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Highland Park, Los Angeles, California
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Highland Park is a district of North East Los Angeles.
land Park is located along the Arroyo Seco. It is situated within what was once Rancho San Rafael of the Spanish / Mexican era. Its boundaries are roughly the Pasadena Freeway (California Route 110) and the city limits of South Pasadena on the southeast, the city limits of Pasadena on the east, Oak Grove Drive on the north, and Avenue 50/51 on the west.
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Encyclopedia
Highland Park is a district of North East Los Angeles.
Geography and transportation
Highland Park is located along the Arroyo Seco. It is situated within what was once Rancho San Rafael of the Spanish / Mexican era. Its boundaries are roughly the Pasadena Freeway (California Route 110) and the city limits of South Pasadena on the southeast, the city limits of Pasadena on the east, Oak Grove Drive on the north, and Avenue 50/51 on the west. The district's neighbors include Mt. Washington on the southwest, Montecito Heights on the south, Hermon and Monterey Hills on the southeast, South Pasadena on the east, Pasadena on the northeast, Eagle Rock on the north, and Glassell Park on the west. Primary thoroughfares include York Boulevard, Avenues 50, 54, and 64, Monte Vista Street, and Figueroa Street. Highland Park is served by the Gold Line, a light rail system that largely runs at street grade parallel to Figueroa Street until turning east into South Pasadena at Avenue 61. The district's ZIP code is 90042.
The neighborhood
One of the oldest settled areas of Los Angeles, Highland Park is also one of the most scenic due to its architecture and location between the Mt. Washington hills, the San Rafael hills and the Monterey Hills, Los Angeles, California. There are large sprawling parks in the area, including the Arroyo Seco Park and the Ernest E. Debs Regional Park. The Southwest Museum , with one of the largest and most significant collections of Native American artifacts in the country, is located in adjacent Mt. Washington. The light rail Metro Gold Line from Union Station to Pasadena (traversing all of Highland Park) is one of the most enjoyable and dynamic public transportation journeys in the city, because of views offered by the parks, hills and valleys along the meandering route.
Despite these advantages, Highland Park experienced an exodus of white residents beginning with the development of Mid-Wilshire district beginning in the 1920s. By the mid 1960s, it was becoming a largely Latino enclave as the phenomenon of white flight, coupled with relentless over-development, caused land prices to drop. By the mid 1970s, it had emerged as a predominantly Latino area. But in keeping with its tradition of being a haven for immigrants, the shift in demographics never fully homogenized as it did in East L.A., leaving room for many races and ethnicities to find a place in Highland Park. Indeed, some residents find the mix of people to be one of the most appealing aspects of the community.
During the 1950s and continuing into the 1960s, many of Highland Park's grandest and oldest homes were razed. Witness, for example, Heritage Square: a Highland Park museum started by local Los Angeles activists hoping to save some of the Victorian homes which were scheduled for demolition to make room for gas stations and parking lots. One of the fine and architecturally significant homes was the only one saved from this era. A hint of gentrification sprouted in Highland Park in 1984 when large tracts of the district were set aside for historic preservation under Los Angeles' pioneering Historic Preservation Overlay Zone ordinance.
Before the skyrocketing of Southern California housing prices from 2002 - 2005, many arrived to Highland Park to seek out, buy, and revitalize Craftsman homes that had suffered neglect over the decades. Although this quiet movement continues, Highland Park has not undergone the dramatic changes that Silver Lake, Echo Park and Eagle Rock have experienced. The district's proximity to those neighborhoods (coupled with low rents), have made it increasingly popular among "hipsters". Local dive bars have become fashionable nightclubs, with doormen and velvet ropes. (see below) In another sign of neighborhood change, 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. It remains to be seen whether gentrification in the area will continue. Some contend that the poor quality of Highland Park's schools will ultimately make it less an attractive destination for young affluent couples, noting that the better school districts in Mt. Washington, Eagle Rock and South Pasadena made these destinations attractive for upper middle-class Angelenos seeking alternatives to suburbia. Many of those who already live in the area, however, have found that decent schooling options already exist, including some commendable bilingual programs.
The area is also served by the Arroyo Seco Journal politically-oriented monthly publication, founded in 1999 by Edward Rivera, a local journalist/activist.
From the late 1950s until around the early 80s, Highland Park and neighboring Eagle Rock were known as a haven for Hot Rod builders. While most of the original hot rod shops have now disappeared, McGibbons Auto Body still exists at 5251 York Blvd. McGibbons shop was the creator of many of the hot rodder and low-rider graphics and paints from the 1970s onward.
Highland Park is home to NELA bikes, a more genteel and law-abiding version of Echo Park's Midnight Ridazz.
One of the last typewriter shops in the City of Los Angeles, the U.S. Office Machine Company, is located in Highland Park at 5722 N. Figueroa. They specialize in repairing antique typewriters, and have restored a few for movie studios. It is one of three businesess located in the old Sunbeam Theatre, one of the earliest in the area, much older than the Highland Theater.
The clothing retail chain Forever 21 was founded in Highland Park in 1984. The first store is still located in its original location at 5637 N. Figueroa and bears the original name of the company, Fashion 21.
Atomic Toys is the first Action Figures Gift and Collectibles toy store located at 5725 N Figueroa Street is in Highland Park which opened on November 5, 2008
In the media
Because of the picturesque neighborhoods in and around Highland Park, many movies are filmed here. Reservoir Dogs was shot largely in Highland Park, Cutter's Way, starring Jeff Bridges for the most part, on Aldama Street. The dance hall scene in La Bamba was filmed at the VFW hall on Avenue 53.
An illustration in the booklet for Quasimoto's album The Further Adventures of Lord Quas depicts the area of Highland Park on Figueroa St. between Aves 26th and 56th.
Tuff Turf starring James Spader was shot in Highland Park, as well as the cult classic "Up in Smoke" starring Cheech and Chong.
Parts of the short lived TV show 10-8: Officers on Duty were filmed here.
Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal Service Highland Park Post Office is located at 5930 North Figueroa Street.
Highland Park is in the California's 31st Congressional District, California's 22nd State Senate District, and 45th State Assembly District, Los Angeles County's 1st Supervisorial District, the city of Los Angeles' 1st and 14th Council Districts, and is also served by the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council.
Fire service
Los Angeles Fire Department Station 12 is in the area.
Transportation
Highland Park has a train station, Highland Park (LACMTA station), along the Metro's Gold Line. The station is an island platform located near the intersection of North Avenue 57 at Marmion Way, (one block north of North Figueroa Street).
It is also served by Metro bus lines 81, 83, 176, and 256, as well as LADOT's DASH Highland Park/Eagle Rock bus line. Highland Park is the site of the world's first freeway, The Pasadena Freeway.
Education
Highland Park is zoned to schools in the Los Angeles USD .
Zoned elementary schools include:
- Aldama Elementary School
- Annandale Elementary School
- Buchanan Elementary School
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- Garvanza Elementary School
- San Pascual Elementary School
- Saint Ignatius School
- Toland Way Elementary School
- Yorkdale Elementary School
- Monte Vista Elementary School
Residents are zoned to Luther Burbank Middle School and Franklin High School.
See also
External links
- -Newspaper Article
- -Blog
- -Blog
- -Occidental College Sociology Department article.
- -Audubon Center at Debs Park
- -Stained Glass Studio
- -Article by California State Historian Kevin Starr.
- -Realtor
- -Autry National Center, Southwest Museum of the American Indian
- -Historic Orphaned Homes
- -Museum
- -News Article
- -Historical Society
- -City of Los Angeles
- -City of Los Angeles
- -Newspaper
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