PICO-UNION, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

'Pico-Union' is a district in Los Angeles, California. Its name derives from the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Union Avenue.

Contents

Geography and Transportation

The Neighborhood

Demographics

Attractions

Emergency services

Police service

Education

Primary and secondary education

Public schools

Private schools

Public libraries

External links

Geography and Transportation

Pico Union is bordered by South Park on the east, West Adams on the south, Harvard Heights and Koreatown on the west, and Westlake on the north. Its boundaries are Hoover Street on the west, 8th street on the north, the Harbor Freeway on the east, and the Santa Monica Freeway on the south. Principal thoroughfares include Washington, Venice, Pico, and Olympic Boulevards, Vermont and Union Avenues, and Alvarado and Hoover Streets. The district lies within ZIP codes 90006 and 90015.

The Neighborhood

Pico Union is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Once predominantly white and (prior to World War II) heavily Jewish, it is now primarily populated by first-generation Hispanic immigrants, particularly Mexicans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and Hondurans. In many places, Pico-Union resembles an East Side neighborhood, with busy industrial concerns frequently adjoining residential properties. A number of Korean businesses, priced out of Koreatown, have also established themselves in the district. Most of the district lies within the infamous Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, and is plagued with high crime. Several transnational gangs, most notably the 18th Street Gang and Mara Salvatrucha ("MS-13"), were started in the neighborhood and maintain a strong presence.

Pico Union may be in the beginning stages of gentrification. Although the core of the neighborhood is still impoverished and somewhat dilapidated, the area's western and eastern fringes are beginning to see residential development. Near the Harbor Freeway, development in downtown Los Angeles--especially the South Park area around Staples Center--is expanding into Pico-Union, while the areas around Hoover Street are beginning to be incorporated into something of a "Greater Koreatown."
Pico Union became the city's 19th Historic Preservation Overlay Zone on August 10, 2004. It contains two historic districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places: South Bonnie Brae Tract Historic District and Alvarado Terrace Historic District.
'HPOZ Map'

Demographics

Pico Union occupies U.S. Census tracts 2242, 2243.10, and 2243.20. Per the 2000 census, the district has a population of 8598. Racial breakdown was 2.2% white, 3.8% black or African-American, 1.4% Native American, 1.7% Asian or Pacific Islander, 59.4% some other race, and 5.6% two or more races; 92% of all races were of Latino or Hispanic ethnicity. Per capita income was $9273; 41.5% of individuals were below the federal poverty line.

Attractions

Loyola Law School, part of Loyola Marymount University, is located on Olympic Boulevard near the northern edge of Pico Union.

The successful La Curacao Department Store is located at 1605 W. Olympic Boulevard at Union Ave.

Pico Union is adjacent to the new LA Live development.

Emergency services

Police service

Los Angeles Police Department operates the Rampart Community Police Station at 2710 West Temple Street, 99026, serving the neighborhood [1].

Education

Primary and secondary education

Public schools

Pico-Union is in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Middle schools that serve the Pico-Union area include:

★ Berendo Middle School
High schools that serve the Pico-Union area include:

★ Los Angeles High School

★ Belmont High School

★ West Adams Preparatory High School
Richard Geib, a schoolteacher who once taught at Berendo, described his experience at teaching at Berendo Middle School in the 1990s on his website.

Private schools

Loyola High School, a private high school operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, is in the area.

Public libraries

Los Angeles Public Library operates the Pico-Union Branch.

External links

★ Redevelopment Project One

★ Redevelopment Project Two

★ Pico Union murals, street scenes and houses

★ Neighborhood Blog