Mid-City, Los Angeles

Mid-City is a district in Los Angeles, California. It is 2.5 miles south of Hollywood and 3.5 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. The Lafayette Square, Victoria Park, Wellington Square, and Vineyard neighborhoods are part of the district.

The Holmes-Shannon House in Victoria Park was built in 1911.

Geography and history

Mid-City's boundaries are roughly Hoover Street on the east, Pico Boulevard on the north, Fairfax Avenue on the west, and the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) on the south. Picfair Village is to the northwest, Wilshire Park is to the northeast, Arlington Heights is to the east, Jefferson Park is to the southeast, and Crenshaw and Baldwin Hills are to the south. Major thoroughfares within the district include Washington Boulevard, Pico Boulevard, Redondo, and Hauser Boulevards and Fairfax and La Brea Avenues. Most of Mid-City lies within ZIP code 90019 and 90016.

Ballona Creek rises in the hilly Vineyard neighborhood.

Typical apartment building

Demographics

Mid-City is a very ethnically diverse neighborhood, with an uncommonly wide range of incomes represented within the district. Lafayette Square, in particular, is one of the wealthiest majority-black neighborhoods in Los Angeles; famed architect Paul Williams called it home. The demographics of mid-city (zip code 90019) are: 28.27% of people are black, 26.70% are white, 12.22% are Asian, 0.96% are native American, and 32.15% claim 'Other'. 47.94% of the people claim Hispanic ethnicity (meaning 52.06% identify as non-Hispanic).

Crenshaw Corridor and regional setting. dashed lines represent possible extensions or alignments

Transportation - past, present and future

As part of their long-range plans, the Los Angeles County MTA has proposed the Metro Crenshaw Line, which would place a rail transit stop in Mid-City. The proposed rail stop is at the intersection of Pico and San Vicente Boulevards -- site of the old Vineyard Junction. That same intersection was a former rail stop of the Pacific Electric Red Car lines more than 50 years ago.

The Pacific Electric Red Car lines heading west from downtown Los Angeles diverged at Vineyard Junction. One line continued on to Beverly Hills, while the other went out to Venice Beach. The old Vineyard Junction site is now occupied by the end terminal for the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus.

The Crenshaw Light Rail Line would allow Mid-City residents to easy access to the city's east/west rail lines: the Purple Line along Wilshire Boulevard, the Expo Line from Downtown Los Angeles to Culver City, and the Green Line from Norwalk to Redondo Beach.

Currently, the Mid-City alignment is unfunded, and part of the Crenshaw Corridor's "Northern Feasibility Study".

Landmarks and attractions

Oki's Dog on Pico Blvd.

Roscoe's on Pico Blvd.

• Atomic Cafe - Located at 5001 Washington Boulevard, this eye-catching restaurant has quickly become a neighborhood landmark.

• The Comedy Union - A Comedy Club that has been called "LA's premier showcase for Black commedians".

• The GAM Arts Center - A striking tri-level silver building with red trim, the GAM Arts Center is located at 4975 W. Pico Boulevard. The GAM Arts Center is a rehearsal hall and studio space for film and video production.

• Jewel's Catch One - Opened in 1972 on Pico Boulevard, a few blocks east of Crenshaw Boulevard, it was the nation's first black gay and lesbian disco. Madonna held a CD release party here.

• Midtown Crossing - A new Shopping Center featuring a Target and a Lowe's Home Improvement store, this development is currently under construction.

• Nate Holden Performing Arts Center - Named after city councilman Nate Holden, the facility is located on Washington Boulevard. It is the home of the Ebony Repertory Theater Company.

• Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles - A local chain of restaurants with outlets in Hollywood and Mid-City.

• Oki's Dog - A landmark hotdog shack. People debate which is better: the Mid-City location or the West Hollywood location.

• United States Post Office, Ray Charles Station - This post office was to dedicated to Ray Charles on August 24, 2005. It is across the street from the above mentioned Atomic Cafe.

Public libraries

The neighborhood is served by the Los Angeles Public Library system. There are two branches that serve Mid-City.

• Memorial - located on Olympic Boulevard opposite Los Angeles High School.
• Washington Irving - located on Washington Boulevard just east of Crenshaw Boulevard.

Schools

The Los Angeles Unified School District operates public schools.

• Alta Loma Elementary^{[citation needed]}
• Arlington Heights Elementary
• Cienega Elementary School
• Marvin Avenue Elementary
• Queen Anne Elementary
• Saturn Street Elementary
• Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Middle School (formerly Mount Vernon Middle School)
• Los Angeles High School^{[citation needed]}

The Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, a magnet middle and high school, is in Mid-City.

Community Magnet School, an arts and humanities magnet primary school, was located in Mid-City since its founding in 1977, for a period of around 25 years. It had been located in an area within the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies campus. By October 2002 Community Magnet had moved to its new location in Bel-Air.

Previously the community was home to the Open Magnet Charter School, which was located on the campus of the Crescent Heights School. The Open school later moved to Westchester.

Notable residents

• Harold Harby, Los Angeles City Council member, 1939–42, 1943–57

Music references

In the song "Los Angeles Daze" by People Under the Stairs Thes One makes reference saying "Thes born in South America Moved to South Bay, Run with crew from Mid-City, That's where I stay... ".

People Under the Stairs also had a song entitled “Mid-City Fiesta” from The Next Step album.

Mid-City neighborhood sign

MURS is from Mid City and makes many references in many of his songs.

Ray Charles was a longtime resident of nearby Baldwin Hills and had his recording studio headquartered on Washington Boulevard near Western Avenue. The building was designated a national historic landmark in 2004 and remains to this day.