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Crenshaw, Los Angeles

Coordinates: 34°01′05″N 118°20′26″W / 34.01810°N 118.34064°W / 34.01810; -118.34064
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crenshaw
Neighborhood of Los Angeles
Crenshaw neighborhood sign located at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard & Slauson Avenue.
Crenshaw neighborhood sign located at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard
& Slauson Avenue.
Nickname: 
The 'Shaw[1]
Crenshaw is located in Western Los Angeles
Crenshaw
Crenshaw
Coordinates: 34°01′05″N 118°20′26″W / 34.01810°N 118.34064°W / 34.01810; -118.34064
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyLos Angeles
CityLos Angeles
Time zonePacific
ZIP Code
90008
Area Code323

Crenshaw, also referred to as the Crenshaw District, is a neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California.[2][3]

The neighborhood's diverse cultural history is marked by an influx of Japanese Americans after World War II and the subsequent development of a thriving African American community. By the early 1970s, African Americans were Crenshaw's majority demographic group, and the neighborhood came to be known as a hub of Black culture in Los Angeles.[4][5]

History

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Real estate developer George L. Crenshaw named the neighborhood's main commercial thoroughfare, Crenshaw Boulevard, after himself in 1904.[6]

In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled segregated housing covenants to be unconstitutional in Shelley v. Kraemer, allowing people of all races to legally inhabit the once all-white community. Following World War II, a large Japanese American community established itself in the area. At its peak, the Japanese American settlement in Crenshaw was one of the largest in California, with about 8,000 residents.[7]

African Americans began migrating to the district in the mid 1960s and became the majority ethnic group by the early 1970s.[4] Due to a shared sense of discrimination, many Japanese-Americans formed close relationships with the African-American community.[7] In the 1970s, Crenshaw, Leimert Park, and neighboring areas together had formed one of the largest African-American communities in the western United States.

The neighborhood's Japanese population dwindled in the following decades, dropping to 4,000 people in 1980 and 2,500 in 1990.[7] Scott Shibuya Brown stated that "some say" the effect was a "belated response" to the 1965 Watts riots and that "several residents say a wave of anti-Japanese-American sentiment began cropping up in the area, prompting further departures."[7] Eighty-two-year-old Jimmy Jike was quoted in the Los Angeles Times in 1993, stating that it was mainly because the residents' children, after attending universities, moved away.[7] Traces of Japanese influence are still visible in the neighborhood's cuisine and architecture.[8]

Crenshaw suffered significant damage from both the 1992 Los Angeles riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake[9] but was able to rebound in the late 2000s with the help of redevelopment and gentrification.[10]

In 2018, the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza shopping mall had been approved for a major renovation plan, that would have included apartments, shops, and more restaurants.[11] The renovation was met with community opposition and did not happen.[12]

Geography

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In 1996, the Los Angeles Times defined Crenshaw as "the area bounded by the Santa Monica Freeway on the north, Van Ness Avenue on the east, Slauson Avenue on the south and La Brea Avenue on the west. [13] In 2012, the Los Angeles Times reiterated that "the Santa Monica Freeway, completed in 1964, created an imposing barrier between the Crenshaw District" and neighborhoods to the north.[14]

The city has also installed a neighborhood sign at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue.[15]

Mural of African-American Progress and apartment complexes, along Crenshaw Boulevard

Government

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Police department

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Post office

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Education

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Public schools are operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Demographics

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In 2006, the population of Crenshaw was around 27,600. In 1996, there was a demographic shift increase in which many middle and lower-class blacks and Latinos are migrating to cities in the Inland Empire as well as cities in the Antelope Valley sections of Southern California .[19]

Transportation

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The K Line runs between Expo/Crenshaw station and Redondo Beach station, running generally north-south along Crenshaw Boulevard.[20][21]

Notable places

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Googie architecture of the former Holiday Bowl in 2002 before converting into a Starbucks

Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments

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Media

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Literature

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The novel Southland, by Nina Revoyr, is set in the Crenshaw neighborhood.[25]

Motion picture

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Boyz n the Hood - This was the main setting in the film as a boy is sent to live with his father in Crenshaw and experiences its booming gang culture.[26]

White Men Can't Jump - One of the main characters, Sidney Deane (Wesley Snipes), lives in Crenshaw.[27]

Television

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All American - The main character, Spencer James, lives in Crenshaw.[28]

Special events

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Notable residents

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See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Japanese and Blacks, Sharing the 'Shaw", News and Notes, NPR News, August 11, 2005
  2. ^ "District Map & CA-37 Overview". November 30, 2015. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "Southwest Community Police Station".
  4. ^ a b Kurashige, Scott (January 30, 2014). "Growing Up Japanese American in Crenshaw and Leimert Park". Communities. KCET. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  5. ^ Robinson-Jacobs, Karen (May 2, 2001). "Noticing a Latin Flavor in Crenshaw". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  6. ^ Tadesse, Alohie (June 18, 2024). "Crenshaw Boulevard: the Heart of Black LA". CSUN University Library. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d e Brown, Scott Shibuya (October 3, 1993). "Crenshaw: Littler Tokyo : Although their children have grown and gone, older Japanese-Americans still evince pride, loyalty in their changing community". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  8. ^ Nakaji Monnier, Mia (April 19, 2022). "Where to Find Remnants of Crenshaw's Japanese American History". PBS SoCal. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  9. ^ Feldman, Paul (1994-01-22). "Quake Deals Riot Areas Another Disastrous Blow : Aftermath: Many homes and businesses are declared unsafe in neighborhoods still reeling from 1992 unrest". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  10. ^ Easter, Makeda (January 30, 2019). "Destination Crenshaw art project aims to reclaim the neighborhood for black L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  11. ^ Barragan, Bianca (June 18, 2018) "Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza redevelopment wins City Council approval" Curbed LA
  12. ^ Vincent, Roger (June 15, 2020). "Developer drops plan to buy Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza and add offices, not housing". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ "Report Offers Selling Points for Crenshaw District Growth". Los Angeles Times. May 29, 1996. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  14. ^ Hawthorne, Christoper (September 16, 2012). "Crenshaw's Line of Vision". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Street view of Neighborhood Sign". Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  16. ^ "Southwest Community Police Station". LAPD Online. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  17. ^ "Crenshaw Post Office". USPS.com. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Celerity Schools". celerityschools.org. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  19. ^ Mu'min, Nijla (September 20, 2015). "Calm before the storm of gentrification". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  20. ^ Sumers, Brian (January 21, 2014). "Metro breaks ground on new $2 billion L.A. Crenshaw/LAX Line". Daily Breeze. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  21. ^ "Crenshaw Corridor Specific Plan" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. April 19, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  22. ^ "Urban renewal project in L.A. begets blight instead". Los Angeles Times. April 28, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  23. ^ "Game Over For Holiday Bowl?". November 21, 2008. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  24. ^ "Monument Search Results Page". Cityplanning.lacity.org. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  25. ^ "Fiction Book Review: SOUTHLAND by Nina Revoyr, Author, Dennis Cooper, Editor . Akashic $15.95 (348p) ISBN 978-1-888451-41-2". Publishersweekly.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  26. ^ "Boyz N The Hood". siskelfilmcenter.org. Gene Siskel Film Center. Retrieved 8 July 2024. In his riveting directorial debut, Singleton follows Jason "Tre" Styles III (Cuba Gooding Jr.) as he relocates to South Central LA's Crenshaw neighborhood to live with his father.
  27. ^ "White Men Can't Jump".
  28. ^ Petski, Denise (May 11, 2018). "The CW Picks Up 'Charmed' & 'Roswell' Reboots, 'TVD'/'Originals Offshoot, 'In The Dark' & Greg Berlanti Pilot To Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018. The wins, losses and struggles of two families from vastly different worlds — Crenshaw and Beverly Hills — begin to collide. The smart and charming son of a single mother, Spencer is a talented athlete and A+ student who must learn to deal with a host of emotions when he transfers from Crenshaw High to Beverly Hills High.
  29. ^ "Dr Martin Luther King Jr. celebrated at Kingdom Day Parade". abc7.com. January 17, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  30. ^ Flores, Jessica (2019-10-22). "As South LA changes, Destination Crenshaw is 'absolutely necessary'". Curbed LA. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  31. ^ Axelrod, Jeremiah B. C. (Occidental College). "The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles." The Journal of American History, 12/2008. p. 909-910. Cited: p. 910.
  32. ^ Segal, Edward. "Valley Professor June Edmonds named Guggenheim Fellow," The Valley Star, May 19, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  33. ^ Zorka, Zoe (2019-04-02). "Remembering the Business of Nipsey Hussle: From Entertainer to Entrepreneur". The Source. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  34. ^ Blay, Zeba (April 4, 2019). "Nipsey Hussle's Work In The Black Community Went Deeper Than You Think". HuffPost. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  35. ^ Jennings, Angel. "Nipsey Hussle had a vision for South L.A. It all started with a trip to Eritrea". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  36. ^ Tafur, Vic (May 21, 2011). "NFL star DeSean Jackson talks bullying in Oakland". SFGate. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  37. ^ "Darryl Strawberry Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
  38. ^ Glicksman, Ben (December 21, 2010). "Crenshaw football star De'Anthony Thomas has Hollywood flair". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010.
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