Mt. Washington, Los Angeles, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mt. Washington is a district on the East Side of Los Angeles, California. While the district's name is pronounced "Mount Washington," in practice the first word is always abbreviated.
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[edit] Geography and transportation
Mt. Washington's boundaries are roughly El Paso Drive and Avenue 50 on the northeast, the Arroyo Seco on the southeast, Isabel Street on the southwest, and Division Street on the northwest. Neighboring communities include Eagle Rock on the north, Highland Park on the northeast, Montecito Heights on the southeast, Cypress Park on the southwest, and Glassell Park on the southwest.
Major thoroughfares include Mt. Washington Drive, San Rafael Avenue, Marmion Way, and Figueroa Street. The Metro Gold Line light rail line passes through the district and has a station near the Southwest Museum. The Pasadena Freeway (CA-110) runs along the district's southeastern edge, adjacent to the Arroyo Seco.
Mt. Washington is largely within ZIP code 90065, but its easternmost portions are in 90042 and the areas between Figueroa and the Arroyo Seco are in 90031.
[edit] History
Mt. Washington was founded in 1909 as a luxurious suburb of Los Angeles. Wealthy Angelenos quickly snapped up its luxurious Mediterranean Revival mansions, which enjoy splendid views of both the Los Angeles Basin and the western San Gabriel Valley. As the hilltops were far too steep for the construction of proper roads in the pre-automobile era, the new district instead was served by a funicular railway up the hill, which had its lower terminus at a Pacific Electric Railroad "Red Car" stop. Mt. Washington was eventually absorbed into the city proper as Los Angeles grew toward Pasadena.
Like most of the East Side, the district became unfashionable to whites as Mid-Wilshire and the West Side flowered in the 1930s, and especially after the construction of the Arroyo Seco Parkway. After World War II, it became a hot destination for middle-class Mexican Americans, who are the area's dominant population to this day.
In the 1950s and 1960s, some affluent whites also built Modernist homes in the district, similar to those found in the Hollywood Hills or Brentwood. There are homes by Nuetra and Schindler. The district is generally considered the most affluent area of the East Side, and also contains the region's largest concentration of non-Latino whites. In recent years, the area's excellent public schools have combined with the gentrification of Silver Lake and Eagle Rock to make the area a hot destination for those wishing to capture some of the flavor of pre-freeway-era Los Angeles. During the 1980's the population was heavily gay and lesbian, but many took advantage of the rapid increase in prices to sell at the end of that decade. Also, during the 70's and 80's, the "Hill" attracted a bohemian element. Today, the population is mainly professional class with some involved in the arts.
[edit] Demographics
Mt. Washington is split among several U.S. Census tracts that include portions of other districts, making an exact population difficult to determine. As of 2000, ethnic/racial breakdown is roughly 30% non-hispanic White, 53% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 4% African-American, 11% Asian or Pacific Islander, and 2% of two or more races. Moreover, median household income was estimated at roughly $50,000 and $21,000 per capita income. Home prices range from about $500,000 to around $1,500,000
[edit] Landmarks
- Southwest Museum
- World Headquarters of the Self-Realization Fellowship
- Eldred Street, between Avenue 50 and Cross Avenue on the side of Mt. Washington, with a slope of 33% grade, is one of the three steepest streets in Los Angeles [1] and one of the steepest streets in the world (Baldwin Street, Dunedin, New Zealand is 35%) .
[edit] Notable residents
- Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles (2005-) and former speaker of the California State Assembly
- Daddy Kev, acclaimed music producer and engineer
- Marilyn Ferguson, author of several books including the Aquarian Conspiracy
- Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times columnist
- Jack Smith, author and Los Angeles Times columnist
- Guy Hendrix Dyas, production designer whose film credits include X2: X-Men United, The Brothers Grimm and Superman Returns
- Brian Sipe, Emmy winning makeup artist
- Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Supervisor
- Ed Reyes, Los Angeles City Councilman for council district 1
- Dorothy Gaspar, World renowned master glove maker/designer
- Wendel Eckford, Noted historian, professor of U.S. & African American history
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Mt. Washington Neighborhood Association
- Mt. Washington Homeowner's Alliance (MWHA)
- Mt. Washington: Its Hotel and Incline Railway
- Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
