With development commencing around the turn of the 20th century, Jefferson Park began as one of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods. On the hill rising west of Western Avenue, wealthy white Angelenos built luxury Edwardian, Craftsman, and Art Decomansions, with churches and commercial buildings of commensurate expense.[citation needed] In 1903 there were trolley cars running down Jefferson and Adams Boulevard.[1] In the flatter areas along Jefferson Boulevard, a low-rise commercial corridor developed, with small single-story homes and low-rise apartment buildings in the blocks behind.[citation needed] After the 1948 Supreme Court ruling that banned racial covenants on property, most of Jefferson Park's white population decamped to other parts of the region, in turn being replaced by upper-middle and upper-class blacks whose descendants still reside in many of the district's spectacular homes.
Jefferson Park saw an influx of Creole peoples in the post-World War II period.[2][3] The resulting area was dubbed "Little New Orleans" and contained a number of Creole owned businesses such as the Big Loaf Bakery and Harold and Belle’s, an upscale creole restaurant.[4][5]
In September 1998, the "Jefferson Park Gateway Monument" was unveiled at the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard. [6] According to then-councilman Nate Holden, the project was a sign of the ongoing revitalization of the area. In 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported that "once-struggling neighborhoods" like Jefferson Park were now experiencing soaring home prices as young professionals were purchasing the Craftsman homes in the community and new shops and restaurants were opening up.[7]
It became an official city neighborhood in 1988,[8] with then-mayor Tom Bradley attending the event.[10]Neighborhood signs are installed along Jefferson Boulevard and Exposition Boulevard.
The Jefferson Park HPOZ was adopted by City Council in 2011. [14] The preservation plan offers guidelines for both commercial and residential structures in the community.
[15] The HPOZ does not cover the entire Jefferson Park neighborhood. The HPOZ is bounded by Adams Boulevard on the north, 7th Avenue on the west, Exposition Boulevard on the south (from Crenshaw Boulevard to Arlington Avenue), and Jefferson Boulevard on the south (from Arlington Avenue to Western Avenue).[16] Street signs in the area have an additional sign to indicate that the street is part of the HPOZ area.
Population
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (May 2023)
2000
A total of 23,130 people lived in the neighborhood's 1.42 square miles, according to the 2000 U.S. census—averaging 16,300 people per square mile, among the highest population density in the city as a whole. The median age was 31, about the same as the rest of the city.[12]
Within the neighborhood, African Americans made up 46.8% of the population, with Latinos 44.9%, Asian 2.9%, non-Hispanic Whites 2.7% and others 2.7%. Mexico and El Salvador were the most common places of birth for the 32.7% of the residents who were born abroad, considered an average percentage of foreign-born when compared with the city or county as a whole.[12]
In 2000, there were 1,365 families headed by single parents, or 26.6%, a rate that was high for the county and the city.[12]
2008
The median household income in 2008 dollars was $32,654, considered low when compared with all city and county neighborhoods. The percentage of households earning $20,000 or less was high, compared to the county at large. The average household size of 2.8 people was about the same as the rest of the city. Renters occupied 69.5% of the housing units, and homeowners occupied the rest.[12]
Jefferson Park residents aged 25 and older holding a four-year degree amounted to 11.8% of the population in 2000, considered low when compared with the city and the county as a whole; the percentage of residents aged 25 and older with a high school diploma was also considered low.[12]
Education
Schools within the Jefferson Park boundaries are:[9][17]
Mid City Magnet, LAUSD alternative, 3150 West Adams Boulevard
Celerity Nascent Charter, LAUSD, 3417 West Jefferson Boulevard
Sixth Avenue Elementary, LAUSD, 3109 Sixth Avenue
Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Elementary, private, 1955 West Jefferson Boulevard. The school was founded in 1924 by families from New Orleans. It celebrates its Creole heritage with a music program in which every child in the school learns to read music and to play a musical instrument.[18]
Parks and Libraries
Leslie N. Shaw Park - 2250 West Jefferson Boulevard.[9][19]
Trinity Baptist Church - 2040 W. Jefferson Boulevard. Originally located at 36th and Normandie, it moved to its present location in 1948. The master plan for the church was designed by noted African-American architect Paul Williams.[23][24]
Westminster Presbyterian Church - 2230 West Jefferson Boulevard. Established in 1904, is one of the oldest African-American Presbyterian churches in California.[25]
^Thompson, Ginger (February 5, 1989). "Spicy Parties : Set Tone for : Creoles' Life in Southland". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 September 2013. The majority of Creoles who migrated to Los Angeles settled along Jefferson Boulevard between Arlington and 10th Avenue an area they called Little New Orleans. Its center was Holy Name Church, and several Creoles, like Aubry, opened businesses in the area. Besides the barber shop, there was the New Orleans Grotto, Merlin's Restaurant, the St. Bernard Market, Marine Cleaners and the Big Loaf Bakery the only place in town to get New Orleans-style French bread.
^ abGalperrin, Ron (November 6, 1994). "Whats in a Name?". Los Angeles Times. p. 277. Retrieved 15 February 2023. In central Los Angeles, a number of community groups push for neighborhood identity. These areas include University Park, West Adams and most recently, Jefferson Park. This area bounded by Adams Boulevard on the north, Exposition Boulevard on the south, Crenshaw Boulevard on the west and Western Avenue on the east was named as an official community by the City of Los Angeles in 1988.
^ abAubry, Erin J. (January 23, 1994). "Jefferson Park: Area Gearing Up for Parade and Festival". Los Angeles Times. p. 404. Retrieved 15 February 2023. The event, sponsored by the Jefferson Park Steering Committee, commemorates the 1988 christening of Jefferson Park by then-mayor Tom Bradley. The area is bounded by Adams Boulevard on the north, Exposition Boulevard on the south, Crenshaw Boulevard on west, and Western Avenue on the east.
^Aubry, Erin J. (November 29, 1992). "Jefferson Park: 100 Trees to Give Lift to Jefferson Blvd". Los Angeles Times. p. 276. Retrieved 15 February 2023. Jefferson Park, a neighborhood in the Crenshaw district, is bounded by Crenshaw Boulevard on the west. Western Avenue on the east, Adams Boulevard on the north and Exposition Boulevard on the south.
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