and Lynwood are also considered part of South Central. Sign marking an entrance to the Santa Monica Freeway. ... Interstate 405 is the designation of three different tertiary interstate routes of Interstate 5. ... West Adams is a neighborhood southwest of downtown Los Angeles, California. ... Watts is a residential district in southern Los Angeles, California. ... Leimert Park is a neighborhood in southwestern Los Angeles, California. ... Compton is a city located in southern Los Angeles County, California, USA. It is often considered to be the heart of the South Los Angeles area, formerly known as a part of South Central Los Angeles. ... Lynwood is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. ...

History

19th Century-1948

South Los Angeles contains some of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, featuring many spectacular examples of Victorian and Craftsman architecture in West Adams. It is home to the University of Southern California, founded in 1880. The 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games took place near the USC campus at neighboring Exposition Park, which hosts the Los Angeles Coliseum. Until the rise of the Wilshire Boulevard corridor refocused Los Angeles' development to the west of downtown in the 1920s, West Adams was one of the most desirable areas of the city. The term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles during the Victorian era: Neoclassicism Gothic Revival Italianate Second Empire Neo-Grec Romanesque Revival (Includes Richardsonian Revival) Renaissance Revival Queen Anne Jacobethan architecture (the precusor to the Queen Anne style) British Arts and Crafts movement painted... Craftsman is an artisan who practices a handicraft or trade; a style of architecture and furniture arising from the Arts and Crafts movement; a military rank within the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, equivalent to a private; and ... West Adams is a neighborhood southwest of downtown Los Angeles, California. ... The University of Southern California (also known as USC, SC, Southern California, and Southern Cal), Californias oldest private research university, is located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California. ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Games of the X Olympiad were held in 1932 in Los Angeles, United States. ... The Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in 1984 in Los Angeles, United States. ... The University of Southern California (also known as USC, SC, Southern California, and Southern Cal), Californias oldest private research university, is located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California. ... Exposition Park is located in South Los Angeles, across the street from the University of Southern California (USC). ... The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium located in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, California, near the campus of the University of Southern California. ... Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Since the closing of the 20th Century, the 1920s has drawn close associations with the 1990s, and particularly in the United States. ...

At the same time that well-to-do whites were building stately mansions in West Adams and Jefferson Park and the white working class was establishing itself in Crenshaw and Hyde Park, the area of modest bungalows and low-rise commercial buildings along Central Avenue emerged as the heart of the black community in southern California (notably playing host to one of the first jazz scenes in the western U.S., with trombonist Kid Ory a prominent resident). Under racially restrictive covenants, blacks were only allowed to own property within a zone bounded by Main Street on the west, Alameda Street on the east, Washington Boulevard on the north, and Slauson Avenue on the south, as well as in small enclaves in Watts and West Adams. Affluent blacks were somewhat less restricted in their ability to purchase property, gradually moving into West Adams and Jefferson Park, but the working- and middle-class blacks who poured into Los Angeles during the Great Depression and World War II found themselves penned into what was becoming a severely overcrowded neighborhood. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... West Adams is a neighborhood southwest of downtown Los Angeles, California. ... Jefferson Park is a district in southwestern Los Angeles, California. ... Crenshaw (also known as the Crenshaw District) is a district in southwestern Los Angeles, California. ... Jazz master Louis Armstrong was one of the best loved and best known of all jazz musicians. ... Edward Kid Ory (December 25, 1886 - January 23, 1973) was a Jazz trombonist and bandleader. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the...

1948-1960s

When the Supreme Court banned the legal enforcement of race-oriented restrictive covenants in 1948's Shelley v. Kraemer, blacks began to move into areas outside the increasingly overcrowded Slauson-Alameda-Washington-Main settlement area. For a time in the early 1950s, southern Los Angeles became the site of significant racial violence, with whites bombing, firing into, and burning crosses on the lawns of homes purchased by black families south of Slauson. In an escalation of behavior that had begun in the 1920s, white gangs in nearby cities such as South Gate and Huntington Park would routinely accost blacks who traveled through white areas; the black mutual protection clubs that formed in response to these assaults ultimately formed the basis of the region's fearsome street gangs. Seal of the Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States, the highest court in the United States of America, is the head of the Judicial Branch of the Federal Government. ... A restrictive covenant is a legal obligation imposed in a deed by the seller upon the buyer of real estate to do or not to do something. ... Shelley v. ... // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning... South Gate is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... Huntington Park is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... A gang is a group of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. ...

As was the case in most urban areas, 1950s freeway construction radically altered the geography of southern Los Angeles; and, as was the case in most large American cities, a major motivation in planning freeway routes was the reinforcement of traditional segregation lines. The Harbor Freeway ran just to the west of Main Street, and the Santa Monica Freeway just to the north of Washington Boulevard. The Marina Freeway was originally to run near Slauson Avenue all the way to the Orange County line, but was deemed redundant and went unbuilt except for its westernmost portions. High-capacity freeway interchange in Los Angeles, California. ... The Harbor Freeway goes under many bridges as it passes through downtown Los Angeles The Harbor Freeway is one of the principal north-south freeways in Los Angeles County, California. ... Sign marking an entrance to the Santa Monica Freeway. ... The Marina Freeway The Marina Freeway is a short freeway in southwestern Los Angeles, California and the nearby suburbs. ... Location Location of Orange County within California. ...

However well the freeways worked in moving cars around, they were decidedly unsuccessful as instruments of segregation. The explosive growth of suburbs, most of which barred blacks by a variety of methods, provided the opportunity for most whites in neighborhoods bordering black districts to leave en masse. The spread of blacks throughout the area was achieved in large part through "blockbusting," a technique whereby real estate speculators would buy a home on an all-white street, sell or rent it to a black family, and then buy up the remaining homes from frightened whites at cut-rate prices and sell them at a hefty profit to housing-hungry blacks. This process accelerated after the Watts Riots of 1965, a traumatic event that resulted in the near-total abandonment of southern Los Angeles by white residents and merchants, as well as a large-scale movement to the north and west by middle-class blacks. By the late 1960s most of Los Angeles south of Pico Boulevard and east of La Cienega Boulevard had become overwhelmingly black. Areas wealthy (Baldwin Hills, West Adams) and impoverished (Watts) alike were referred to under the umbrella name of "South Central," even if they were 10 miles from the intersection of Vernon and Central Avenues. The Santa Monica Freeway formed the northern boundary of the "new" South Central, primarily dividing the middle-class blacks of Mid-Wilshire from the poor and working-class blacks to the south. It has been suggested that Suburbia be merged into this article or section. ... Blockbusting is the illegal practice of deliberately escalating the cost of a house in an attempt to keep out certain minorities, such as African Americans, from a particular neighborhood. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The 1960s, or The Sexy Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... Baldwin Hills is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA, located on the central hills overlooking the Los Angeles Basin. ... Mid-Wilshire is a region in west-central Los Angeles, California. ...

1970s-1990s

Beginning in the 1970s, the precipitous decline of the area's manufacturing base resulted in widespread poverty and crime. Street gangs, such as the Crips and Bloods, rose to great notoriety at this time, becoming even more powerful with the arrival of crack cocaine (trade in which became dominated by gangs) in the 1980s. The area suffered even further as downtown Los Angeles' service sector, which had long been dominated by unionized African-Americans earning relatively high wages, replaced most of these black workers with newly arrived Central American immigrants. By the time of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which began in South Central and spread throughout the city, South Central had become a byword for urban decay, its bad reputation spread by movies such as South Central, Menace II Society, Friday, and South Central native John Singleton's Boyz N the Hood. This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ... A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum in Jakarta, Indonesia shows his find. ... A gang is a group of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. ... It has been suggested that Underground Crips be merged into this article or section. ... Cocaine is a crystalline alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Central America is the region of North America located between the southern border of Mexico and the northwest border of Colombia, in South America. ... Truck driver Reginald Denny lies beaten in an intersection as his assailant celebrates The 1992 Los Angeles riots, also known as the LA riots, the Rodney King uprising or the Rodney King riots, was sparked on April 29, 1992 when a mostly white jury acquitted four police officers accused in... Menace II Society is a 1993 drama film starring Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate and Jada Pinkett Smith. ... Friday is a 1995 comedy set in South Central (now South) Los Angeles, California, where star Ice Cube grew up. ... John Daniel Singelton (born January 6, 1968) is a notable African-American film director, producer, and screenwriter. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

Today

Since the 1992 riots, much of South Central's black working class has moved to the Antelope Valley and Inland Empire areas far to the north and east (respectively) of Los Angeles; departing black homeowners have been replaced by a massive influx of Latinos. Today, South Los Angeles is far from being an "all-black" neighborhood. Many areas in South Los Angeles, including Watts, are now 70% Latino. Communities that used to be heavily populated by blacks have now become ethnically mixed places with Latinos dominating the population. Now, very few communities in South Los Angeles are over three-fourths African American, with most black residents now found in the region's middle-class western districts. The rapid influx of Mexican (legal and illegal) immigrants into formerly all-black areas has caused conflicts among the different ethnic groups. In some parts of South Los Angeles, there have been hate crimes commited by both ethnic groups against each other because of conflicts over housing and employment competition. However, considerable efforts have been made to form a Latino-black alliance in the inner city communities; a watershed event came when the majority of black South Los Angeles residents voted for Antonio Villaraigosa in the 2005 Los Angeles mayoral election. A truck passes eastbound along the busy Highway 58 through the Antelope Valley. ... The Inland Empire, shaded in red (the boundary is approximate) For residents of Southern California, the Inland Empire is a popular informal name for a region located at the eastern end of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. ... Latino refers to people living in the US of Latin American nationality and their US-born descendants. ... In the United States of America, Latinos refer to the people other than African-Americans, Anglo-Americans, Arab-Americans, Asian-Americans,Irish-Americans, Native-Americans, Sccotish-Americans and Slav-Americans, who reside in the United States and are of European background, typically Spain, Portugal, Italy and France, who are speaker... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... A Madonna statue after being defaced by anti-Catholics. ... Antonio Villaraigosa 41st Mayor of Los Angeles Shown in an official portrait as Mayor of Los Angeles. ...

Communities

Los Angeles districts

Baldwin Hills is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA, located on the central hills overlooking the Los Angeles Basin. ... Crenshaw (also known as the Crenshaw District) is a district in southwestern Los Angeles, California. ... Jefferson Park is a district in southwestern Los Angeles, California. ... Leimert Park is a neighborhood in southwestern Los Angeles, California. ... Vermont Square is a district in the South Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California. ... Watts is a residential district in southern Los Angeles, California. ... Jordan Downs is a public housing apartment complex in Watts. ... Nickerson Gardens is a public housing apartment complex in Watts, Los Angeles, California completed in 1955. ... West Adams is a neighborhood southwest of downtown Los Angeles, California. ... The University of Southern California (also known as USC, SC, Southern California, and Southern Cal), Californias oldest private research university, is located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California. ...

Other cities and towns

Although incorporated cities or unincorporated towns, the following are often considered to be part of the South Los Angeles area despite being outside of the Los Angeles city limits:

Athens is a district of South Central Los Angeles, California. ... Carson is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... Compton is a city located in southern Los Angeles County, California, USA. It is often considered to be the heart of the South Los Angeles area, formerly known as a part of South Central Los Angeles. ... East Compton is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. ... Florence-Graham is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. ... Inglewood is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... Ladera Heights is a census-designated place and unincorporated area in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. ... Lennox is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. ... Lynwood is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. ... View Park-Windsor Hills is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. ... Walnut Park is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. ... West Compton is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. ... Willowbrook is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. ...

Landmarks

The University of Southern California (also known as USC, SC, Southern California, and Southern Cal), Californias oldest private research university, is located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California. ... Exposition Park is the name of more than one place: Exposition Park (Los Angeles) Exposition Park (Pittsburgh) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... An early postcard view of the Shrine The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. ... The Automobile Club of Southern California, or Auto Club was founded December 15, 1900 in Los Angeles as one of the nations first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws and improvement of overall driving conditions. ... The Watts Towers, 1765 East 107th St. ...

People from South Los Angeles

Categories: Los Angeles neighborhoods | Los Angeles County regions Ice Cube (born OShea Jackson on June 15, 1969) is an African American actor and rapper, originally a member of the controversial group N.W.A (Niggaz With Attitude) until launching a successful solo career in music and cinema. ... This guy is black. ... Eazy-E (Eric Wright) (September 7, 1963 - March 26, 1995) was an African-American rapper, record producer, and record executive who initially rose to fame as a member of the group N.W.A.. Born in Compton, California, Eazy-E dropped out of Compton High School while in tenth grade... Eric Allan Dolphy (June 20, 1928 - June 29, 1964) was a jazz musician who played alto saxophone, flute and bass clarinet. ... Dr. Dre This article is about the Los Angeles rapper and producer Dr. Dre. ... Cover of The Games 2005 album You Know What It Is Volume 3 The Game (born Jayceon Taylor on November 27, 1979 in Compton, California) is a rapper signed to Aftermath Entertainment. ... James Hahn James Kenneth Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. ... Hampton Hawes (November 13, 1928 - May 22, 1977) was an African American jazz pianist. ... Keyshawn Johnson (born July 22, 1972 in Los Angeles, California) is a wide receiver for the NFLs Dallas Cowboys. ... Arthur Lee is the enigmatic and volatile frontman, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of the legendary Los Angeles psychedelic band Love, best known for the critically revered 1967 album, Forever Changes. ... Charles Mingus Stamp issued by the USPS on September 16, 1995. ... Tayshaun Prince evading a defender Tayshaun Durell Prince (born February 28, 1980, in Compton, California) is a basketball player for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association. ... John Daniel Singelton (born January 6, 1968) is a notable African-American film director, producer, and screenwriter. ... Darryl Eugene Strawberry (born March 12, 1962) is a former baseball player who is well known both for his play in the baseball field and for his controversial behavior outside of it. ... Maxine Waters Maxine Waters (born August 15, 1938), United States politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1991, representing the 35th District of California (map). ... Barry White Barry White (September 12, 1944 â€“ July 4, 2003) was an American record producer and singer responsible for the creation of numerous hit soul and disco songs. ... Esther Jane Williams (born August 8, 1921) is a United States swimmer and movie star famous for her musical films that featured elaborate performances with swimming and diving. ...

Contents

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