University Hills, Los Angeles, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the community in Irvine, see University Hills, Irvine, California.
University Hills is a district on the East Side of Los Angeles, California. It is the site of California State University, Los Angeles.
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[edit] Geography and transportation
University Hills is bordered by El Sereno on the north and west, City Terrace on the south, Alhambra on the north-east, and Monterey Park on the south-east.
Major thoroughfares include Eastern Avenue, Marianna Avenue, and Valley Boulevard. The San Bernardino and Pasadena freeways run along the district's southern and eastern edges, respectively.
The campus of California State University, Los Angeles occupies nearly 200 acres (0.8 km²) on a hilltop site that affords views of the San Gabriel Mountains to the north, the San Gabriel Valley to the east, metropolitan Los Angeles to the west, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Catalina Island to the south.
[edit] History
University Hills is nestled among shifting and swirling hills on a site that once housed one of California's 36 original adobes. It was built in 1776 by Franciscan missionaries and destroyed by fire in 1908. These lands once were part of a Spanish land grant known as the Rancho Rosa Castilla, created by the family of Juan Batista Batz, a Basque rancher from northern Spain who settled the district in its early years. The inspiration for the name of the ranch, according to local historians, was the wild rose that once grew near the ranch home.
For much of its history, University Hills was considered an extension of El Sereno. However, in both built environment and socioeconomic conditions, it is very different from impoverished, crime-plagued El Sereno. In response, the local homeowners association "seceded" from El Sereno in the 1990s. The increase in real estate activity in Southern California during the early 2000s, has made University Hills--with its beautiful scenic views and central location--an attractive neighborhood for professionals seeking alternatives to the suburbs and the Westside.
