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East Los Angeles (often shortened to East L.A. or East Los or in Spanish El Este de Los Ángeles) is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The community is bounded by the Boyle Heights neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles to the west, the unincorporated area of City Terrace to the northwest, the city of Monterey Park to the northeast, the city of Montebello to the east, and the city of Commerce to the south. It forms part of the East Los Angeles region. The unincorporated area of East Los Angeles was once known as "Maravilla" and also "Belvedere Gardens."[citation needed] As of the 2000 census, this area had a total population of 124,283. East Los Angeles is represented by Gloria Molina in the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. This community receives its police service from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and fire service is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
GeographyEast Los Angeles is located at (34.031462, -118.168653)[1]. East Los Angeles lies directly east of downtown Los Angeles. According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.3 km²), all of it land. Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 124,283 people, 29,844 households, and 25,068 families There were 29,844 households out of which 51.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.0% were non-families. 12.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.15 and the average family size was 4.42. The age distribution of the community was as follows: 34.6% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 14.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.2 males. The median income for a household in the community was $28,544, and the median income for a family was $29,755. Males had a median income of $21,065 versus $18,475 for females. The per capita income for the community was $9,543. About 24.7% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.0% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over. East Los Angeles has a very large Latino population that consists of Mexicans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and Hondurans. EducationEast Los Angeles is split between Los Angeles Unified School District and Montebello Unified School District [3]. The only high school in the LAUSD section of East L.A. is James A. Garfield High School. There are current plans for the building of Esteban Torres High School (East Los Angeles High School #2) in the former Hammel Street Elementary School grounds (Hammel ES still exists at a new address). The high school is expected to open in 2009. Adult Education programs from the Eastside Learning Center and East Los Angeles Occupational Center are intended and currently plan to be relocated at the East LA Star Hospital site. The East LA Star Adult Education project is expected to be completed by 2011. Oscar De La Hoya Animo High School ranks 6 out of the top 100 schools in the state of California according to the California Department of Education. East Los Angeles College was once part of East Los Angeles until Monterey Park annexed East Los Angeles College. Government and infrastructureAs East Los Angeles is an unincorporated community, it does not have a local government, and relies on the County of Los Angeles for local services. Supervisor Gloria Molina represents East LA on the Board of Supervisors. East Los Angeles is represented by many different elected officials in the California State Legislature. The unincorporated area is represented in the State Assembly, in order of area covered, by Charles Calderon of the 58th District, Kevin De Leon of the 45th District, Fabian Nunez of the 46th District, and Mike Eng in the 49th District. In the State Senate, East Los Angeles is represented by Gloria J. Romero of the 24th District, Ronald S. Calderon of the 30th District, and Gil Cedillo of the 22nd District. In the U.S. House of Representatives, East LA is represented by Grace Napolitano of the 38th District, Lucille Roybal-Allard of the 34th District, and Hilda Solis of the 32nd District. Despite multiple failed attempts in the past, residents are currently campaigning for cityhood for East Los Angeles. [4] Proponents of incorporation include California State Senator Gloria Romero and Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. Since East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area, fire protection in East Los Angeles is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department with ambulance transport by Care Ambulance Service. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement. The United States Postal Service East Los Angeles Post Office is located at 975 South Atlantic Boulevard.[3] Latino Walk of FameA Walk of Fame, similar to the one in Hollywood but with a probable focus on Latino celebrities. The Latino Walk of Fame was inaugurated in April 30, 1997 to honor outstanding leaders who have made historical and social contributions with a Sun Plaque on Whittier Boulevard the heart of East L.A.. Spaces have been created for over 280 plaques. Permanent granite plaques have been put in place for the first 20 honorees. The merchants’ association of East Los Angeles sponsors a Comprehensive Clean-Up Campaign that cleans the sidewalks and gutters daily and removes litter and trash. [5] Popular CultureEast L.A. was both the origin and destination of Cheech Marin in both the song and the movie Born in East L.A.. At the end of the song (which was a parody of Born in the U.S.A.), he parodies Randy Newman's I Love L.A. by singing the East L.A. streets Soto Street, Brooklyn Avenue, City Terrace, and Whittier Boulevard. The Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles is often mistakenly referred to as East L.A. Although this may be in part due to the fact that Boyle Heights is East of the Los Angeles River which divides the city. Dirty Vegas filmed their music video for their song "Days Go By" on the sidewalk in front of Chroni's Famous Sandwich Shop in East L.A. In the video, a man dances in front of Chroni's, supposedly year after year, in an effort to win his ex-girlfriend back into his life. Chroni's, along with other East L.A. landmarks, is also mentioned in Oscar Zeta Acosta's novel, The Revolt of the Cockroach People. The area is also referenced in the Mötley Crüe song Wildside. See alsoReferences
External links
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