Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California
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Lincoln Heights is a district on the East Side of Los Angeles, California.
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[edit] Geography and transportation
Lincoln Heights is bounded by the Los Angeles River on the west, the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10) on the south, and Soto Street on the east; the district's northern border is unclear due to the area's uneven terrain. Adjacent communities include El Sereno on the east, City Terrace on the southeast, Boyle Heights on the south, Chinatown and Solano Canyon on the west, Cypress Park on the northwest, Mt. Washington on the north, and Montecito Heights on the northeast. Major thoroughfares include Valley Boulevard; Mission Road; Pasadena Avenue; North Main, Marengo, Daly, and Figueroa Streets; and North Broadway. The Golden State Freeway (I-5) runs through the district, and the Metro Gold Line has a stop in the far northwestern portion of the district. Lincoln Heights' ZIP Code is 90031.
[edit] History
Lincoln Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, dating to the 1880s. Perched on bluffs above the Los Angeles River, it was originally home to some of the city's wealthiest residents, who built a large number of Victorian mansions in the district (many of which have been preserved under the city's historic preservation program). North Broadway became a busy commercial strip, which it remains today. By the turn of the 20th century, however, the rapid industrial development along the riverbanks made it less appealing for wealthy Angelenos, who moved on first to the Arroyo Seco area and Hollywood, then (from the 1920s onward) to rapidly developing Mid-Wilshire. As wealthy residents departed, Lincoln Heights became home to a large Italian American population, as well as an increasingly large Mexican American population. It and its cross-river neighbor "Little Italy" (what is now Chinatown) formed the heart of southern California's Italian-American community. One of the major landmarks from this period, the San Antonio Winery, continues to operate today, albeit with non-local grapes.
Beginning just after World War II, Italians and some Mexicans began migrating out of Lincoln Heights and into working-class and middle-class suburbs in the San Gabriel Valley, including Alhambra, San Gabriel, and Rosemead. This process accelerated during the 1950s with the construction of the Golden State Freeway, which split the district right down the middle and devastated the neighborhoods through which it passed. Ever since, Lincoln Heights has been a poor-to-working class Chicano and Latin American immigrant barrio. However, many ethnic Chinese immigrants from Vietnam and their US-born children also reside in Lincoln Heights, due to its proximity to Chinatown.
[edit] Landmarks (present and former)
- Lincoln High School
- Lincoln Park
- Los Angeles Alligator Farm
- Los Angeles Ostrich Farm
- Plaza de la Raza
- San Antonio Winery
- Selig Zoo
[edit] External links
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