Atwater Village, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
Northeast Los Angeles
Northeast Los Angeles is an area of the city of Los Angeles, northeast of Downtown Los Angeles, east of the Los Angeles River, bounded on the north by the cities of Glendale and Pasadena, and bounded on the east by several cities of the San Gabriel Valley...
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. It lies at an elevation of 404 feet (123 m).
Geography
Atwater Village lies between the Los Angeles RiverLos Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
to the west and Glendale
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
to the north and east. In addition, the neighborhood shares borders with the neighborhoods of Silver Lake
Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
to the south, Elysian Valley to the southeast, Glassell Park
Glassell Park, Los Angeles, California
Glassell Park is a neighborhood in northeast Los Angeles, California.-Geography:Glassell Park borders Atwater Village and the Los Angeles River on the west, the city of Glendale on the northwest, Eagle Rock on the northeast, Mount Washington on the southeast and Cypress Park on the south...
to the northeast, and Los Feliz
Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California
Los Feliz, also Rancho Los Feliz is an affluent, hilly neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, named after its land grantee José Vicente Feliz....
and Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
across the river to the west. Much of Atwater lies in the old river flood plain, which resulted in deep, fertile soil.
Principal thoroughfares include San Fernando Road
San Fernando Road
San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, whereupon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State and the Antelope Valley Freeways, it...
, Fletcher Drive, and Los Feliz and Glendale Boulevards. The Golden State and Glendale Freeways run along the district's western and southeastern borders, respectively.
History
What is now Atwater Village began originally as a part of Rancho San RafaelRancho San Rafael
Rancho San Rafael was a Spanish land grant bordering the Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco in present day Los Angeles County, California, given in 1784 to Jose Maria Verdugo. The rancho includes the present day cities of Glendale, Eagle Rock, La Cañada, Montrose, and Verdugo City...
, which covered much of what is now Glendale and northeastern Los Angeles. In 1868, W.C.B. Richardson purchased a portion of the rancho and renamed it Rancho Santa Eulalia. In 1902 this land was eventually subdivided and with some subdivisions offered for sale to prospective homebuilders. The subdivision that stretched from the Southern Pacific tracks to the Los Angeles River was eventually named Atwater Tract for its proximity to the river – “at-water”. The area would later be known as “Atwater” with the word “Village” added in 1986.
In subsequent decades, residents began to settle in the area. Many new residents were newly prosperous workers, including many working at the nearby DWP
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving over four million residents. It was founded in 1902 to supply water and electricity to residents and businesses in Los Angeles and surrounding communities...
substation. Spanish-style houses and bungalows were built in the 1920s to 1940s, many of which still retain their original details. Growth was aided by the construction of a line of the Pacific Electric Railway
Pacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
with its distinctive "red cars", which ran down Glendale Boulevard
Glendale Boulevard
Glendale Boulevard is a north–south street in Los Angeles that starts off as Lucas Avenue at 7th Street west of Downtown LA. The name changes at Beverly Boulevard. Echo Park is located north of the 101 at Bellevue Avenue. State Route 2 runs from Alvarado Street until the freeway entrance...
. The line, along with the rest of the streetcar system, however, was dismantled in favor of freeways and buses.
The Tam O'Shanter Inn
Tam O'Shanter Inn
The Tam O'Shanter Inn, established in 1922, is one of Los Angeles' oldest restaurants. The restaurant serves primarily Old World foods, and is known for its prime rib and Yorkshire pudding...
, established in 1922, is one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles County. Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
was a frequent patron there.
Franciscan Pottery, formerly known as Gladding McBean, a well-known manufacturer of pottery and dinnerware, was located in Atwater. The company moved the plant to China in 1978 and the large property is now occupied by Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
, Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, and Toys R Us.
Before the Golden State (I-5) Freeway
Interstate 5 in California
Interstate 5 is a major north–south route of the Interstate Highway System in the U.S. state of California. It begins at the Mexico – United States border at the San Ysidro crossing, goes north across the length of California and crosses into Oregon south of the Medford-Ashland metropolitan...
, there was a drive-in movie theater located in the area of the freeway below what is now the Friendship Hall, the entrance of which was where the freeway's southbound Glendale Boulevard offramp is now. It was demolished to construct the freeway.
Demographics
According to the Los Angeles Times, there are 14,888 people in the neighborhood. It is one of the most highly diverse neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, with a population split between 51.3% Hispanic, 19.7% Asian, 1.4% Black, 22.2% White, and 5.4% other.Many of the Asians are Filipinos. There is a high number of people who make $20,000 or less.Lately the neighborhood has experienced a major demographic change through the occurring rapid gentrification
Education
Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
operates the following public schools:
- Atwater Avenue Elementary School
- Glenfeliz Boulevard Elementary School
- Washington Irving Middle SchoolWashington Irving Middle School (Los Angeles)Washington Irving Middle School is a junior high school in Los Angeles, California, USA.Irving, which serves grades 6 through 8, is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school is named after American author Washington Irving....
- John Marshall High School
National Catholic Educational Association
National Catholic Educational Association
The National Catholic Educational Association is a private professional educational association of over 200,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs...
operates the following schools:
- Holy Trinity School
Los Angeles Public Library
Los Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California, United States. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the...
operates the Atwater Village Branch.
Disneyland incarnation
Buena Vista StreetBuena Vista Street
Formerly known as Walt Disney Plaza, Buena Vista Street is a themed "land" at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort . The central plaza represents Los Angeles in the 1920s, when Walt Disney first arrived in Los Angeles....
, the new entrance to the California Adventure theme park at the Disneyland Resort
Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area known as Downtown Disney.The area now...
, is partly modeled after Atwater Village during the 1920s and 30s, when Walt Disney first arrived in Los Angeles. Disney frequently visited Atwater, considering his original animation studio was located in the adjacent Silver Lake neighborhood.
Once opened, Buena Vista Street will feature a miniature replica of the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge, as well as a retail location called Atwater Ink and Paint Art Supply.