Koreatown (often abbreviated
K-town) is a neighborhood in the
Mid-WilshireMid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire 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...
district of the city of
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality 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...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
. 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 ManhattanMidtown 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
ManhattanManhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.New York County, which has the same boundaries as the Borough of Manhattan , is the most densely populated county in the United States, with a 2008 population of 1,634,795...
, parts of San Francisco, and
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
's North Side neighborhoods rank higher in density in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
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
gentrificationGentrification and urban gentrification denote the socio-economic, commercial, and demographic change in an urban area resulting from wealthier people buying housing property in a poor community...
. 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, and holding the largest concentration of nightclubs and 24-hour businesses and restaurants in
Southern CaliforniaSouthern California, or SoCal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers around three major metropolitan areas, each of which have over 3 million people; the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area with over 12 million inhabitants, the San Bernardino-Riverside...
. It was also the location of the assassination of
Robert F. KennedyRobert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician. He was a younger brother of President John F. Kennedy and acted as one of his advisers during his presidency. From 1961 to 1964, he was the U.S...
.
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 DepartmentThe Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With nearly 9,900 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 3.8 million people, it is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the United...
,
Los Angeles Fire DepartmentThe Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
,
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...
, Wilshire Center-Koreatown Neighborhood Council (WCKNC), 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
HollywoodHollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, United States, 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 metonymy of American cinema...
, from
Santa MonicaSanta Monica is a city in western Los Angeles County, California, USA. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and Venice on the...
Beach and from
Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, the second-most populated metropolitan area of the United States. It is often referred to by its airport code LAX, with the letters usually pronounced individually...
.
The neighborhood is of general flat terrain with an average elevation of ; 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 WilshireHenry Gaylord Wilshire was a land developer, publisher and outspoken socialist who gave Wilshire Boulevard its name.-Biography:...
had arrived with his family in Los Angeles four years prior and began purchasing lots in the neighborhoods of
Hancock ParkHancock 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 LACMA. Hancock Park is, however, not in the neighborhood called Hancock Park, which begins approximately 1 mile to the...
, Westlake Park and Lafayette Park, including a 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 ParkMacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100.-Geography:...
. Because Wilshire's property surrounded the future park site, the city negotiated with Wilshire to build a street, bisecting his property in exchange for the street to meet the width sought by Wilshire and the street bearing his name.
In 1900, Germain Pellisser paid $25 per acre to the Southern Pacific Railway for 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 MacMurrayFrederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American 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.MacMurray is well known for his role in the 1944 film noir Double...
. With Hollywood officially becoming part of the city of Los Angeles, many of its luminaries including
Mary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian motion picture actor, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Known as "America's Sweetheart," "Little Mary" and "The girl with the curls," she was one of the first Canadian...
and
Harold LloydHarold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
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 SchenckJoseph Michael Schenck was a pioneer executive who played a key role in the development of the United States film industry....
, president of
United ArtistsUnited Artists Entertainment LLC is an American 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 TalmadgeNorma Talmadge was an American actress and film producer of the silent 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.Her most famous film was Smilin’ Through , but she also...
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
PackardPackard was an American 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 roof-top neon signs. With Westlake Park lake the backdrop for many of his movies,
Charlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer Chaplin, KBE was an English comedic actor and film director. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable filmmaker, composer and musician in the early to mid Classical Hollywood era of American cinema.Chaplin acted in, directed, scripted, produced and...
moved to an apartment building he purchased near the Ambassador Hotel. Also taking cue from the move was
Gloria SwansonGloria Swanson was an American actress. She was most prominent during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille. She was also one of the first stars to challenge the Hays Code by producing the banned Sadie Thompson in 1928...
, 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 DerbyThe Brown Derby was the name given to a chain of restaurants in Los Angeles, California. The first and most famous of these was shaped like a men's derby hat, an iconic image that became synonymous with 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 AwardsThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
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 AwardsThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
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 affected the development of the neighborhood and before the end of the decade, the neighborhood would rival
Beverly HillsBeverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The area's "Platinum Triangle" of wealthy neighborhoods is formed by Beverly Hills and...
and
PasadenaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States; and is a satellite city of Los Angeles. Famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and the Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home of many leading scientific and cultural institutions, including the...
in wealth and prestige.
Wilshire BoulevardWilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, 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 DerbyThe Brown Derby was the name given to a chain of restaurants in Los Angeles, California. The first and most famous of these was shaped like a men's derby hat, an iconic image that became synonymous with the Golden Age of Hollywood....
,
Cocoanut GroveCocoanut Grove may refer to:Places:*Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida*Coconut Grove , serving the above location*Coconut Grove, Northern Territory, suburb of Darwin, AustraliaNightclubs:...
club, and Wiltern Theater frequently saw the likes of
Bing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American popular singer and actor whose career stretched over more than half a century from 1926 until his death....
,
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
, Sammy Davis Jr.,
Judy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress and 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. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy...
,
Gene KellyEugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer....
,
Louis ArmstrongLouis Daniel Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
,
Howard HughesHoward Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American aviator, engineer, industrialist, film producer, film director, philanthropist, and one of the wealthiest people in the world. He gained fame in the late 1920s as a maverick film producer, making big budget and often controversial films like Hell's Angels,...
and
Julie AndrewsDame Julie Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is a British film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award 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 HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted government intervention under the rubric "economic...
,
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , the only U.S. President elected to more than two terms, was a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
,
Harry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice-president and the 34th Vice President of the United States, he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
,
Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was a five-star general in the United States Army and the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. During the Second World War, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe, with responsibility for planning and supervising the...
,
John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
,
Lyndon B. JohnsonLyndon Baines Johnson , served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969 after his service as the Vice President of the United States from 1961 to 1963...
,
Ronald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California .Born in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s...
and an endless list of dignitaries from
Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
to Soviet leader
Nikita KhrushchevNikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, 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
headquartersHeadquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The corporate headquarters is the entity at the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
of
Getty OilGetty 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. The division was later spun off, but now owns the rights to the Getty brand.In 1984, Texaco bought Getty Oil...
, H.F. Ahmanson & Co., Equitable Life Insurance,
Beneficial Financial GroupBeneficial 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
freewayA freeway is a type of road designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles through the elimination of at-grade intersections. This is accomplished by preventing access to and from adjacent properties and eliminating all cross traffic through the use of grade separations and...
corridors,
Wilshire BoulevardWilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, 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
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
ns during the 1960s, after restrictions on immigration to the United States from
East AsiaEast Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. Geographically and geo-politically, it covers about , or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang,...
were lifted in 1965.
In 1968, after winning the
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
primary and Democratic nomination for President, Senator
Robert F. KennedyRobert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician. He was a younger brother of President John F. Kennedy and acted as one of his advisers during his presidency. From 1961 to 1964, he was the U.S...
, brother to former US President
John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, was assassinated in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel. His body was rushed to nearby
Good Samaritan HospitalGood Samaritan Hospital may refer to:In the United States:*Good Samaritan Hospital — Los Angeles*Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital — Downers Grove, Illinois*Good Samaritan Hospital — Suffern, New York...
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 DriveThe Heavy-Chemical Industry Drive was an economic development plan enacted in the 1970s under the regime of South Korean dictator Park Chung Hee.-Background:...
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
PomonaPomona is the fifth largest city in Los Angeles County, California . 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
ordinanceOrdinance 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{Infobox Ethnic group|group = Asian American|image =Graduation Rate! align="CENTER" | Bachelor's Degree
or More|-| align="LEFT" | Asian Indians| align="RIGHT" | 90.2%| align="RIGHT" | 67.9%|-| align="LEFT" | Filipinos| align="RIGHT" | 90.8%...
owned businesses, but enforced to hamper Korean owners particularly. Similar ordinances were also passed in the neighboring cities of Monterey Park,
San GabrielSan Gabriel , is the Archangel Gabriel and could mean one of several places:*Ecuador**San Gabriel, Ecuador*Guatemala**San Gabriel, Suchitepéquez*Mexico**San Gabriel, Durango**San Gabriel, Guanajuato...
and Rosemead.
Support for a similar ordinance in the
city of Los AngelesThe City of Los Angeles was a streamlined passenger train that ran between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California, via Omaha, Nebraska and Ogden, Utah. Between Omaha and Los Angeles, the train was operated by the Union Pacific Railroad...
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 AmendmentThe First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the Congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion", prohibiting the free exercise of religion, infringing on the freedom of speech and infringing on the freedom of the...
right to
free speechFreedom of speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and by many state constitutions and state and federal laws. Criticism of the government and advocacy of unpopular ideas that people may find distasteful or against public policy, such as...
and
Fourteenth AmendmentThe Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, along with the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, was adopted after the Civil War as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. It was adopted on July 9, 1868....
right to
equal protectionThe Equal Protection Clause, part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, provides that "o state shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws"...
.
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 KingRodney Glen King is a Black American who, on March 3, 1991, was the victim of police brutality, committed by Los Angeles police officers. A bystander, George Holliday, videotaped much of the incident from a distance.The footage showed LAPD officers repeatedly striking King with their batons...
. What ensued after is known as the
1992 Los Angeles RiotsThe Los Angeles Riots of 1992, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest, were sparked on April 29, 1992 when a jury acquitted four Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of African-American motorist Rodney King following a high-speed pursuit. Thousands of...
, 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 RiotsThe term Watts Riots of 1965 refers to a large-scale race riot which lasted 6 days in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in August 1965. By the time the riot subsided, 34 people had been killed, 1,032 injured, and 3,952 arrested...
. 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 AirportLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, the second-most populated metropolitan area of the United States. It is often referred to by its airport code LAX, with the letters usually pronounced individually...
.
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
LAPDThe Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With nearly 9,900 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 3.8 million people, it is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the United...
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, seeing the police force's abandonment of Koreatown, organized gun-wielding groups 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, brigades from the 7th Infantry Division based at
Fort OrdFort Ord was a U.S. Army post on Monterey Bay in California. It was established in 1917 as a maneuver area and field artillery target range and was closed in September 1994. Fort Ord was one of the most attractive locations of any U.S. Army post, because of its proximity to the beach and California...
, Marines from the 1st Marine Division based at
Camp PendletonMarine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base. It is located on the Southern California coast, bordered by Oceanside to the south, San Clemente to the north, and Fallbrook to the east.The base was...
,
US Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of seven uniformed services. It is unique among the military branches in that it has a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its mission set...
from the 11th District, federal officers including FBI,
Federal Protective ServiceFederal 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 DepartmentThe United States Department of Justice is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans...
assisted the LAPD, Los Angeles County Sheriff,
California Highway PatrolThe California Highway Patrol is an agency of the U.S. State of California with patrol jurisdiction over all California highways. The CHP also acts as the state police....
,
Los Angeles Fire DepartmentThe Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
, and the police departments of Bell, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park,
InglewoodInglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. In 2006, its population was estimated at 129,900. The city is in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area...
,
Long BeachLong Beach is a large city located in southern California, USA, on the Pacific coast. It is situated in Los Angeles County, about south of downtown Los Angeles. Long Beach borders Orange County on its southeast edge....
, Maywood, Vernon,
TorranceTorrance is a city located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance's 1.5 miles of attractive beach coastline is less well-known than those of its immediate neighbors to the North, Redondo Beach, or to the South, Palos Verdes Estates...
,
Culver CityCulver 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...
,
GardenaGardena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 57,746 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gardena is located at ....
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 ApacheThe AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with reverse-tricycle landing gear, and tandem cockpit for a crew of two. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the AH-1 Cobra...
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 de facto segregation of Los Angeles.
The aftermath of the event saw a large percentage of Korean residents flee to
Orange CountyOrange County is a county in Southern California, United States. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,846,293, though a July 2008 estimate placed the population at 3,010,759, making it the second most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and...
and the
San Fernando ValleyThe 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 AngelesEast Los Angeles is the portion of the City of Los Angeles, California that lies east of the Los Angeles River and Downtown Los Angeles, west of the San Gabriel Valley and the unincorporated area of East Los Angeles, California and City Terrace, California, south of Cypress Park, and north of...
and
South CentralSouth Central may refer to:* South Los Angeles, an area in Los Angeles, California* South Central Alaska, a region containing Anchorage metropolitan area* South Central United States...
. 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 AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality 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...
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 and continued population growth, encourage commercial development, and take back the population and its tax dollars from the suburbs that had been bleeding the city of funds.
With the collapse of the
Japanis 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
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
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, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totaling over 8 million people....
and
SeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, it is one of the world's largest cities. The Seoul National Capital Area, which includes the major port city of Incheon and most of Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million...
. 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
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
n 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 systemThe Metro Purple Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a heavy rail metro line in Los Angeles, USA.It is one of Los Angeles' two subway lines , and one of the five Metro Rail lines...
with three stops in Koreatown along skyscraper laden
Wilshire BoulevardWilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, 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- United States :* Des Moines Area Regional Transit, Iowa* Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority, Pennsylvania* Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority,California* Manchester Transit Authority, New Hampshire* Maryland Transit Administration...
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 SquareTimes 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 to West 47th Streets...
and
Shibuyais a Japanese place name and surname. It may refer to many Japanese people and places, including:-People:*Shibuya Konnōmaru , a 12th century warrior who tried to avenge the death of Minamoto no Yoshitomo*Kotono Shibuya, an actress...
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
USCThe University of Southern California is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, USA...
, and a vibrant nightlife.
Neighborhood culture
Koreatown is among the most diverse neighborhoods in the United States. Though the
Latino communityHispanic and Latino Americans are Americans of origins in Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain - "Mexican," "Puerto Rican," or "Cuban" - as well as those who indicate that they are "other Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino." Origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or...
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%,
PersianThe Persian people are the majority ethnic group in Iran. However, there are sub-groups who speak the Persian language as their mother tongue throughout the Iranian plateau. The term Persian has also a supra-ethnic significance and has been historically referred to a part of Iranian peoples...
3%,
ChineseThe term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People who reside in and hold citizenship of the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China . This definition stems from a legal perspective...
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.. Moreover, it is common to see Korean American customers eating in Latino restaurants and Latino American customers eating in Korean restaurants. A very visual sign of this rich and unique cultural exchange between Koreans and Latinos in Koreatown is the recent popularity of Korean inspired taco trucks in LA..
Shopping
Cultural experience can be immediately felt just by stepping into one of Koreatown’s shopping centers. A variety of fashion, jewelry, electronics, cosmetics, gifts and other goods will be found— 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 (
karaokeis 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 pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol or changing color and/or...
studios), dancehalls, theaters, poolhalls, coffeehouses,
Hookah LoungeThe hookah lounge is an establishment where patrons share shisha from a communal hookah or nargile which is placed at each table....
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 CaliforniaSouthern California, or SoCal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers around three major metropolitan areas, each of which have over 3 million people; the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area with over 12 million inhabitants, the San Bernardino-Riverside...
.
Though it is against California 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.
LAPDThe Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With nearly 9,900 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 3.8 million people, it is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the United...
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
tofuor called toufu, bean curd is a soft white food made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. It is of Chinese origin, and part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and others. There are many different varieties...
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
KoreanThe Korean people are an ethnic group originating in East Asia. Most Koreans speak the Korean language.-Names:South Koreans call Koreans Han-guk-in —or simply 한인/Han-in for South Koreans living abroad—or informally Hanguk saram , while North Koreans call Koreans Chosŏn-in or Chosŏn saram...
Festival & Parade is held along Olympic Blvd. and marches to the Seoul Peace Park. The Wilshire Center Business Improvement District (WCBID) holds the annual Earth Day / Car Free Day Festival
http://www.wilshirecenter.com/earthday every April 22 on Wilshire Blvd. The City of
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality 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...
holds the
Earth DayEarth Day is celebrated in the US on April 22 and is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970, and is celebrated in many countries every year...
Expo along
Wilshire- People :* Jack Wilshire, English footballer currently playing for Arsenal F.C.* Brian Wilshire, Australian radio talkback host* Bruce Wilshire, American philosopher and professor at Rutgers University* David Wilshire, British politician and Parliament member...
Blvd every June. Thai consulate holds the Indonesian festival every August at Mariposa Ave and Wilshire Blvd. 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 RiotsThe Los Angeles Riots of 1992, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest, were sparked on April 29, 1992 when a jury acquitted four Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of African-American motorist Rodney King following a high-speed pursuit. Thousands of...
. 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 LineThe 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 LADowntown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
along Vermont Avenue, and the Purple Line, which runs east-west along
Wilshire BoulevardWilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, 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- People :* Jack Wilshire, English footballer currently playing for Arsenal F.C.* Brian Wilshire, Australian radio talkback host* Bruce Wilshire, American philosopher and professor at Rutgers University* David Wilshire, British politician and Parliament member...
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, 204 Vermont and 206 Normandie. Many MTA bus lines in Koreatown offer 24 hour service.
The LADOT operates three district to district DASH routes, one Commuter Express line and Cityride. 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 Cityride offers door to door dial-a-ride service for the elderly and disabled.
Economy
Asiana AirlinesAsiana 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 one of six airlines to receive a five-star rating from Skytrax...
operates a sales office in Koreatown.
Korean AirKorean Air Lines Co., Ltd. , operating as Korean Air, is the largest airline of South Korea; its global headquarters are located in Seoul in Korea. Its international passenger division and related subsidiary cargo division together serve 130 cities in 45 countries, while its domestic division...
's United States Passenger Operations headquarters are located in close proximity to Koreatown in the
WestlakeWestlake is a district in Los Angeles, California. It should not be confused with Westlake Village, an independent municipality in Los Angeles County near Thousand Oaks and close to the Ventura County line....
community.
Grupo TACATACA is a international airline headquartered in San Salvador, El Salvador. Its IATA two letter code is TA.TACA as the trade name "brand" comprises a group of five independently IATA coded and owned Central American airlines, whose operations are combined to function as one and a number of other...
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 BoulevardWilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, 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 AngelesThe 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 area of Los Angeles, California, United States. The passport and visa office resides on the third floor of 500 Shatto Place in Koreatown...
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 CouncilThe Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States.There is one city council member for each of the 15 council districts.-Members:Officers:*President of the Council: Eric Garcetti...
of
smart growthSmart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in the center of a city to avoid urban sprawl; and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a range...
and the subsequent removal of zoning laws and tax fees,
Japanis 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
UAEThe United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras...
firm
Dubai HoldingDubai 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 & Wilshire Center, as well as parts of
MacArthur ParkMacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100.-Geography:...
,
Hancock ParkHancock 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 LACMA. Hancock Park is, however, not in the neighborhood called Hancock Park, which begins approximately 1 mile to the...
, and
Mid-WilshireMid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire 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...
.
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 DepartmentThe Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
serve the community of Koreatown respectively:
Station 29 serving Southwest Koreatown at Wilshire Blvd. and Wilton Avenue.
Station 13 serving Southeast Koreatown at Pico Blvd. and Westmoreland Avenue.
Station 52 serving Northwest Koreatown at Melrose Avenue and Western Avenue.
Station 6 serving Northeast Koreatown at Temple Street and Virgil Avenue.
Police service
Los Angeles Police DepartmentThe Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With nearly 9,900 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 3.8 million people, it is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the United...
provides police service to the City of Los Angeles, broken up into twenty one local divisions. Koreatown is served by Olympic Division. The new station completed construction and opened for service on January 4, 2009. The entirety of Koreatown is contained within the borders of Olympic Division.
Public schools
The
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...
serves Koreatown residents as Local District 3 and 4. Traditionally, the following schools serve the residents of Koreatown:
Cahuenga Elementary School, Kim Elementary School,
Alexandria Avenue Elementary School,
Hobart Boulevard Elementary School, Mariposa-Nabi Primary Center [www.lausd.net/Mariposa-Nabi_PC], Los Angeles Elementary School,
Virgil Middle SchoolVirgil 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 SchoolWest 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 SchoolCamino Nuevo Charter Academy is a charter school serving the Westlake/MacArthur Park area of Los Angeles. CNHS received a 751 on its most recent API score, significantly higher than any other high school in its neighborhood. The school was awarded a 10 out of 10 from the state of California for its...
,
Los Angeles High SchoolLos Angeles High School, founded in 1873, is the oldest public high school in the Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District...
,
Fairfax High SchoolFairfax High School can refer to:*Fairfax High School *Fairfax High School *Fairfax High School *Fairfax High School *Betty H. Fairfax High School...
,
Belmont High SchoolBelmont Senior High School is a public high school located at 1575 West 2nd Street in the Westlake community of Los Angeles, California, United States.The school, which serves grades 6 through 12, is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District....
, Ambassador Education Complex (2010 completion date),
Private schools
Several private schools can also be found in Koreatown. Those schools include Mid-Wilshire Christian School, St. Brendan School, Plymouth School, St.Gregory Nazianzen, St. James School, Point Sat Academy, Pilgrim Commonwealth School, and LA Academy. Furthermore,
Wilshire School, the only Korean-American K-6 elementary school in the nation, operates just down the street on Wilshire Boulevard, in the prestigious Hankock Park area of Los Angeles.
Colleges and universities
Koreatown lies within the
Los Angeles Community College DistrictThe Los Angeles Community College District is the community college district serving Los Angeles, California and some of its neighboring cities. In addition to typical college aged students, the LACCD also serves adults of all ages. Indeed, over half of all LACCD students are older than 25 years...
. Its nearest campus
Los Angeles City CollegeLos Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard...
(
LACCLACC 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 north of Koreatown in East Hollywood. The
Pacific States UniversityPacific States University is a private university in Harvard Heights , Los Angeles California, U.S. and member of ACICS . Founded in 1928 as an independent private institution, it has provided a comprehensive education in the fields of business, and computer science to more than 10,000 graduates...
lies south area of Korea town, where professional and international students enroll the business school.
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; the majority of which line
Wilshire BoulevardWilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, 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 AvenueVermont Avenue is one of the longest running north/south streets in Los Angeles, California. 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...
.
List of schools in the Korean Town area:
- Academy of Art & Technology
- American Career College
- Art Institute
Art Institute can refer to a number of different art conservatories; however, as a proper name, it also can refer to:*The Art Institutes, a network of for-profit vocational schools with locations across North America....
(Ai)
- Angeles College of Nursing
- 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 CollegeEverest 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, Inc. which also owns Everest University and Everest Institute. They offer education programs in fields such as accounting,...
- California International University
- Casino College of Los Angeles
- Southwestern University School of Law
Southwestern Law School is a private ABA-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 completed in 1929...
- Central Nursing College
- 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...
- Chong Shin University
- College of National Wide
- California Design College
The Art Institute of California - Hollywood – 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)
- Eaton College Conversatory
- East West Reformed Seminary
- Fashion College of Southern California
- Los Angeles College International
- Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard...
- Prefered College of Nursing
- West Coast University
- Hubbard College
- Latis Career College
- New Bridge University
- Shepard University School of Music
- Serendipity College
- National Bartenders Bartending School
- Los Angeles Pacific College
- Los Angeles Institute of Architecture
- Los Angeles Beauty School
- Pacific States university
Pacific States University is a private university in Harvard Heights , Los Angeles California, U.S. and member of ACICS . Founded in 1928 as an independent private institution, it has provided a comprehensive education in the fields of business, and computer science to more than 10,000 graduates...
- Stanislavsky College of Accounting
- Southern Baptist Clergy & Seminary
- Walter Jay M.D. an Educational Center
- Westwood College
- World Mission University
Public libraries
- Pio Pico Koreatown Branch Library of the Los Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California, United States. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the...
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
YMCAThe Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide movement of more than 45 million members from 124 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs....
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.
Religious structures
There are many smaller churches in the area, as well as Korean Buddhist temples and the
Zen Center of Los AngelesThe 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 lineage.ZCLA observes a daily schedule of zazen, Buddhist services, and work practice...
.
External links