Highland Park is a historic neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles. It was one of the first subdivisions of Los Angeles, and is currently inhabited by a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
Population
The 2000 U.S. census counted 56,566 residents in the 3,42-square-mile neighborhoodâ€"an average of 16,835 people per square mile, one of the highest densities in Los Angeles. In 2008 the city estimated that the population had increased to 60,841. The median age for residents was 28, considered young when compared to the city at large.
Highland Park was considered moderately diverse ethnically. The breakdown was Latinos, 72.4%; Asians, 11.2%; blacks, 2.4%, whites, 11.3%; and others, 2.6%. Mexico (55.3%) and El Salvador (12.0%) were the most common places of birth for the 57.8% of the residents who were born abroad, a figure that was considered high compared to the city as a whole.
The median household income in 2008 dollars was $45,478, about average for Los Angeles, and a high percentage of households earned $40,000 or less. The average household size of 3.3 people was high for the city of Los Angeles. Renters occupied 60.9% of the housing units, and house- or apartment owners the rest.
The percentage of never-married men was among the county's highest. The 2000 census found 2,705 families headed by single parents, a high rate for both the city and the county. There were 1,942 military veterans in 2000, or 4.9%, a low figure for Los Angeles.
Location
Highland Park is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, located in the San Rafael Hills and along the Arroyo Seco. It is situated within what was once Rancho San Rafael of the Spanish/Mexican era.
Its boundaries are roughly the Arroyo Seco Parkway (California Route 110) on the southeast, the city limits of Pasadena on the northeast, Oak Grove Drive on the north, and Avenue 51 on the west. Primary thoroughfares include York Boulevard and Figueroa Street.
History
The area was originally discovered thousands of years ago by ancestors of the Chumash people, and would later be settled by the Tongva. After the founding of Los Angeles in 1784, the Corporal of the Guard at the San Gabriel mission, Jose Maria Verdugo, was granted the 36,403 acre Rancho San Rafael which included the present day Highland Park. Drought in the late 1800's resulted in economic hardship for the Verdugo family, and Rancho San Rafael was eventually auctioned off in 1869 for $3,500 over an unpaid loan. The San Rafael tract was purchased by Andrew Glassell and Albert J. Chapman, who leased it out to sheep herders. In 1885 during the 1880s land boom, it was sold to George Morgan and Albert Judson, who combined it with other parcels they had purchased from the Verdugo family to create the Highland Park tract in 1886. Two rail lines were built to Highland Park, which helped the town to survive as the 1880s land boom ended. Highland Park was annexed to Los Angeles in 1895. In the early 20th century, Highland Park and neighboring Pasadena became havens for artists and intellectuals who led the Arts and Crafts movement.
Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park and Eagle Rock was founded in Highland Park in 1923 and constructed its building in 1930. It is the second oldest synagogue in Los Angeles still operating in its original location, after the Wilshire Boulevard Temple (built in 1929).
With the completion of Arroyo Seco Parkway in 1940, Highland Park began to change. By the 1950s, the artsy enclave experienced white flight, losing residents to the Mid-Wilshire district and newer neighborhoods in Temple City and in the San Fernando Valley. By the mid-1960s, it was becoming a largely Latino enclave. Mexican immigrants and their American-born children began owning and renting in Highland Park, with its schools and parks become places where residents debated how to fight discrimination and advance civil rights.
In the final decades of the 20th century, Highland Park suffered waves of gang violence, as a consequence of the Avenues street gang claiming the adjacent Glassell Park neighborhood and parts of Highland Park as its turf. At the dawn of the 21st century, the city attorney intensified efforts to rid Highland Park and Glassell Park of the Avenues. In 2006, four members of the gang were convicted of violating federal hate crime laws. In June 2009, police launched a major raid against the gang, rooting out many leaders of the gang with a federal racketeering indictment. By 2009, the city demolished the gang's Glassell Park stronghold. Law enforcement, coupled with community awareness efforts such as the annual Peace in the Northeast March, have led to a drastic decrease in violent crime in the 2010s.
Starting in the early 2000s, a diverse mix of people began arriving to Highland Park to seek out, buy, and revitalize Craftsman homes, some which had suffered neglect over the decades. Many of Highland Park's oldest homes were razed during the 1950s and 1960s. One architecturally significant home made its way to Heritage Square Museum, thanks to the efforts of local activists dedicated to saving Victorian homes scheduled for demolition. Like Echo Park and Eagle Rock, Highland Park has steadily seen some gentrification. People from across the region have been attracted to the historic Craftsman homes that escaped demolition. Its relatively low rents have made it increasingly popular among young people who value the walkable urban lifestyle afforded by the older style of neighborhood.
Once again, Highland Park is building a reputation as a mecca for artists, with trendy shops, galleries, bars and restaurants opening throughout the neighborhood. The continuation of several long-time businesses lend credibility to the neighborhood's hipster status and add to its charm. One of the last typewriter shops in the City of Los Angeles, U.S. Office Machine Company, specializes in repairing antique typewriters and has restored a few for movie studios. It is one of three businesses located in the old Sunbeam Theatre. It is owned by longtime resident Jesse Flores. The popular landmark statue Chicken Boy was relocated from a downtown Los Angeles restaurant in 2007. The trendy clothing chain Forever 21 was founded in Highland Park in 1984. The first store continues to operate in its original location bears the original name of the company, Fashion 21. New hipster clubs have joined the local dive bars, with all become trendy gathering places. The Old LA Certified Farmers Market opened in 2006, operating adjacent to the Highland Park Gold Line Station and providing a new nexus of community activity. A number of shops selling vintage clothes and boutiques offering hip home-decor accessories have opened along York Boulevard. Highland Park is home to a recording studio and pop-up space for Los Angeles-based hip-hop label, Stones Throw Records.
Local business
Highland Park has a legacy of local businesses, some that have been a staple in the Highland Park community for over 20 years. The first of such businesses is Galco's Soda Pop Stop. Galco's has been family owned and operated for more than 100 years. In addition, another cultural landmark in Highland Park is Avenue 50 Studio. Avenue 50 Studio is a nonprofit community-based organization grounded in Latino and Chicano culture.
Popular references
Motion pictures that have been shot in Highland Park include:
- Reservoir Dogs
- The Lincoln Lawyer - location for the bar The York on York
- Gangster Squad - In early 2012 the entire Highland Park downtown area along Figueroa Street was redone to look like post-WWII-era Los Angeles for the film.
- Yes Man
- Cyrus
Television and features films have used the old Los Angeles Police Department building in the 6000 block of York Boulevard.
Smith Estate, an historic hilltop Victorian house, has been a shooting location for horror films such as Spider Baby, Silent Scream and Insidious: Chapter 2.
Government and infrastructure
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Central Health Center in Downtown Los Angeles, serving Highland Park.
The United States Postal Service Highland Park Post Office is located at 5930 North Figueroa Street.
Los Angeles Fire Department Station 12 is in the area.
Transportation
Highland Park is served by the Highland Park (LACMTA station), along Metro's Gold Line light rail line. The station is an island platform located near the intersection of North Avenue 57 at Marmion Way, (one block west of North Figueroa Street).
It is also served by Metro Local bus lines 81, 83, 176, and 256, as well as LADOT's DASH Highland Park/Eagle Rock bus line. Highland Park is served by the historic Arroyo Seco Parkway (California State Route 110), formerly known as the Pasadena Freeway.
Education
Highland Park is zoned to the following schools in the Los Angeles USD (LAUSD).
Zoned elementary schools include:
- Aldama Elementary School
- Annandale Elementary School
- Buchanan Elementary School
- Bushnell Way Elementary School
- Garvanza Elementary School
- San Pascual Elementary School
- Saint Ignatius of Loyola School (K-8)
- Toland Way Elementary School
- Yorkdale Elementary School
- Monte Vista Elementary School
- Arroyo Seco Museum Science Magnet School (K-8)
Residents are zoned to Luther Burbank Middle School and Franklin High School. Los Angeles International Charter High School and Academia Avance Charter also serve the community
Notable people
- Isaac Colton Ash, City Council member, 1925â€"27
- Jackie Beat, Drag Performer and Comedian
- Beck, musician
- Jackson Browne, musician
- Daryl Gates, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) from 1978 to 1992; grew up in Glendale and Highland Park
- John C. Holland, Los Angeles City Council member, 1943â€"67, businessman
- Richard Loo, actor
- Charles Lummis, journalist, Indian activist and librarian.
- Marc Maron, comedian and actor
- Fritz Poock, artist
- Franklin E. Roach, 1921-1923, distinguished scientist (astronomer) and a father of aeronomy
- Skrillex, musician
- David Weidman, silkscreen artist and animation background painter
- Chris Corner, musician
- Ariel Pink, musician
- Mike Kelley (artist)
- Zack de La Rocha, Musician
- Edward Furlong, Actor
See also
- Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments on the East and Northeast Sides
- List of districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles
References
External links
- History of Highland Parkâ€"Occidental College Sociology Department article
- Audubon Centerâ€"Audubon Center at Debs Park
- Southwest Museumâ€"Autry National Center, Southwest Museum of the American Indian
- Heritage Square Museumâ€"Historic Rescued Homes
- Chicken Boyâ€"Historic Route 66 Landmark
- York & Figâ€"a reporting project by Marketplace on the gentrification of Highland Park
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