Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles

Lincoln Heights
—  Neighborhood of Los Angeles  —
Lincoln Heights
Location within Central Los Angeles
Coordinates:
Country United States
State California
County Los Angeles
City Los Angeles
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 90031

Lincoln Heights is a neighborhood east of Downtown Los Angeles, California.

Contents

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 Indiana Street on the east; the district's Eastern 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.

History

Encompassing the land east of the Los Angeles River, East Los Angeles is a central historical area of the City that has for many years has been anchored by communities such as Boyle Heights and Lincoln Heights. This area was home to the Gabrielino Indians since the 1st Century, but the area fell to the hands of the Spanish in the late eighteenth century, with Mexican and American ranchers taking control of the land for much of the nineteenth century.

Lincoln Heights is considered to be the oldest neighborhood in Los Angeles, dating to the 1830s. 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. The neighborhood's original name was East Los Angeles, but in 1917 residents voted to change the name to Lincoln Heights.[1]

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, Rosemead, Montebello, California, and Temple City, California. 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. Many Chinese immigrants, mainly from Southeast China and Vietnam, and their US-born children also reside in Lincoln Heights, due to its proximity to Chinatown.

The 1928 case of the missing child Walter Collins, who was kidnapped from his home in Lincoln Heights, influenced the Clint Eastwood film Changeling.

Demographics

As of the 2005 census Lincoln Heights had an estimated population of 80,000, one of the largest of any Los Angeles neighborhood. Lincoln Heights is known for its Hispanic population as well as its growing Asian population, but many Italians still reside in the area.

Today

North Broadway is Lincoln Heights' focal point with its various restaurants and grocery stores. Councilman Ed Reyes's office is in the North Broadway area nearer to Downtown Los Angeles.

Government and infrastructure

Los Angeles Fire Department Fire Station 1[2] is located in the Lincoln Heights area. The station is in the Battalion 7 district.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Central Health Center in Downtown Los Angeles, serving Lincoln Heights.

Education

Public schools

The district is within the Los Angeles Unified School District and is served with over a dozen schools in the area.

LAUSD high schools:

Middle schools:

Elementary schools:

The Knowledge Is Power Program operates the KIPP Los Angeles Preparatory School, a 5-8 charter middle school, in Lincoln Heights. PUC Schools operates the Milagro Charter School (K-5) and the Excel Charter Academy (6-8) in Lincoln Heights.[3][4][5]

Other charter schools:

Private schools

Public libraries

Lincoln Heights Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library is located on Workman Street.

Landmarks (present and former)

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. ^ Masters, Nathan (2011-11-10). "Who Moved East L.A.?". KCET. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  2. ^ "Los Angeles Fire Department — Fire Station 1". http://www.lafd.org/fs1.htm. 
  3. ^ "Milagro Charter School." PUC Schools. Retrieved on November 27, 2011.
  4. ^ "Excel Charter Academy." PUC Schools. Retrieved on November 27, 2011. "Excel Charter Academy 1855 North Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90031-3227"
  5. ^ "Contact School Milagro Charter School." PUC Schools. Retrieved on November 27, 2011. "Milagro Charter School 1855 North Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90031-3227"

External links