Pico-Union, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
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...
. Its name derives from the intersection of Pico Boulevard
Pico Boulevard
Pico Boulevard is a major Los Angeles street that runs from the Pacific Ocean at Appian Way in Santa Monica to Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA...
and Union Avenue. The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) officially adopted the name in 1970, when it launched a neighborhood renewal program that continues to this day. In the late 1970s and 1980s, the area became a major point of entry for Salvadoran and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n immigrants seeking refuge from civil war, according to the Pico Union Self-Guided Walking Tour, published in 2009 by the Los Angeles Conservancy
Los Angeles Conservancy
The Los Angeles Conservancy is an historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California. It works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. The Conservancy is the largest membership based historic preservation organization in the country...
.
Geography and transportation
Pico Union, a sub-district of the community of WestlakeWestlake, Los Angeles, California
Westlake is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It should not be confused with Westlake Village, an independent municipality in Los Angeles County near Thousand Oaks and close to the Ventura County line....
, is bordered by South Park
South Park, Los Angeles, California
South Park is a district in central Los Angeles, California, originally located around South Park near the intersection of 51st Street and Avalon Boulevard in South Central Los Angeles. However, due to redevelopment and gentrification since 2003, the name has been co-opted and now refers to an area...
on the east, West Adams
West Adams, Los Angeles, California
West Adams, also known as Historic West Adams, is a large district located in the center of Los Angeles, California, southwest of Downtown and west of USC...
on the south, Harvard Heights
Harvard Heights, Los Angeles, California
Harvard Heights is a district in the Mid-Wilshire region of Los Angeles, California.-Geography and transportation:The boundaries of Harvard Heights are Pico Boulevard on the north, Western Avenue on the west, The Santa Monica freeway on the south, and Normandie Avenue on the east...
and Koreatown
Koreatown, Los Angeles, California
Koreatown is a neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire district of the city of Los Angeles, California known for its concentration of Korean American people and institutions...
on the west, and the north part of Westlake
Westlake, Los Angeles, California
Westlake is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It should not be confused with Westlake Village, an independent municipality in Los Angeles County near Thousand Oaks and close to the Ventura County line....
on the north. Its boundaries are Hoover Street on the west, Olympic Blvd. on the north, the Harbor Freeway on the east, and the Santa Monica Freeway on the south. Principal thoroughfares include Washington
Washington Boulevard (Los Angeles)
Washington Boulevard is the longest continuous east-west arterial road in Los Angeles, California. It starts by the Pacific Ocean just west of Pacific Avenue in Marina del Rey, and ends far to the east in the city of Whittier, on Whittier Boulevard. It is south of Venice Boulevard for most of its...
, Venice, Pico
Pico Boulevard
Pico Boulevard is a major Los Angeles street that runs from the Pacific Ocean at Appian Way in Santa Monica to Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA...
, and Olympic Boulevards, Union Avenue, and Alvarado and Hoover Streets. The district lies within ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
s 90006 and 90015.
The neighborhood
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
) heavily Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, it is now primarily populated by first-generation Hispanic immigrants, particularly Mexicans
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
ns, Salvadorans
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, and Hondurans
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. Nearly 50% of the population is believed to be living in the United States illegally
Illegal immigration to the United States
An illegal immigrant in the United States is an alien who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa....
, but as Los Angeles is designated a sanctuary city
Sanctuary city
Sanctuary city is a term given to a city in the United States that follows certain practices that protect illegal immigrants. These practices can be by law or they can be by habit...
, many of the undocumented are somewhat protected. In many places, Pico-Union resembles an East Side
East Los Angeles (region)
East Los Angeles is the portion of the City of Los Angeles that lies east of Downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles River and the unincorporated areas of Lincoln Heights, west of the San Gabriel Valley, East Los Angeles and City Terrace, south of Cypress Park, and north of Vernon, California and...
neighborhood, with busy industrial concerns frequently adjoining residential properties. A number of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n businesses, priced out of Koreatown, have also established themselves in the district. Most of the district lies within the Rampart Division
LAPD Rampart Division
The Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department serves communities to the west and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles including Echo Park, Pico-Union and Westlake, all together designated as the Rampart patrol area. Its name is derived from Rampart Boulevard, one of the principal...
of the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
, and is plagued with high crime. Several transnational gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
s, most notably the 18th Street Gang
18th Street gang
18th Street gang is considered to be the largest transnational criminal gang in Los Angeles, California. It is estimated that there are thousands of members in Los Angeles County alone...
and Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha is a transnational criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles and has spread to other parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Central Americans and active in urban and suburban areas...
("MS-13"), were started in the neighborhood and maintain a strong presence.
Nevertheless, , Pico Union may be in the beginning stages of gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
. Although the majority of the neighborhood is impoverished around what is known as the Salvadoran Community Corridor, the area's western and eastern fringes are beginning to see new residential development. Near the Harbor Freeway, development in downtown Los Angeles—especially the South Park
South Park, Los Angeles, California
South Park is a district in central Los Angeles, California, originally located around South Park near the intersection of 51st Street and Avalon Boulevard in South Central Los Angeles. However, due to redevelopment and gentrification since 2003, the name has been co-opted and now refers to an area...
area around Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
--is expanding into Pico-Union, while the areas around Hoover Street are beginning to be incorporated into something of a "Greater Koreatown."
Pico Union became the city's 19th Historic Preservation Overlay Zone on August 10, 2004. It contains two historic districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
: South Bonnie Brae Tract Historic District
South Bonnie Brae Tract Historic District
The South Bonnie Brae Tract Historic District is a historic district of Victorian houses in Los Angeles, California, along the 1000 block of South Bonnie Brae Street and the 1800 block of West Eleventh Street, Pico Union section of the city. The homes in the district date to the 1890s and reflect...
and Alvarado Terrace Historic District
Alvarado Terrace Historic District
Alvarado Terrace Historical District is a designated historic district southwest of Downtown Los Angeles, located along Alvarado Terrace between Pico Boulevard and Alvarado Street...
.
HPOZ Map
One of Jim Jones
Jim Jones
James Warren "Jim" Jones was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, which is best known for the November 18, 1978 mass suicide of 909 Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana along with the killings of five other people at a nearby airstrip.Jones was born in Indiana and started the Temple in...
' Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple was a religious organization founded in 1955 by Jim Jones that, by the mid-1970s, included over a dozen locations in California including its headquarters in San Francisco...
s was located in Pico Union, at the corner of Alvarado Street and Alvarado Terrace.
Demographics
Pico Union occupies U.S. CensusUnited States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
tracts 2242, 2243.10, and 2243.20. Per the 2000 census, the district has a population of 8,598. Racial breakdown was 2.2% white, 3.8% black or African-American, 1.4% Native American, 1.7% Asian or Pacific Islander, 59.4% some other race, and 5.6% two or more races; 92% of all races were of Latino or Hispanic ethnicity. Per capita income was $9,273; 45% of individuals were below the federal poverty line.
Many people living in Pico-Union are immigrants from El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
drawn to the area's low income housing and proximity to Salvadoran and Guatemalan consulates.
Attractions
- Loyola Law SchoolLoyola Law SchoolLoyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law , it...
, part of Loyola Marymount UniversityLoyola Marymount UniversityLoyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
, is located on Olympic Boulevard near the northern edge of Pico-Union. - The successful La Curacao Department StoreLa CuracaoLa Curacao is a southwestern retailer that serves the Hispanic market. The retailer has nine stores in Southern California and one in Phoenix. La Curacao ranks among the top 100 consumer electronics retailers in the U.S...
is located at 1605 W. Olympic Boulevard at Union Ave. - Pico-Union is adjacent to the new LA Live development.
- Toberman Park and the Salvation Army Red Shield Center are also in Pico-Union.
- The area is known for authentic Salvadoran cuisine, in particular Pupuserias.
- The Steve McQueen Mural by Kent TwitchellKent TwitchellKent Twitchell is an American muralist who is most active in Los Angeles. He is most famous for his larger-than-life mural portraits, often of celebrities and artists. His murals are realism not photorealism according to Twitchell.-Biography:Twitchell's father was Robert Twitchell who was a farmer...
Local government
- The community is represented in the City Council by First District Councilman Ed ReyesEd ReyesEduardo Perez Reyes is an American politician. He is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 1st district. Reyes was re-elected in 2005 to serve a second Council term, capturing 78 percent of the votes. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
.
- Los Angeles Police DepartmentLos Angeles Police DepartmentThe Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
operates the Rampart Community Police StationLAPD Rampart DivisionThe Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department serves communities to the west and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles including Echo Park, Pico-Union and Westlake, all together designated as the Rampart patrol area. Its name is derived from Rampart Boulevard, one of the principal...
at 1401 West 6th Street, serving the neighborhood. In 1999 many residents complained that the department abused the citizens. Additionally, the Olympic Community Police Station is located nearly on Vermont Avenue and 11th Street.
- Fire service is provided by the Los Angeles Fire DepartmentLos Angeles Fire DepartmentThe Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
's newly-built Station 13 at Pico Blvd. and Westmoreland Avenue and Station 11 located at West Senenth Street.
County government
The Los Angeles County Department of Health ServicesLos Angeles County Department of Health Services
Health services to over 10 million residents in the Los Angeles County are provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Mental health services are provided by the County Department of Mental Health...
operates the Central Health Center in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
, serving Pico-Union.
Education
Public schools
Pico-Union is in the 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...
. The community is in the Board of Education District 2, represented by Mónica
García as of 2008.
Elementary schools serving Pico-Union include 10th Street Elementary School (in Pico-Union, 1-5), Norwood Elementary School (K-5, south of Pico-Union), Downtown Value School (K-8 charter, south of Pico-Union), and Olympic Primary Center (K, north of Pico-Union).
Berendo Middle School (west of Pico-Union), Liechty Middle School (north of Pico-Union), Merkin Middle School (south of Pico-Union), and Adams Middle School (southeast of Pico-Union) serve middle school populations.
West Adams Preparatory High School
West Adams Preparatory High School
West Adams Preparatory High School is a secondary school in the South Los Angeles community of Los Angeles, California, United States.The school is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District and is operated by a nonprofit organization working in conjunction with LAUSD. The organization, MLA...
(west of Pico-Union) and Belmont High School cluster (north of Pico-Union, including Belmont High School, Miguel Contreras Learning Complex
Miguel Contreras Learning Complex
Miguel Contreras Learning Complex is a high school in Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States.The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school is located at 322 South Lucas Avenue, just down Third Street from the LAUSD Board of...
, Edward R. Roybal Learning Center, Gertz-Ressler High School (south of Pico-Union), and other schools) serve high school populations in separate attendance zones. Camino Nuevo High School
Camino Nuevo High School
Camino Nuevo Charter Academy is a charter school serving the Westlake/MacArthur Park area of Los Angeles - CNHS received a 751 on its most recent API score, significantly higher than any other high school in its neighborhood. The school was awarded a 10 out of 10 from the state of California for...
, an alternative high school, also serves the residents of Pico Union. New Village Charter School. an all-girls high school, serves the area as well.
In 2006 the Los Angeles Unified School District and some union officials agreed to a proposal to develop school choice for high school students in the Pico-Union area; 10 small high schools would offer different academic and schedule choices.
Private schools
Loyola High SchoolLoyola High School (Los Angeles)
Loyola High School of Los Angeles is a Jesuit preparatory school for young men. It is the oldest high school in Southern California, and one of the oldest in California...
, a private high school operated by the Jesuits and independently of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
, and Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto High School
Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto High School
Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto High School is a Catholic, archdiocesan, all-female high school located in the Harvard Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California...
, an all-female Catholic high school, are located west of the area.
Other education
The Centro Latino for Literacy is a literacy program for Latino immigrants located at 1709 W. 8th Street, Suite A.Public libraries
Los Angeles Public LibraryLos 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 Pico-Union Branch Library at 1030 South Alvarado Street. The Central Library is located just east of the Harbor Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
.
External links
- Pico-Union Map - Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
- Map of Street Gangs in Pico Union Neighborhood by Alex Alonso for StreetGangs.com, September 2, 2009
- Redevelopment Project One
- Redevelopment Project Two
- LA City Office of Historic Resources
- Historic Preservation Plan
- Neighborhood Blog