Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California
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Leimert Park is a neighborhood in southwestern Los Angeles, California. It is part of South Los Angeles.
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[edit] Geography
The district's boundaries are roughly Rodeo Road on the north, 4th Avenue and Roxton Avenue on the east, Vernon Avenue on the south, and Crenshaw Boulevard on the west. Crenshaw District lies to the south, View Park to the west, Vermont Square to the east, and Jefferson Park to the north. The district's principal thoroughfare is Leimert Boulevard, which bisects the neighborhood from northeast to southwest. Leimert Park's ZIP code is 90008.
[edit] History and the Neighborhood Today
Developed by Walter H. "Tim" Leimert (for whom it is named) beginning in 1928 and designed by the Olmsted brothers, Leimert Park was one of the first comprehensively planned communities in Southern California designed for low- and middle-income families, and was considered a model of urban planning for its time: automobile traffic near schools and churches was minimized, utility wires were buried or hidden from view in alleys, and densely planted trees lined its streets. Initially white-dominated, it and the neighboring Crenshaw District eventually became one of the largest black middle-class neighborhoods in the United States, and Leimert Park is now considered part of South Los Angeles. Despite suffering from rising crime beginning in the 1970s and sustaining significant damage during the 1992 Los Angeles riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Leimert Park has experienced a resurgence in recent years as middle-class black families from other parts of South Los Angeles have settled down in the Spanish Colonial bungalows that line its leafy streets. Unlike other parts of South Los Angeles, Leimert Park remains almost entirely black, with a minuscule Latino population.
Leimert Park is considered the center of the African-American arts scene in Los Angeles, with flourishing blues and jazz clubs, as well as numerous venues for dramatic performances and poetry readings. (One resident, filmmaker John Singleton, has called it "the black Greenwich Village.") The park at the district's center, adjoined by shops and a theater, is a popular place for performances and gatherings.
Leimert Park is also home to Kaos Network, which hosts Project Blowed. Project Blowed is the longest running hip hop open mic in the world, started in 1994 by Aceyalone and friends, and is held every Thursday night.
It was in this neighborhood that the bisected and mutilated body of Elizabeth Short was found in a vacant lot on the 3800 block of South Norton Avenue. She was the victim of the infamous Black Dahlia murder.
The hub of jazz and literary activity in Leimert Park is the World Stage. Founded by the late jazz drummer, Billy Higgins, and poet/community arts activist Kamau Daáood in 1989, it hosts the world renowned Anansi Writers Workshop (notable alumni include Michael Datcher [Raising Fences], Ruth Forman, Derrick I.M. Gilbert, Jenoyne Adams [Selah's Bed] and Peter J. Harris) and has featured in either master class or informal jam sessions jazz legends Max Roach, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones, Pharoah Sanders and contemporary artists, such as Geri Allen.
[edit] Demographics
Per the United States Census of 2000, for which Leimert Park was roughly contiguous with tract #2343, the district had a population of 4,262. Racial and ethnic representation was as follows: 1.7% white, 91.7% black or African-American, 0.3% Native American, 1.2% Asian or Pacific Islander, 1.4% some other race, and 3.6% of two or more races. 3.5% of respondents of all races were of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Median household income was $31,443, median family income was $46,709, and per capita income was $25,253; 16.1% of individuals and 15.9% of families were below the federal poverty line.
[edit] Landmarks
- Vison Theater
[edit] Notable residents
[edit] Education
Residents are zoned to schools in the Los Angeles USD [1].
Residents are zoned to:
- Tom Bradley Environmental Science and Humanities Magnet
- Audubon Middle School
- Dorsey High School [2]
[edit] Appearances in the Media
- The popular '90s sitcom Moesha took place in Leimert Park. Girlfriends, from the same creator as Moesha, also took place there.
- The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
- The jazz club scene in the film Collateral (2004) by Michael Mann (film director)
- Cover story on Mount Freaky Deeky appeared in Swingers Magazine.
[edit] External links
- Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative site for Leimert Park project area
- Los Angeles Times Neighborly Advice column: "Activism, music intersect in Leimert Park" (25 Dec 2005)
