Mid-Wilshire
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Mid-Wilshire is a neighborhood in the central region of
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. It is known for the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...
, the Petersen Automotive Museum, and the Miracle Mile shopping district.


Geography


City of Los Angeles boundaries

According to the city's official community plan, the Wilshire Community Plan Area (CPA), also known as the Wilshire District, "is bounded by Melrose Avenue and Rosewood Avenue to the north; 18th Street, Venice Boulevard and Pico Boulevard to the south; Hoover Street to the east; and the Cities of West Hollywood and
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...
to the west."Wilshire Community Plan
(retrieved 2018-08-08)
The adjacent CPAs are
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
to the north; South Central Los Angeles and West AdamsLeimertBaldwin Hills to the south; Silver Lake
Echo Park Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Silver Lake to the west and Chinato ...
Elysian Valley and Westlake to the east; and
West Los Angeles West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped ...
to the west. The Wilshire area includes the neighborhoods of (roughly from east to west) Wilshire Center,
Koreatown A Koreatown (), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have only been in existence s ...
(part of which extends outside the CPA),
Windsor Square Windsor Square is a small, historic neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire, Wilshire region of Los Angeles, California. It is highly diverse in ethnic makeup, with an older population than the city as a whole. It is the site of the official residence ...
, Hancock Park,
Larchmont Larchmont is a village located within the Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York. Larchmont is a suburb of New York City, located approximately northeast of Midtown Manhattan. The population of the village is 6,453 as of the W ...
, Mid-Wilshire, Mid-City, Miracle Mile, Beverly–Fairfax, and the Carthay neighborhoods (commonly known as Carthay Circle, South Carthay, and Carthay Square).Historic Resources Survey Report: Wilshire Community Plan Area
SurveyLA, January 23, 2015
Within the Wilshire CPA, the neighborhood of Mid-Wilshire is bounded roughly by Crenshaw Boulevard, Pico Boulevard, Fairfax Avenue, and Wilshire Boulevard. Part of Miracle Mile overlaps with Mid-Wilshire.


Mapping L.A. boundaries

According to the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''
Mapping L.A. Mapping L.A. was a 2009 project of the ''Los Angeles Times''. It identified 158 cities and Unincorporated area, unincorporated areas within Los Angeles County, California. It also drew boundary lines for 114 neighborhoods within the Los Angeles, C ...
project, Mid-Wilshire is bounded on the north by West Third Street, on the northeast by
La Brea Avenue La Brea Avenue is a prominent north-south thoroughfare in the Los Angeles, California, City of Los Angeles and in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California. La Brea is known for having diverse ethnic communities, and m ...
and
Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard ( wɪɫ.ʃɚ is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue (Santa Monica), Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica, California, Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue (Lo ...
, on the east by
Crenshaw Boulevard Crenshaw Boulevard is a north–south thoroughfare that runs through Crenshaw and other neighborhoods along a route in the west-central part of Los Angeles, California, United States. The street extends between Wilshire Boulevard in Mid-W ...
, on the south by Pico Boulevard and on the west by
Fairfax Avenue Fairfax Avenue is a street in the north central area of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It runs from La Cienega Boulevard in Culver City at its southern end to Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood on its northern end. From ...
.
"Central L.A.," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''

"Mid-Wilshire," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''
''The Thomas Guide,'' 2006, page 633 Mid-Wilshire is flanked by Fairfax, Los Angeles, Fairfax, Hancock Park, and
Windsor Square Windsor Square is a small, historic neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire, Wilshire region of Los Angeles, California. It is highly diverse in ethnic makeup, with an older population than the city as a whole. It is the site of the official residence ...
to the north;
Koreatown A Koreatown (), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have only been in existence s ...
and Arlington Heights to the east; Mid-City to the south; and Mid-City West ( Carthay and Beverly-Fairfax) to the west and northwest.


Neighborhoods

Mid-Wilshire includes the following neighborhoods:


Little Ethiopia

Little Ethiopia is a block-long stretch of
Fairfax Avenue Fairfax Avenue is a street in the north central area of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It runs from La Cienega Boulevard in Culver City at its southern end to Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood on its northern end. From ...
between Olympic Boulevard and Whitworth Drive in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. The area has a high concentration of
Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
restaurants, as well as a significant concentration of residents of Ethiopian and
Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...
n ancestry.


Miracle Mile

Miracle Mile is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) stretch of
Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard ( wɪɫ.ʃɚ is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue (Santa Monica), Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica, California, Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue (Lo ...
between Fairfax and Highland Avenues. In the early 1920s, Wilshire Boulevard west of Western Avenue was an unpaved farm road, extending through dairy farms and bean fields. Developer A. W. Ross saw the area's potential and developed Wilshire as a commercial district to rival downtown Los Angeles.


Oxford Square

Oxford Square is an historic neighborhood which, according to the Oxford Square Neighborhood Association, lies between Pico Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard and includes both sides of Victoria Avenue and South Windsor Boulevard. In 1910 the neighborhood was laid out between
Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard ( wɪɫ.ʃɚ is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue (Santa Monica), Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica, California, Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue (Lo ...
on the north and Pico Street on the south, west of the Los Angeles Country Club. It was served by the Pico Street streetcar line. The unimproved lots offered by developer Emil Firth ranged from 50 to 100 feet on the street and were 171 feet deep. The streets were 70 feet wide, with 15-foot sidewalks and parkways, which were to be planted with palm trees and flowers. Ornamental electroliers were to be placed every 300 feet. Lot prices ranged from $1,000 to $2,500. Earlier, in 1907. the Harriman interests had begun a four-track subway line across Oxford Square, south of Wilshire Boulevard. In 1991 the City Council approved a request by Oxford Square - Windsor Village residents to close 10th Street at Victoria Avenue in an effort to reduce crime in the communities after a recent outbreak of burglaries and robberies, as well as one homicide. In February 2015 the neighborhood association was lobbying to form an
Historic Preservation Overlay Zone The Historic Preservation Overlay Zone of the City of Los Angeles in California has been hailed by historic preservation advocates for its pioneering program, which designates not just buildings but entire neighborhoods or districts as worthy o ...
(HPOZ). That would have put a temporary moratorium on the issuance of city building and demolition permits. Los Angeles City Council approved the HPOZ, adopting its preservation plan effective March 26, 2017.


Park La Brea

Park La Brea is an apartment complex bounded by 3rd Street on the north, Cochran Avenue on the east, Sixth Street on the south, and
Fairfax Avenue Fairfax Avenue is a street in the north central area of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It runs from La Cienega Boulevard in Culver City at its southern end to Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood on its northern end. From ...
on the west. With 4,255 units located in eighteen 13-story towers and 31 two-story "garden apartment buildings," it is the largest housing development in the United States.R. Daniel Foster
"Park La Brea, 70-year-old design still feels the love (and hate)"
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', February 24, 2012. (In February 25, 2012 print edition, p. E5, under headline "Park La Brea: monster or jewel?")


Park Mile

Park Mile is a commercial strip that lies along Wilshire Boulevard between Highland Avenue on the west, Wilton Place on the east, Sixth Street on the north and Eighth Street on the south. Some of the office buildings in the district have been designed to harmonize with the nearby Hancock Park area, with long, horizontal warm look of brick and other textures rather than a vertical high-tech design. Construction is regulated by the Park Mile Ordinance, adopted by the city in 1979. It was designed to protect the single-family nature of the residential area and to promote development that provided Park Mile with an "image and sense of continuity." There is a three-story height limit along Park Mile, as well as a ban on painted signs on the outside of buildings. In 1990 a Park Mile-Wilshire District neighborhood design review board, composed of five to seven volunteers appointed by City Council members, was one of four such local boards throughout the city that oversaw architectural planning.


Sycamore Square

Sycamore Square is a neighborhood located between Hancock Park to the north, Miracle Mile to the west, and Brookside to the east. It is bordered by Wilshire Boulevard to the north, Olympic Boulevard to the south, La Brea Avenue to the west, and both sides of Citrus Avenue to the east.


Wilshire Vista

Wilshire Vista is a neighborhood of 1,700 homes. It contains two Los Angeles Cultural Historic Monuments.


Population

The 2000 U.S. Census counted 41,683 residents in the 2.78-square-mile neighborhood—an average of 14,988 people per square mile, among the highest population densities for the city and the county. In 2008 the city estimated that the population had increased to 47,176. The median age for residents was 34, about the city's average. Mid-Wilshire was said to be "highly diverse" when compared to the city at large. The ethnic breakdown in 2000 was
whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...
, 33.6%; blacks, 22.7%;
Latinos Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to th ...
, 19.9%; Asians, 19.8%; and others, 3.9%. Mexico (16.1%) and Korea (24%) were the most common places of birth for the 25.1% of the residents who were born abroad, a figure that was considered average for the city as a whole. The median household income in 2008 dollars was $58,483, average for Los Angeles. The average household size of 2.1 people was low for Los Angeles. Renters occupied 78.3% of the housing units, and home- or apartment owners the rest. Mid-Wilshire residents aged 25 and older holding a four-year degree amounted to 45.2% of the population in 2000, a high rate for both the city and the county. The percentage of residents with a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
was also high.


Libraries and parks

Public facilities are provided by City of Los Angeles: the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Los Angeles Public Library. Public schools are part of the
Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...
, The schools operating within Mid-Wilshire are:
"Mid-Wilshire Schools," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''
* Los Angeles High School, Los Angeles Senior High School, LAUSD, 4650 West Olympic Boulevard * Los Angeles Community Adult School, 4650 West Olympic Boulevard * Hancock Park Elementary School, LAUSD, 408 South Fairfax Avenue * Wilshire Crest Elementary School, LAUSD, 5241 West Olympic Boulevard * Queen Anne Place Elementary School, LAUSD, 1212 Queen Anne Place * Queen Anne Recreation Center, Recreation and Parks, 1240 West Blvd


Landmarks and attractions

* The Wilshire Ebell Theater, Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #250. *
Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...
, the Page Museum, Hancock Park and the
La Brea Tar Pits La Brea Tar Pits comprise an active Paleontological site, paleontological research site in urban Los Angeles. Hancock Park was formed around a group of tar pits where natural Bitumen, asphalt (also called asphaltum, bitumen, or pitch; ''brea'' ...
on the north side of Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax and Curson avenues. * The Miracle Mile, a commercial strip on Wilshire Boulevard east of Fairfax Avenue designed in the 1920s by developer A. W. Ross to attract and serve automobile traffic rather than pedestrian shoppers. * Petersen Automotive Museum, on the southeast corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. One of the world's largest automobile museums, the Petersen is a nonprofit organization specializing in automobile history and related educational programs. * Olympia Medical Center, formerly Midway Hospital Medical Center, between Olympic and San Vicente boulevards. * Harold A. Henry Park, named after the former city councilman, at Ninth Street and Plymouth Boulevard. * Los Angeles High School Memorial Park, with its associated Memorial Library, dedicated to the L.A. High graduates who took part in World War I. It is on Olympic Boulevard between Mulllen and Muirfield avenues, facing Los Angeles High across the street. * Queen Anne Recreation Center, at 12th Street and West Boulevard, with an auditorium, barbecue pits, a baseball diamond, basketball courts, children's play area, picnic tables, and tennis courts. * Town and Country shopping center, on the southeast corner of Third Street and Fairfax Avenue. * William Grant Still Residence, located at 1262 South Victoria Avenue; Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #169.


Notable residents

* Christian Audigier – French fashion designer *
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
– Canadian singer and novelist * William Grant Still – African-American composer, known for Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American"


See also

*
List of districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles This is a list of notable districts and neighborhoods within the city of Los Angeles in the U.S. state of California, present and past. It includes residential and commercial industrial areas, historic preservation zones, and business-improvemen ...
* Boyle Workman, representing the Wilshire Ward on the City Council, 1925–27


References


External links

* Seal, Kathy.
MID-WILSHIRE : Minorities' Private School Connection
" ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''. June 11, 1995. * Doherty, Jake.
Lawmaker Opposes Site for School : Education: Density that would result from a Temple-Beaudry facility is 'not good planning,' Assemblyman Richard Polanco says.
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''. January 16, 1994.
Los Angeles City Park Mile ordinance.

Letters in the ''Larchmont Chronicle'' concerning the Park Mile Specific Plan, May 29, 2014

LA Times: Mid-Wilshire crime map and statistics

Wilshire Community Plan
Los Angeles Department of City Planning, April 2005 {{Portal bar, Los Angeles Neighborhoods in Los Angeles Central Los Angeles Wilshire, Los Angeles Los Angeles County, California, regions Westside (Los Angeles County) Edge cities in Greater Los Angeles