See also South Park (disambiguation)

South Park (disambiguation)

South Park is an animated series, with related media or affiliation:*South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, a 1999 full-length movie* South Park , a first-person shooter game...

South Park is a district in central Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, 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

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...

 since 2003, the name has been co-opted and now refers to an area in the southern portion of 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...

. This new "South Park" is the site of the Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles Convention Center

The Los Angeles Convention Center is a convention center in the southwest portion of downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show and Anime Expo, and is best known to video games fans as host to E3...

, the 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...

, the "L.A. Live" entertainment complex and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

FIDM, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, is a specialized for-profit private college located in California dedicated to educating students for the Fashion, Entertainment, Beauty, Interior Design, and Graphic Design industries....

 or FIDM. In 2007, after a 57 year absence, Ralphs

Ralphs

Ralphs is a major supermarket chain in the Southern California area and the largest subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger. It is the oldest such chain west of the Mississippi River. Ralphs also operates stores under the Food 4 Less and Foods Co. names in California.-History:Ralphs Grocery Company...

 Supermarket returned to the neighborhood, opening an upscale Ralphs Fresh Fare store.

Geography and transportation

South Park is bounded by the Harbor Freeway (SR 110) on the west, the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) on the south, Main Street on the east, and Eighth Street on the north. Bordering the district are Pico-Union

Pico-Union, Los Angeles, California

Pico-Union is a district in Los Angeles, California. Its name derives from the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Union Avenue. The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency officially adopted the name in 1970, when it launched a neighborhood renewal program that continues to this day...

 on the west, 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 southwest, South Los Angeles

South Los Angeles

South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...

 district on the southeast, the Warehouse District

Wholesale District, Los Angeles, California

The Wholesale District or more recently the Warehouse District, of Los Angeles, California is a group of warehouses located in the southeast part of Downtown Los Angeles. Most of the warehouses are industrial in nature and serve the greater Los Angeles area. Few people live in this neighborhood...

 on the southeast, and the Financial District

Financial District, Los Angeles, California

The Financial District is a neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles on the redeveloped section of Bunker Hill. The area is dominated by upscale corporate office skyscrapers, hotels and related services as well as banks, law firms, and real estate companies...

 on the northeast. Major thoroughfares include 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

Olympic Boulevard

Olympic Boulevard is a major arterial road in Los Angeles, California. It stretches from 4th Street on the western end of Santa Monica to East Los Angeles—farther than Wilshire Boulevard and most other streets....

 Boulevards, Grand Avenue, and Figueroa Street

Figueroa Street

Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...

. The Blue Line light rail line

LACMTA Blue Line

The Blue Line is a light rail line running north-south route between Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles passing through Downtown LA, including South Los Angeles, Watts, Willowbrook, Compton, and Long Beach in the Los Angeles County; it is one of five lines in the Metro Rail System...

 stops in the district at the Pico/Chick Hearn station

Pico (LACMTA Station)

Pico Station is an at-grade light rail station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is located in the South Park neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles, on Flower Street just north of Pico Boulevard. The station is served by the Blue Line, & the Silver Line...

.

History

For most of Los Angeles' history, the area now known as South Park was dominated by industrial concerns, taxi dance hall

Taxi dance hall

A taxi-dance hall is a type of dance hall where dancers called taxi dancers are paid to dance with patrons . The owners of a taxi-dance hall provide music and a dance floor for their patrons and taxi dancers...

s, automobile dealerships, and residential hotels (most notably the Morrison Hotel, immortalized on the cover of an album by The Doors

The Doors

The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...

). Recently, the area has begun to rapidly transform with infill development. Starting in 2000, luxury apartments and condominium

Condominium

A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...

s with ground floor retail began construction. The district's proximity to the University of Southern California

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

, as well as the Blue Line light rail

Light rail

Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

line, have made it an attractive area for young professionals. As with many neighborhood transformations, this change in demographics has a few concerned about displacement and gentrification issues.

In October 2007, The Eleven and Luma Residences developed by The South Group, received the coveted
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold designation for their incorporation of sustainable materials: "green streets" to manage stormwater, energy-efficient construction techniques and amenities. Luma and Eleven are the first condos in California to receive the Gold designation.

First United Methodist Church (hoping to build a new development at Olympic and Flower) was one of the first to begin redeveloping the neighborhood, founding organizations to build affordable housing for seniors and families. The church plans a new complex that may include more housing, office space, worship and community gathering spaces. Since the church relocated in 1982, the neighborhood has undergone an almost total transformation.