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Koreatown, Los Angeles, California

 
Koreatown, Los Angeles, California

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Koreatown, Los Angeles, California



 
 
Koreatown (often abbreviated K-town) is a neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire

Mid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire, Los Angeles, California region.It mostly encompasses the area bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Melrose Avenue to the north, Hoover Street to the east and the Santa Monica Freeway to the south, although some neighborhoods in this perime...
 district of the city of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
. Home to a population of 340,000 and covering just under , it has the highest population density of all neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Only Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan

Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square....
, downtown Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
, and Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
's North Side neighborhoods rank higher in density in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

The neighborhood is in the midst of a construction boom that has helped fuel an influx of hipsters and gay & lesbian residents priced out from nearby Los Feliz and West Hollywood.






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Wilshireview
Koreatown (often abbreviated K-town) is a neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire

Mid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire, Los Angeles, California region.It mostly encompasses the area bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Melrose Avenue to the north, Hoover Street to the east and the Santa Monica Freeway to the south, although some neighborhoods in this perime...
 district of the city of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
. Home to a population of 340,000 and covering just under , it has the highest population density of all neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Only Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan

Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square....
, downtown Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
, and Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
's North Side neighborhoods rank higher in density in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

The neighborhood is in the midst of a construction boom that has helped fuel an influx of hipsters and gay & lesbian residents priced out from nearby Los Feliz and West Hollywood. Koreatown is ranked America's 8th Fuel-Efficient Neighborhood for 2008 by Forbes Magazine and is considered one of the top walkable neighborhoods in the nation.

Today, Koreatown leads Los Angeles in its effort for gentrification. The neighborhood is known for its many commercial and residential mid and high rise towers, its rich collection of pre-1940 brick colonial revival buildings, Asian high fashion boutiques, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy

Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also called RFK, was an United States politician. He was United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and a United States Senator from New York from 1965 until his Robert F....
, and holding the largest concentration of nightclubs and 24-hour businesses and restaurants in Southern California
Southern California

Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers on the cities of Los Angeles, California, San Diego, California, San Bernardino, California, and Riverside, California....
.

Geography

The city of Los Angeles has never set an official boundary for Koreatown and does not recognize any borders claimed by other agencies or offices. The Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department

The Los Angeles Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the city of Los Angeles, California, California. With nearly 9,900 officers and more than 3,000 female staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 3.8 million people, it is the fifth largest law enforcement agency in the United States ....
, Los Angeles Fire Department
Los Angeles Fire Department

The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles.It is also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department....
, Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District

Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment in the United States....
, Wilshire-Koreatown Neighborhood Council, Los Angeles County, US Census Bureau and the Koreatown Cultural Center all maintained their own set of boundaries, none of them in agreement.

The neighborhood is centrally located in the city of Los Angeles. It lies west of downtown, south-east of Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, situated west-northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym of cinema of the United States....
, 12 miles from Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a city in western Los Angeles County, California, California, United States. Situated on Santa Monica Bay of the Pacific Ocean, it is completely surrounded by the City of Los Angeles ? Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood, Los Angeles, California on the north, West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California on the northeast...
 Beach and 16 miles from Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, California, the United States metropolitan area of the United States....
.

The neighborhood is of general flat terrain with an elevation of 200 feet; latitude 34.058 and longitude -118.301.

History

Recorded settlement of the neighborhood first began in the 1870s. In 1888, the Los Angeles area suffered a real estate land bust and forcing the sale of lots to be sold at $2.50. Henry Gaylord Wilshire
Henry Gaylord Wilshire

Henry Gaylord Wilshire was a land developer, publisher and outspoken socialist who gave Wilshire Boulevard its name....
 had arrived with his family in Los Angeles four years prior and began purchasing lots in the neighborhoods of Hancock Park
Hancock Park

Hancock Park is a park in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California which is the location of the La Brea Tar Pits, the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art ....
, Westlake Park and Lafayette Park, including a 35-acre tract on the edge of Hancock Park and the north western section of what will later become Koreatown.

In 1887, private funds had been donated to Los Angeles to convert the city dump into Westlake Park, now MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park

MacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake, Los Angeles, California neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100....
. Because Wilshire's property surrounded the future park site, the city neogotated with Wilshire to build a street, bisecting his property in exchange for the street to meet the 120 foot width sought by Wilshire and the street bearing his name.

In 1900, Germain Pellisser paid $25 per acre to the Southern Pacific Railway for 160 acres between what is now Normandie and Western Avenues to raise sheep and barley. Also settling in the area was Reuben Schmidt, who purchased several acres of land east of Normandie for a diary farm.

A 1911 donation to a local church by the Chapman Brothers lead to the construction of the Wilshire Christian Church, the first church on Wilshire Boulevard. In 1913, Wilshire Boulevard received its first high-rise building with the construction of the 10-story Bryson Hotel and owned by film actor Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray

Frederick Martin MacMurray was an United States actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a highly successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, starting in 1930 and extending into the 1970s....
. With Hollywood officially becoming part of the city of Los Angeles, many of its luminaries including Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford was an Academy Award-winning Canada film actor, as well as a co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences....
 and Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd

Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an United States film actor and film producer, most famous for his silent film comedies.Harold Lloyd ranks alongside Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton as one of the most popular and influential film comedians of the silent film era....
 built homes in the area as did Los Angeles Times founder General Harrison Gray Otis. Other notable residents, in Los Angeles history, to move into the area were Isaac Van Nuys and G. Alien Hancock.

The Roaring Twenties
In 1920, the Western Avenue Businessmen's Association was formed. The association later became the Wilshire Chamber of Commerce. The following year saw the opening of the Ambassador Hotel on the former site of the Reuben Schmidt diary farm. Also that year was the construction of the 14-story Gaylord Hotel, the tallest building in Los Angeles at the time and built by Wilshire. The following two years also saw the construction the Asbury, the Langham, the Fox Normandie, the Picadily and the Windsor high-rise apartment buildings. Many of Hollywood's elite live in these elegant New York-style apartment buildings.

Joseph Schenck
Joseph Schenck

Joseph Michael Schenck was a pioneer executive who played a key role in the development of the United States film industry.Born in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia to a Jewish household, he and his family-including younger brother Nicholas Schenck- emigrated to New York City in 1893, he and Nicholas eventually got into the entertainment b...
, president of United Artists
United Artists

United Artists Entertainment LLC is an United States film studio. The current United Artists was formed in November 2006 under a partnership between producer/actor Tom Cruise and his production partner, Paula Wagner, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., an MGM company....
, purchased a newly constructed high-rise apartment for his actress wife Norma Talmadge
Norma Talmadge

Norma Talmadge was an United States actress and film producer of the silent film era. A major box office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most popular idols of the American screen....
 in 1922, which was renamed the Talmadge. The couple lived on the 10th floor. The Doheny family opened the Town House on Wilshire and Commonwealth as an apartment hotel in 1924, later selling the building to Conrad Hilton. The same year saw the installation of the first neon sign in the country at a Packard
Packard

Packard was an United States luxury automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana....
 car dealership on Wilshire Blvd.

Only one year later, Wilshire Boulevard became a tourists attraction for Southern California residents because of the large number of root-top neon signs. With Westlake Park lake the backdrop for many of his movies, Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. Order of the British Empire , better known as Charlie Chaplin, was an Academy Award-winning England comedy film actor and filmmaker....
 moved to an apartment building he purchased near the Ambassador Hotel. Also taking cue from the move was Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson

Gloria Swanson was an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning United States actress. She was prolific during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B....
, who moved into an apartment building she purchased across the street from the Ambassador. Swanson and her husband, Herbert Somborn, opened the iconic Hollywood hangout the Brown Derby
Brown Derby

The Brown Derby was a landmark restaurant in Los Angeles, California, California frequented by celebrities during the Golden Age of Hollywood....
 on Wilshire and Alexandria in 1926.

The world's first drive thru opened in 1929 at the Chapman Market building located on 6th and Alexandria. That same year, department store Bullocks opened its first "suburban" department store on Wilshire and Westmoreland. The 12-story building was modeled after the Paris Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Moderne. Also that year, the Academy Awards
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
 ceremony moved from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to the Ambassador Hotel and a section of the Germain Pellessier sheep farm on the corner of Wilshire and Western became the construction site of what would be the crown jewel of the Warner Brothers theater chain. The theater, and adjoining 12-story Pellessier building, opened in 1931 and the following year renamed the Wiltern Theater.

Role during the Hollywood golden age

The 1930s saw the height of Koreatown's association with Hollywood. The Ambassador Hotel hosted the Academy Awards
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
 ceremony in 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1934. The Koreatown area began to be referred to as the Upper Eastside of the West Coast. Hollywood's elite continued to settle in the neighborhood as did the city's leading families such as the Jansses, Banning, Rowan, Mulholland, Hilton, Sepulveda and Windsor. In 1939, I. Magnin opened the first store in the country to be entirely operated by electricity and the first air-conditioned building on Wilshire and New Hampshire.

The Great Depression only slightly effected the development of the neighborhood and before the end of the decade, the neighborhood would rival Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California

Beverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood, California are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, California....
 and Pasadena
Pasadena, California

Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, California, United States. Famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl Game American football game and the Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home of many leading scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet Propulsion Laboratory ,...
 in wealth and prestige. Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard

Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining....
 gained international notoriety during this period and was more known than Hollywood Boulevard. Wilshire, between Vermont and Western Avenues was the place to see and be seen and the place to see movie stars strolling the streets during Hollywood's golden era.

With the Ambassador Hotel as anchor, the Brown Derby
Brown Derby

The Brown Derby was a landmark restaurant in Los Angeles, California, California frequented by celebrities during the Golden Age of Hollywood....
, Cocoanut Grove
Cocoanut Grove

Cocoanut Grove may refer to:Places:*Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida*Coconut Grove , a metro station serving the above location*Coconut Grove, Northern Territory, a suburb of Darwin, Australia...
 club, and Wiltern Theater frequently saw the likes of Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an United States popular singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death.One of the first multimedia stars, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby held a nearly unrivaled command of record sales, radio ratings and motion picture grosses....
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an United States singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a solo artist with great success in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers"....
, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland
Judy Garland

Judy Garland was an American actress and alto singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage....
, Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly

Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an United States dancer, actor, singer, film director, Film producer, and choreographer.A major exponent of 20th century filmed dance, Kelly was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks and the likeable characters that he played on screen....
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong

Louis Daniel Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer.Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an innovative cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence on jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performers....
, Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes

Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American aviator, industrialist, film producer and director, philanthropist, and one of the wealthiest people in the world....
 and Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews

Dame Julie Elizabeth Andrews, Order of the British Empire is an award-winning English actress, singer, author and Cultural icon. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards honours....
, who all resided in the neighborhood at some point.

In 1943, the Ambassador Hotel hosted its 6th and final Academy Awards ceremony. The hotel continued to draw well-known and powerful people of the day including Presidents Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover

Herbert Clark Hoover was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . Besides his political career, Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author....
, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , often referred to by his initials FDR, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
, Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . As the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States, he succeeded Franklin D....
, Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David ?Ike? Eisenhower was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a General of the Army in the United States Army....
, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1961 until John F....
, Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States ....
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....
 and an endless list of dignitaries from Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
 to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev

Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, following the death of Joseph Stalin, and Premier of the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1964....
.

In 1951, the Wilshire Center country club and golf range on Wilshire between Mariposa and Normandie was sold to developers following the lifting of the city 13-story height limit. The site became the triple 12-story Tishman Plaza (now the Central Plaza), US Borax building, CNA building (now the Superior Court building) and the Wilshire Plaza.

Decentralization of Los Angeles

Towards the end of the 1950s, the trend to move westward and into the suburbs swept downtown's financial and commercial businesses, many relocating to the neighborhood's business district along Wilshire Boulevard between Vermont and Western Avenues. A number of 20 and 30-story office high-rise buildings were erected during the period in the area including the headquarters
Headquarters

Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are concentrated. The corporate headquarters is the entity at the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities....
 of Getty Oil
Getty Oil

Getty Oil is an oil company founded by J. Paul Getty. It was at its height during the 1960s. In 1971, the Getty Realty division was formed to manage the real estate needs of Getty stations....
, H.F. Ahmanson & Co., Equitable Life Insurance, Beneficial Financial Group
Beneficial Financial Group

Beneficial Financial Group is an insurance and financial services company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is in turn owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....
, and Wausau Financial.

As Los Angeles rapidly decentralized along newly constructed freeway
Freeway

A freeway is a type of road designed for Road safety#Motorway high-speed operation of motor vehicles through the elimination of at-grade intersections....
 corridors, Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard

Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining....
 and the areas surrounding fell into a steep and lengthy decline. Many of the commercial and financial businesses that relocated to the area during the 1950s left the area and moved further west. With property values drastically diminished, the area saw a heavy influx of Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
ns during the 1960s, after restrictions on immigration to the United States from East Asia
East Asia

East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either Geography or cultural terms. Geography and geopolitically, it covers about 12,000,000 km?, or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia as Central Asia....
 were lifted in 1965.

In 1968, after winning the California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
 primary and Democratic nomination for President, Senator Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy

Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also called RFK, was an United States politician. He was United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and a United States Senator from New York from 1965 until his Robert F....
, brother to former US President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1961 until John F....
, was assassinated in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel. His body was rushed to nearby Good Samaritan Hospital
Good Samaritan Hospital

Good Samaritan Hospital may refer to:In the United States:*Good Samaritan Hospital ? Los Angeles, California, USA*Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital ? Downers Grove, Illinois, USA...
 where he was declared dead.

Korean reinvention

In effort to reverse the area's decline, a seven-year study by a community advisory group and the City Planning Department was conducted and the Wilshire Plan was submitted to the Planning Committee of the City Council resulting in the area and its surrounding neighborhoods being declared the Wilshire Center District.

In the 1970s, the Heavy-Chemical Industry Drive
Heavy-Chemical Industry Drive

The Heavy-Chemical Industry Drive was an economic development plan enacted in the 1970s under the regime of South Korean dictator Park Chung Hee....
 initiated by South Korean president Park Chung Hee, which displaced much of Korea's petit bourgeoisie, resulted in even more Koreans settling in Wilshire Center, part of which was soon rechristened "Koreatown." Korean immigrants established a permanent foothold of the area with the opening of the Korean Youth and Community Center in 1974. The neighborhood, at the time, had an estimated 70,000 Korean immigrants.

In 1988, the city of Pomona
Pomona, California

Pomona is the 5th largest city in Los Angeles County . As of the 2000 census, the city population was 149,473. In 2005, its population was estimated as 160,815 ....
, east of Los Angeles, enacted an ordinance
Ordinance

Ordinance may refer to:* A law made by a colony, or a municipality or other local authority, see also Local ordinance* A law or decree made by any authority or authoritative body:...
 requiring business displaying foreign alphabetical characters and words to devote "at least" 1/2 of their sign in English characters. The ordinance was phrased to generally impact Asian American
Asian American

Asian Americans are United States of Asian people. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, Japanese Americans and others whose national origin is from the Asia....
 owned businesses, but enforced to hamper Korean owners particularly. Similar ordinances were also passed in the neighboring cities of Monterey Park, San Gabriel
San Gabriel

San Gabriel , is the Gabriel and could mean one of several places:*Ecuador**San Gabriel, Ecuador*Guatemala**San Gabriel, Suchitep?quez*Mexico...
 and Rosemead.

Support for a similar ordinance in the city of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles

The City of Los Angeles was a streamlined passenger train that ran between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California, via Omaha, Nebraska and Ogden, Utah....
 also began to grow but backers quickly realized that the rapidly growing Latin population, along with the Asian and Middle Eastern (particularly Armenian and Persian) had the sheer number to strike down any such restriction in free speech and cultural pride.

In 1989, a US Federal District Court judge struck down the Pomona ordinance as unconstitutional for placing restrictions on the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress from making laws "Establishment Clause of the First Amendment" or that prohibit the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, laws that infringe the Freedom of speech in the United State...
 right to free speech
Freedom of speech in the United States

Freedom of speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution to the United States Constitution and by many state constitutions and state and federal laws....
 and Fourteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is one of the post-American Civil War Reconstruction Amendments that was first intended to secure the rights of former Slavery in the United States....
 right to equal protection
Equal Protection Clause

The Equal Protection Clause, part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution to the United States Constitution, provides that "no state shall ......
.

Los Angeles Riots of 1992
On the afternoon of April 29, 1992, a Los Angeles area jury acquitted four white LAPD officers in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King
Rodney King

Rodney Glen King is an African-American man who, on March 3, 1991, was the victim in an excessive force case committed by Los Angeles Police Department....
. What ensued after is known as the 1992 Los Angeles Riots
1992 Los Angeles riots

The Los Angeles Riots of 1992, also known as the Rodney King uprising or the Rodney King riots, were sparked on April 29, 1992 when a jury acquittal four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a high-speed pursuit....
, or Rodney King Riots. During the following six days, the city of Los Angeles and neighboring communities experienced the largest civil unrest in Los Angeles since the 1965 Watts Riots
Watts Riots

The term Watts Riots of 1965 refers to a large-scale race riot which lasted 6 days in the Watts, Los Angeles, California List of districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles of Los Angeles, California, in August 1965....
. Los Angeles experienced massive looting, murders, fires, property damage, racial brawls along major intersections, power outages, loss of phone services, cancellation of all entertainment and sports events, and altered flight schedules due to gunfire at Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, California, the United States metropolitan area of the United States....
.

Koreatown experienced the hardest crime and destruction of the ordeal. Hundreds of Korean owned businesses were looted, damaged or burnt down and an unknown amount of Koreans physically attacked. By the second day of rioting, the LAPD and County Sheriff had been overpowered by the number of rioters forcing the departments to pull all units from patrol. As violent rioters next turned its attention to firefighters, the LAFD also recalled their teams. This left unchecked crime and fires which quickly expanded. The Korean American community, seeings the police force's abandonment of Koreatown, organized gun wielding packs of vigilantes to protect businesses and area residents. Open gun battles were televised live as Korean shopkeepers took to shooting at people, many times indiscriminately, to ward off the crowds of violent looters.

Order was restored on the sixth day of rioting after a mandatory curfew, lock down, and state of emergency had been declared. At its peak, the deployment of the National Guard
National Guard

The term National Guard may refer to an organized militia, a military force, a paramilitary force, a gendarmerie, or a constabulary:...
, brigades from the 7th Infantry Division based at Fort Ord, Marines from the 1st Marine Division based at Camp Pendleton, US Coast Guard from the 11th District, federal officers including FBI, Federal Protective Service
Federal Protective Service

Federal Protective Service may refer to:*United States Federal Protective Service, responsible for the security of Federal buildings*Federal Protective Service , the successor of the KGB Ninth Chief Directorate, now an independent organization...
, Immigration & Customs Enforcement and Justice Department assisted the LAPD, Los Angeles County Sheriff, California Highway Patrol
California Highway Patrol

The California Highway Patrol is the state police force of California. It was originally created in 1929 as a highway patrol agency to ensure road safety in California but assumed greater responsibility with the passage of time....
, Los Angeles Fire Department
Los Angeles Fire Department

The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles.It is also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department....
, and the police departments of Bell, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park, Inglewood
Inglewood, California

Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles, California. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908....
, Long Beach
Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a large city located in southern California, USA, on the Pacific Ocean coast. It is situated in Los Angeles County, about south of downtown Los Angeles....
, Maywood, Vernon, Torrance
Torrance, California

Torrance is a city located in the South Bay, Los Angeles region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city's population was 138,000 compared to 142,000 in 2005....
, Culver City
Culver City, California

Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 38,816. The community is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also has a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County....
, Gardena
Gardena, California

Gardena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, California, United States. The population was 57,746 at the 2000 census....
 and Hawthorne.

By the time the riots ended, 54 lives were lost, 2,383 people injured (228 critical), 12,111 arrested, 7,001 fires set, 1,400 structures destroyed, 3,100 businesses looted, and an estimated material damage of $1 billion. Over 15,000 military and federal officers with 2,000 military Humvees, 20 M1A1 Abrams tanks, 5 AH-64 Apache
AH-64 Apache

The AH-64 Apache is an all-weather day-night military attack helicopter with a four-bladed main and tail rotor and a crew of two pilots who sit in tandem....
 helicopters, and the visual presence of F-15 fighters complimented the combined police presence of 16,000 officers.

There are numerous beliefs as to a reason why Koreatown experienced the heaviest brunt of the riots, from its proximity to Crenshaw Boulevard, a major thoroughfare largely populated by African Americans to the south, the many electronic stores in the area, the large display of wealth among its residents (mostly women), to an unfair portrayal of Koreans in area media and the self segregated design of Los Angeles.

The aftermath of the event saw the majority of Korean residents flee to Orange County
Orange County, California

Orange County is a county in Southern California California, United States. Its county seat is Santa Ana, California. The state of California estimates its population as of 2008 to be 3,121,251, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County, California and San Diego County, California....
 and the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley

The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in Southern California, United States. More than half of the city of Los Angeles' land area lies within the San Fernando Valley....
. Many business owners did not reopen or repair their businesses, leaving the area with block after block of burnt down or abandoned buildings. Property values dipped below the notoriously poor areas of East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles

East Los Angeles can refer to:* East Los Angeles, California * East Los Angeles ...
 and South Central
South Central

South Central may refer to:* South Los Angeles, an area in Los Angeles, California* South Central Alaska, a region containing Anchorage metropolitan area...
. With the changes, the area experienced a vacuum that was largely filled by Latinos. By 1999, Latinos accounted for 75% of Koreatown's population, up from 10% while the Korean population dropped from 34% to just under 10%.

Revitalization
In 2000, the city of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
 began to promote smart-growth and removed many of the parking, low-housing, bed, pollution, tourist and new construction taxes that placed restrictions on any development and growth. With very little open land left in the city, the city eyed pre-1980's Koreatown as the ideal and model for the future of L.A. Most importantly however, Koreatown is in the center of the city of Los Angeles. Its diversity, density and self-sufficient economy, large number of pre-1940's buildings (a rarity in LA Metro) is seen as a way to relieve the city of its traffic problems, continued population growth, encourage commercial development and take back the population and its tax dollars back from the suburbs that had been bleeding the city of funds.

With the collapse of the Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese economy and stagnant Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
n economy, many in those countries eyed Los Angeles as a bargain, with a pre-fab Koreatown particularly for being the nearest to a densely populated and skyscraper friendly Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
 and Seoul
Seoul

Seoul is the Capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, It is one of the world's List of cities proper by population.The Seoul National Capital Area - which includes the major port city of Incheon and satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million inhabitants and is the world's second largest List of me...
. As Korean and Japanese investment began to mount, so did construction in the area. As former Koreatown business owners and residents took notice in new Asian
Asian

Asian or Asiatic may refer to:* Something or someone from Asia.* In context with the Ancient Egyptians, Asiatic is used to mean - beyond the borders of Egypt and the continent of Africa to the east, but only of western Asia ...
 development, many began to use the new interest of Koreatown as a catalyst to return.

During the same time, Los Angeles completed the purple leg of its new subway system with three stops in Koreatown along skyscraper laden Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard

Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining....
. This inspired even more interest back in the community with increased construction and population growth. With signs of revitalization seen in other parts of the city, notably Hollywood and downtown, Los Angeles and the areas transportation agency MTA broke down the barriers and walls to introduce the city to gentrification. And it did so by removing all restriction above the MTA
MTA

MTA may refer to:...
 Metro subway system and encouraged developers to build high. As the end point for the Purple Line and its three stations, Koreatown has greatly benefited from the line and the city's smart-growth promotion.

Since the smart-growth adoption of the city council, Koreatown has bloomed with new construction permits, adaptive re-use requests, and will serve as the terminus to Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, West LA and Santa Monica along the extension of the subway system.

Furthering its gentrification roll-out, Koreatown was designated a special graphics district (along with Hollywood and the downtown neighborhood of South Park/LA Live) by the city of Los Angeles in late 2008. The designation allows for digital signage and electronic billboards, currently not permitted by city code, to be installed on building facades allowing for Times Square
Times Square

Times Square is a major intersection in Manhattan, a borough of New York City at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd Street to West 47th Street s....
 and Shibuya
Shibuya

is a Japanese place name and Japanese name. It may refer to many Japanese people and places, including:Shibuya is also a popular shopping district in Tokyo, centered around the Shibuya Station....
 District inspired buildings lined with LCD jumbotrons. The 300 square block graphics district is bordered by 6th Street and Olympic Blvd. from the north and south, and St. Andrews Place and Shatto from the west to east.

Koreatown now brims with vibrant nightlife and commerce, and the construction of mid-high end residential buildings, including numerous apartments and condominiums continues to attract new residents. Recently, Koreatown has been infused with college students due to inexpensive housing, public transit to UCLA and USC
USC

USC can refer to:...
, and a vibrant nightlife.

Neighborhood culture

Koreatown is considered the most diverse neighborhood in America. Though the Latino community
Hispanic and Latino Americans

Hispanic and Latino Americans are United States of origins in Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain. The group encompasses distinct sub-groups by national origin and race, and there is much diversity of race and ancestry within national origin groups as well....
 as a whole is the largest ethnic demographic in Koreatown, Korean-Americans are the single largest national demographic at 18% followed by those of Mexican ancestry at 15%, White 14%, African-American 8%, Salvadoran 7%, Colombian 6%, Vietnamese 5%, Armenian 5%, Bolivian 4%, Thai 4%, Greek 3%, Persian
Persian people

Persian identity, at least in terms of language, is traced to the ancient Indo-Iranians , who arrived in parts of Greater Iran circa 2000-1500 BCE....
 3%, Chinese
Chinese people

The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People who reside in and hold citizenship of the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China ....
 3%, other 3%, and Peruvian 2%.

With its rich diversity, an emergence of a new multiculturalism between the Korean and Latino populations in Koreatown has begun to foreshadow an unprecedented change for American history. Most Korean businesses draw their employees, and in many cases customers, from the surrounding area's large Latino population. The relationship is such that Korean business owners are learning Spanish in increasing rates and Latinos learning Korean. Several Korean churches and community centers in Koreatown offer free Spanish and Korean to local residents. It is not rare to find Latino employees in restaurants and grocery stores speaking Korean with customers or Korean store owners engaging Latino customers in Spanish.

Shopping

Cultural experience can be immediately felt just by stepping into one of Koreatown’s shopping centers. You’ll find a bounty of fashion, jewelry, electronics, cosmetics, gifts and other goods — many of them imported directly from Korea.

Nightlife

The local scene in Koreatown is unlike any other seen in Los Angeles, having the feel of a mini-Seoul: it is dotted with all-Korean signs and menus, many times with no translations; its nightlife atmosphere often give the impression that in Koreatown after dark, different rules apply.

The neighborhood has over 1,100 night-time establishments which includes numerous bars, clubs, restaurants, spas, noraebangs (karaoke
Karaoke

is a form of entertainment in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known popular music song which has no lead vocal....
 studios), dancehalls, theaters, poolhalls, coffeehouses, Hookah Lounge
Hookah lounge

The hookah lounge is an establishment where patrons share shisha from a communal hookah or nargile which is placed at each table.Some hookah lounges are business modeled as such from their inception....
s and internet parlors.

Though not well-known to non-residents and understandably skipped by tourists in search of Hollywood, Koreatown is the nearest to a 24-hour district in Los Angeles, and has the highest concentration of nightclubs and restaurants in Southern California
Southern California

Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers on the cities of Los Angeles, California, San Diego, California, San Bernardino, California, and Riverside, California....
.

Though it is against CA state law, smoking is tolerated everywhere -- outdoors, indoors, sometimes right under the No Smoking sign. Its also a non-secret that a sizable number of businesses serve liquor after 2 a.m. LAPD cites alcohol violations in the form of after hours sales and sales to minors as a "big problem."

A smorgasbord of restaurants can be found in Koreatown from every type and culture. From tofu
Tofu

Tofu , also , doufu , toufu, or bean curd , is a food of China origin, made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks....
 houses, Korean BBQ, Mexican taco stands, bakeries, Greek gyros, pizza, Vietnamese Pho noodle houses, Thai, Salvadoran pupuserías, boba parlors, Chinese to American hamburger joints, coffee houses and steakhouses, its not uncommon to find all of these types of restaurants in one Koreatown plaza.

Festivals

Koreatown holds three annual festivals. The Korean
Korean people

The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in East Asia. Most Koreans speak the Korean language....
 Festival & Parade is held along Olympic Blvd. and marches to the Seoul Peace Park. The City of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
 holds the Earth Day
Earth Day

Earth Day is one of two observances, both held annually during spring in the northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere. These are intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment....
 Expo along Wilshire
Wilshire

Wilshire is the name of several people and places....
 Blvd every June. The Greek Festival is held every September along Normandie and the St. Sophia Cathedral.

Crime and safety

Recent media coverage of Koreatown has lead to the misconception of high-crime activity within the neighborhood. Adding to the belief is the memory of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots
1992 Los Angeles riots

The Los Angeles Riots of 1992, also known as the Rodney King uprising or the Rodney King riots, were sparked on April 29, 1992 when a jury acquittal four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a high-speed pursuit....
. Though individual numbers for the various classified crimes rank mid to high among the city's districts, when resident population and the area's density is used to determine rates, Koreatown is not a high-crime rate area and ranks among the 20 safest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, out of the city's 90 neighborhoods.

Transportation

Koreatown has some of the best public transportation in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area. Residents benefit from the service of four public transportation agencies.

The MTA operates two subway lines - the Red Line
LACMTA Red Line

The Metro Red Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a heavy rail rapid transit line in Los Angeles. It is one of Los Angeles' two rapid transit lines , and also the busiest of the five Metro Rail lines ....
, which runs northwest-southeast from North Hollywood to Downtown LA
Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolis area....
 along Vermont Avenue, and the Purple Line, which runs east-west along Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard

Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining....
 downtown. In late 2008, residents of Los Angeles County passed Measure R which will increase local sales tax to a rate of 8.75% and funnel the estimated $40 billion it will generate solely to public transportation and freeway improvement. This will allow the Metro to move forward with its largest project, the extension of the Purple Line from its current Wilshire
Wilshire

Wilshire is the name of several people and places....
 and Western end point to Santa Monica Beach.

In addition to the two subway lines serving Koreatown, the MTA operates numerous Express, Rapid and local bus lines through the district. Rapid lines include the 710 Crenshaw, 720 Wilshire, 728 Olympic, 754 Vermont, 757 Western and the 920 Wilshire Express. Local lines include the 207 Western, 20 & 21 Wilshire/Westwood, 217 Crenshaw/Vine and 206 Vermont. Many MTA bus lines in Koreatown offer 24 hour service.

The LADOT operates three district to district DASH routes, one Commuter Express line and Citywide. Koreatown is served by the Wilshire/Hollywood line, the Western/Vermont line, and the Vermont/Hollywood DASH line. The DASH lines are meant for local neighborhood transportation with routes tiny in comparison to MTA lines. Line service ends before 8pm weekdays with less frequent service on weekends. Commuter Express line 534 Century City provides weekday service while Citywide offers door to door dial-a-ride service for the elderly and disabled.

Smart Shuttle operates three north/south lines along Western, Normandie and Vermont with limited Saturday service.

Economy

]] Asiana Airlines
Asiana Airlines

Asiana Airlines is an airline based in Seoul, South Korea and is one of South Korea's two major airlines, along with Korean Air.Asiana is a member of the Star Alliance and operates services to 12 domestic destinations and 82 international destinations in 21 countries worldwide....
 operates a sales office at Suite 1700 at 3530 Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard

Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining....
 in Koreatown. Korean Air
Korean Air

Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. , operating as Korean Air, is the national airline and largest airline of South Korea; its global headquarters are located in Seoul in Korea....
's United States Passenger Operations headquarters are located in close proximity to Koreatown in the Westlake
Westlake, Los Angeles, California

Westlake is a district in Los Angeles, California. It should not be confused with Westlake Village, California, an independent municipality in Los Angeles County near Thousand Oaks and close to the Ventura County line....
 community. Grupo TACA
Grupo TACA

TACA is an international airline headquartered in San Salvador, El Salvador. Its IATA two letter code is TA.TACA as the trade name "brand" is comprised by a group of five indepedently IATA coded and owned Central American airlines, whose operations are combined to function as one and a number of other independently owned and IATA code...
 operates a Los Angeles-area TACA Center in Suite 100P at 3600 Wilshire Boulevard.

The Consulate-General of South Korea in Los Angeles is located at 3243 Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard

Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining....
. The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Los Angeles
Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Los Angeles

The Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Los Angeles is the People's Republic of China's diplomatic mission at 443 Shatto Place in the Koreatown, Los Angeles area of Los Angeles, California, United States....
 is located at 443 Shatto Place, while the passport and visa office is on the third floor of 500 Shatto Place.

South Korean investment has been a large contributor to the neighborhood economy since the 1960s. Since the early 2000s, that investment has increased greatly, ballooning to an estimated $1 billion dollar in new construction investment.

Since the adoption by the Los Angeles City Council
Los Angeles City Council

The 'Los Angeles City Council' is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States....
 of smart growth
Smart growth

Smart growth is an urban urban planning and transportation planning theory that concentrates growth in the center of a city to avoid urban sprawl; and advocates compact, transit-oriented development, pedestrian-friendly, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, mixed-use development with a range of housing...
 and the subsequent removal of zoning laws and tax fees, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese investment has notably increased as well as interest from the UAE
United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven states situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia....
 firm Dubai Holding
Dubai Holding

Dubai Holding is a holding company that belongs to the Government of Dubai . It manages and controls 20 companies, which operate in real estate, hospitality, finance, healthcare, energy, research, education, entertainment, media, internet, tourism and biotechnology....
.

Government

The Wilshire Center - Koreatown Neighborhood Council is the area's local government agency. The council's boundaries include Koreatown, as well as parts of MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park

MacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake, Los Angeles, California neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100....
, Hancock Park
Hancock Park

Hancock Park is a park in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California which is the location of the La Brea Tar Pits, the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art ....
, and Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire

Mid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire, Los Angeles, California region.It mostly encompasses the area bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Melrose Avenue to the north, Hoover Street to the east and the Santa Monica Freeway to the south, although some neighborhoods in this perime...
.

Representatives

Koreatown lies within District 4 of the city of Los Angeles and is represented on the city council by Tom LaBonge. The area is represented by Mark Ridley-Thomas, Supervisor of District 2 for Los Angeles County. Diane Watson, Congresswoman of District 33 is the area representative in the US Congress. .

Fire service

Four Fire Stations of the Los Angeles Fire Department
Los Angeles Fire Department

The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles.It is also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department....
 serve the community of Koreatown respectively:

serving Southwest Koreatown at Wilshire Blvd. and Wilton Avenue.
serving Southeast Koreatown at Pico Blvd. and Westmoreland Avenue.
serving Northwest Koreatown at Melrose Avenue and Western Avenue.
serving Northeast Koreatown at Temple Street and Virgil Avenue.

Police service

Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department

The Los Angeles Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the city of Los Angeles, California, California. With nearly 9,900 officers and more than 3,000 female staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 3.8 million people, it is the fifth largest law enforcement agency in the United States ....
 polices the city of Los Angeles through 15 local districts. Koreatown is served by three of the departments local divisions- Rampart Division, Wilshire Division and Hollywood Division. The Rampart Division is responsible for the majority of Koreatown starting from its eastern boundary and in the fall of 2008 completed construction on a new station located directly within Koreatown at Vermont and 11th Street. The Wilshire and Hollywood Division patrol the western edges of the neighbhorhood..

Education


Public schools
The Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District

Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment in the United States....
 serves Koreatown residents as Local District 3 and 4. Traditionally, the following schools serve the residents of Koreatown:

Cahuenga Elementary School, Kim Elementary School, , , Los Angeles Elementary School, Virgil Middle School
Virgil Middle School

Virgil Middle School, formerly known as Virgil Junior High School, is a middle school in Los Angeles, California. This school is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District and teaches classes to students who range from grades 6 through 8....
, Berendo Middle School, 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....
, Camino Nuevo Charter High School
Camino Nuevo High School

Camino Nuevo Charter Academy is a charter school serving the Westlake, Los Angeles, California/MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, California area of Los Angeles....
, Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School

Los Angeles High School, founded in 1873, is the oldest Public education#United States Public School high school in the Southern California and in the Los Angeles Unified School District....
, Fairfax High School
Fairfax High School

Fairfax High School can refer to:*Fairfax High School *Fairfax High School *Fairfax High School *Fairfax High School *Betty H. Fairfax High School ...
, Belmont High School
Belmont High School (Los Angeles, California)

Belmont Senior High School is a public high school located at 1575 West 2nd Street in the Westlake, Los Angeles, California community of Los Angeles, California, United States....
, Ambassador Education Complex (2010 completion date)

Private schools
Several private schools can also be found in Koreatown, though local residents likely do not make up a large portion of the attendance number. Those schools include Mid-Wilshire Christian School, (a K-6 academy sponsored by the Korean Institute of Southern California), St. Brendan School, Plymouth School, St.Gregory Nazianzen, St. James School, Point Sat Academy, Pilgrim Commonwealth School, and LA Academy

Colleges and universities

Koreatown lies within the Los Angeles Community College District
Los Angeles Community College District

The Los Angeles Community College District is the community college district serving Los Angeles, California and some of its neighboring cities....
. Its nearest campus Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College

Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, California section of Los Angeles, California....
 (LACC
LACC

LACC may refer to:* London Area Control Centre* Los Angeles Children's Chorus, a community children's choir for girls and boys with unchanged voices from the Los Angeles area ranging from ages 8 to 17...
) is located 1.5 miles north of Koreatown in East Hollywood. The University of California Los Angeles campus (UCLA) is located 10.3 miles west of Koreatown, easily connected by way of Wilshire Boulevard.

In part for being centrally located and heavily serviced by public transportation, the Mid-Wilshire section of Los Angeles holds a high concentration of colleges, trade, technical and religious schools. Koreatown is home to the largest assortment of these schools; the majority of them lining Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard

Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining....
 and Vermont Avenue
Vermont Avenue

Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north/south streets in Los Angeles. Located just west of the Harbor Freeway for the major portion south of downtown Los Angeles, it starts in Griffith Park at the Greek Theatre in the Los Feliz neighborhood as a one-lane divided road and at the intersection with Los Feliz Boulevard, it widens to...
. Those schools include-

Southwestern University School of Law
Southwestern University School of Law

Southwestern Law School is a private American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Los Angeles, California , with about 1,000 students on a campus that includes the Bullocks Wilshire building, an admired art deco landmark....
, Bryman College
Bryman College

Bryman College, now known as Everest College, is a system of for-profit colleges in the United States. It is oriented towards being a career college, with classes in the health care and business fields....
, now known as Everest College
Everest College

Everest College is a system of for-profit colleges in the United States and the Canadian province of Ontario. The schools are owned and operated by Corinthian Colleges International, Inc which also owns Everest University and Everest Institute....
, Westwood College, Los Angeles College International, Art Institute
Art Institute

Art Institute can refer to a number of different art conservatories; however, as a proper name, it also can refer to:*Art Institute of Chicago, a noted museum and school in Chicago, Illinois....
 (Ai), East West Reformed Seminary, Central Nursing College, American Career College, Prefered College of Nursing, West Coast University, Hubbard College, Latis Career College, California International University, Casino College of Los Angeles, Eaton College Conversatory, Chong Shin University, New Bridge University, World Mission University, College of National Wide, Shepard University School of Music, Angeles College of Nursing, Serendipity College, California Design College
California Design College

California Design College ? is one of The Art Institutes, a system of more than 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing education in design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts....
 (CDC College), National Bartenders Bartending School, Los Angeles Pacific College, Academy of Art & Technology, Los Angeles Institute of Architecture, Cinema Makeup School
Cinema Makeup School

Cinema Makeup School, known sometimes as CMS, is a private post secondary institution that provides makeup training every year to an international body of students from around the world....
, Southern Baptist Clergy & Seminary, Fashion College of Southern California, Los Angeles Beauty School, Stanislavsky College of Accounting

Public libraries

  • Pio Pico Koreatown Branch Library of the Los Angeles Public Library
    Los Angeles Public Library

    The Los Angeles Public Library system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California, California, United States. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest public library systems in the world....
     serves the area.


Other education

The Korean Education Center, affiliated with the government of South Korea, is located in Suite 200 at 680 Wilshire Place.

Parks and recreation

The Hollywood-Wilshire YMCA
YMCA

The Young Men's Christian Association was founded on June 6, 1844 in London, United Kingdom, by George Williams . The original intention of the organization was to put Christian principles into practice....
 operates the Wilshire Youth Program Center in Wilshire Center, serving children and teenagers. It will be upgraded to a full-service facility starting in 2008.

The Seoul International Park, a city park, has ball fields and a recreation center.

Landmarks

Image:Wilshire Christian Church.jpg|Wilshire Christian Church Image:Saint Basil Catholic Church Los Angeles.jpg|St. Basil Catholic Church Image:Wilshire Boulevard Temple 1207.jpg|Wilshire Boulevard Temple Image:Chapman Market.jpg|The historic Chapman Market today

  • Koreatown Plaza
  • Koreatown Galleria


Religious structures

  • First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles
  • Oriental Mission Church (OMC)
  • (?? ??? ?? ??)
There are many smaller churches in the area, as well as Korean Buddhist temples and the Zen Center of Los Angeles
Zen Center of Los Angeles

The Zen Center of Los Angeles , temple name Buddha Essence Temple, is a Zen center founded by Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi in 1967 that practices in the White Plum Asanga lineage....
.

See also

  • List of Korea-related topics
    List of Korea-related topics

    This is a list of articles on Korea-related people, places, things, and concepts. For help on how to use this list, see the #Introduction below....


External links

  • Asian American Business Group v. City of Pomona, 716 F. Supp. 1328 (C.D. Cal. 1989).