Atwater is a a neighborhood in North East
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
. It lies at an elevation of 404 feet (123 m).
Atwater Village lies between the
Los Angeles RiverThe Los Angeles River starts in San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, and Santa Susana Mountains and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the west end of the San Fernando Valley, 51 miles southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
to the west and
GlendaleGlendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, is bisected by the Verdugo Mountains, and is a suburb in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
to the north and east. In addition, the neighborhood shares borders with the neighborhoods of
Silver LakeSilver Lake is a hilly district east of Hollywood in the city of Los Angeles, California. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnicity including many Latinos and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters, the creative class and a noticeable presence...
to the south, Elysian Valley to the southeast,
Glassell ParkGlassell 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 FelizLos Feliz, also Rancho Los Feliz is a district of the City of Los Angeles, California, named for its land grantee José Vicente Feliz....
and
Griffith ParkGriffith 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. It is the second-largest city park in California, after Mission...
across the river to the west.
Atwater is a a neighborhood in North East
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
. It lies at an elevation of 404 feet (123 m).
Geography
Atwater Village lies between the
Los Angeles RiverThe Los Angeles River starts in San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, and Santa Susana Mountains and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the west end of the San Fernando Valley, 51 miles southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
to the west and
GlendaleGlendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, is bisected by the Verdugo Mountains, and is a suburb in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
to the north and east. In addition, the neighborhood shares borders with the neighborhoods of
Silver LakeSilver Lake is a hilly district east of Hollywood in the city of Los Angeles, California. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnicity including many Latinos and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters, the creative class and a noticeable presence...
to the south, Elysian Valley to the southeast,
Glassell ParkGlassell 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 FelizLos Feliz, also Rancho Los Feliz is a district of the City of Los Angeles, California, named for its land grantee José Vicente Feliz....
and
Griffith ParkGriffith 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. It is the second-largest city park in California, after Mission...
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 RoadSan Fernando Road officially known as Business Loop 5 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...
, 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 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, a Spanish soldier who had served with the 1769 Portola-Serra Expedition...
, 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. This land eventually fell into the family of Harriet Atwater Paramore, for whom the neighborhood was originally named as "Atwater Park", which was a poppy field at the time it was first subdivided in 1912.
In subsequent decades, residents began to settle in the area. Many new residents were newly prosperous workers, including many working at the nearby
DWPThe Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving over 4 million residents as of 2008. 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 RailwayThe 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. The line, along with the rest of the streetcar system, however, was dismantled in favor of freeways and buses.
The
Tam O'Shanter InnThe 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. Walt Disney was a frequent patron there.-History:...
, established in 1922, is one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles County.
Walt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder Walter Elias...
was a frequent patron there.
Franciscan Pottery, a well-known manufacter 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
CostcoCostco Wholesale Corporation , simply known as Costco, is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the world based on sales volume. It is the fifth largest general retailer in the United States. - Location :...
,
Best BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is a specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Canada, Mexico, and China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates under both the Best...
, and Toys R Us.
Before Interstate 5 there was a drive-in movie theatre at the corner of Riverside Dr. and Los Feliz for a brief period in the late 1950s.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there are 8,042 people in the neighborhood. The makeup of the neighborhood is 48.01% White, 47.90% are Hispanic or Latino, 2.15% African American, 0.66% Native American, 19.09% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 23.84% from other races,
and 6.06% from two or more races.
Atwater has 12,000 households. About 90% of residences are single-family homes. In 2003, the Atwater Village neighborhood had an estimated 16,000 residents.
Education
Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. During the 2007-2008 school year, LAUSD served 694,288 students, and had 45,473...
operates the following public schools:
- Atwater Avenue Elementary School
- Glenfeliz Boulevard Elementary School
- Washington Irving Middle School
in Virginia, or the disambiguation page Washington Irving Middle School.Washington Irving Middle School is a junior high school in Los Angeles, California, USA....
- John Marshall High School
National Catholic Educational AssociationThe National Catholic Educational Association is a private professional educational association of over 200,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs. It claims to be the largest such organization in the world.-History:The organization was founded in July...
operates the following schools:
Los Angeles Public LibraryThe 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.
External links