Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles
Baldwin Hills | |
---|---|
Neighborhood of Los Angeles | |
Coordinates: 34°00′47″N 118°21′25″W / 34.013°N 118.357°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Los Angeles |
City | Los Angeles |
Time zone | Pacific |
ZIP Code | 90008 |
Area code | 323 |
Baldwin Hills is a neighborhood within the South Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California.
Often referred to as the "Black Beverly Hills", Baldwin Hills is home to Kenneth Hahn State Regional Park and to Village Green, a National Historic Landmark.
History
19th Century
Baldwin Hills and other surrounding geography are named for the 19th century horse racing and land developer, Lucky Baldwin.[1]
- Ran historic early 19th century eastern hills Rancho land grant.[2][3]
- Sanchez Adobe de
- Rancho Rincon de los Bueyes: original early 19th century western section Rancho land grant.
1930s
The 1932 Los Angeles Olympics housed athletes at the Olympic Village in Baldwin Hills.
1950s
In 1950, new homes in Baldwin Hills were designed by Paul W. Trousdale & Associates (of Trousdale Estates fame) and advertised as being near the "$30 million Crenshaw-Santa Barbara Shopping Center. [7]
1960s
On December 14, 1963, a crack appeared in the Baldwin Hills Dam impounding the
1980s
During the summer of 1985, a brush fire along La Brea Avenue spread up the canyon towards the homes along Don Carlos Drive in Baldwin Hills Estates. Many homes were destroyed despite the efforts of the Los Angeles Fire Department to suppress the flames. The fire killed three people and destroyed 69 homes;[9] the arsonist was never caught.
In 1985, the Los Angeles Times noted that Baldwin Hills is "now often called the Black Beverly Hills".[10]
Geography
Baldwin Hills is bounded by
The namesake mountain range is part of the neighborhood.
Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods within Baldwin Hills include:
- Baldwin Hills Estates is locally known as "condominiums(the latter often jut out from steep hillsides, perched on stilts).
- Baldwin Village - In 1988, Baldwin Village became be a distinct community in the city's General Plan, and signs were to be posted to identify the area. It is bounded by La Brea Avenue, Marlton Avenue, Obama Boulevard, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Santo Thomas Drive.[13]
- Baldwin Vista is bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the West, La Brea Avenue to the East, Coliseum Street to the North, and Kenneth Hahn Park to the South.[14]
- professionalsas residents.
Climate
Climate data for Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 68 (20) |
69 (21) |
70 (21) |
72 (22) |
73 (23) |
77 (25) |
81 (27) |
82 (28) |
81 (27) |
77 (25) |
72 (22) |
68 (20) |
74 (23) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 47 (8) |
49 (9) |
51 (11) |
53 (12) |
57 (14) |
60 (16) |
63 (17) |
64 (18) |
63 (17) |
59 (15) |
52 (11) |
47 (8) |
55 (13) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.26 (83) |
3.50 (89) |
2.85 (72) |
0.67 (17) |
0.27 (6.9) |
0.07 (1.8) |
0.02 (0.51) |
0.11 (2.8) |
0.21 (5.3) |
0.39 (9.9) |
1.10 (28) |
1.88 (48) |
14.32 (364) |
Source: [15] |
Parks and recreation
- Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook is located at 6300 Hetzler Road in Culver City, CA.[16][17] The 8.5-acre (3.4 ha) park is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. The Visitor Center is not currently open. The park includes an amphitheater, drinking water, the Evan Frankel Discovery Center, gardening boxes, picnic tables, a permeable parking lot ($6), toilets, and walking paths with a central feature known as the Culver City Stairs. The Visitor Center has a comprehensive guide to the native plants of the area and history of Culver City. On a clear day the Overlook's platform offers exceptional views spanning the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Hollywood Sign to the north, and downtown Los Angeles to the east.[18]
- Kenneth Hahn State Regional Park is located at 4100 South La Cienega Boulevard. It is a 401 acre recreation and sports area.[19]
- Norman O Houston Park: is located at 4800 South La Brea Avenue.[20]
- Jim Gilliam Park & Recreation Center is located at 4000 South La Brea Avenue. It is home to the Jim Gilliam Senior Citizen Center.[21]
Library
The Los Angeles Public Library operates the Baldwin Hills Branch Library. It is located at 2900 La Brea Avenue.[22]
Education
Baldwin Hills is served by Los Angeles Unified School District. Baldwin Hills also has a charter school.[9] The schools operating within Baldwin Hills borders are:
- Baldwin Hills Elementary School[23]
- Audubon Middle School
- Susan Miller Dorsey High School
- Windsor Math/Science/Aerospace Magnet (K–5, zoned only for Kindergarten)
- Hillcrest Drive Elementary School.
- Marlton School
- New Designs Charter School
New LA Elementary School, a charter school, is on the grounds of Baldwin Hills Elementary. A California law called Proposition 39 allows New LA to occupy space on the grounds of Baldwin Hills Elementary. In 2022 there were area community members that advocated for the charter school to move to another location since they believed that it meant there would not be enough space for the public elementary to operate efficiently.[24]
In popular culture
Television
From 2007 to 2009, BET aired Baldwin Hills, a program featuring several African-American teenagers and their lives in the upper-class Los Angeles community.[25][26]
The show is very similar in nature to such MTV programs as Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, The Hills, and the online series The Suburbs, as it features African-Americans of upper-middle-class families who divide their time between attending school, playing sports, shopping at high-end stores, and driving expensive cars. The series lasted for three seasons.
Literature
Orson Scott Card's urban fantasy novel Magic Street is set in Baldwin Hills.[27]
Notable residents
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2017) |
- Tom Bradley
- Ray Charles
- David S. Cunningham Jr.
- Danny Elfman[28]
- Allyson Felix
- Michael J. Fox
- Mike Love
- Jimmy Pardo
- Susan Rasky
- John Singleton
- Bubba Smith
- Tina Turner
- Paul Williams
- Nancy Wilson
- Cal Worthington
- Jim Gilliam
- Ice Cube
See also
References
- ^ Meares, Hadley (2022-03-17). "Baldwin Hills, 'The Black Beverly Hills': The Life And Times Of The Community". LAist. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ a b "Rancho La Cienega O'Paso de La Tijera" (in Spanish). Laokay.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2004. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera
- ^ "14 Secrets of the 1932 Olympic Village in Baldwin Hills". 6 August 2014.
- ^ a b Powers, Kemp (August 17, 2007). "The Neighborhood Project: Baldwin Hills". LAist.com. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ "1932 Los Angeles Olympic Athlete's Village in the Baldwin Hills". Baldwinhillspark.info. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
- ^ "Baldwin Hills". The Los Angeles Times. 1950-02-12. p. 107. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ a b "Dam Break Kills 6 in Los Angeles". The New York Times. 15 December 1963. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ a b Pollard-Terry, Gayle (October 29, 2006). ""Years later, the pitch still delivers"". Los Angeles Times. 29 October 2006.. Neighborly Advice. Los Angeles Times. p. K2.
- ^ "In Baldwin Hills, Joy of Relief and Pangs of Loss". The Los Angeles Times. 1985-07-04. p. 33. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
- ^ "Baldwin Hills Estates". Archived from the original on 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
- ^ Hale, Mike (2007-08-07). "Posh Princes and Princesses of the Hills". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
- ^ "Village Residents Hope a New Name Means a New Image - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. 19 June 1988.
- ^ "Reference at clkrep.lacity.org" (PDF).
- ^ "Zipcode 90008". www.plantmaps.com. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook".. accessed 8/22/2010
- ^ "trail map" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-09-13.
- ^ ""Baldwin Hills Recreation Center". Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. Retrieved 2010-03-22.". City of Los Angeles. Retrieved on March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Kenneth Hahn State Park". Parks.ca.gov. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
- ^ "Norman O Houston Park website". Laparks.org. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
- ^ "Jim Gilliam Recreation Center website". Laparks.org. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
- ^ ""Baldwin Hills Branch Library".". Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved on March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Baldwin Hills Elementary School". Lausd.k12.ca.us. Archived from the original on 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
- ^ Mackey, Ashley (2022-10-20). "Community members protest charter school on Baldwin Hills Elementary School campus". ABC 7. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
- ^ "Baldwin Hills". BET. Archived from the original on August 4, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Can "Baldwin Hills" become the black "Laguna Beach"?". Los Angeles Times. 8 July 2007.
- ^ "Fiction Book Review: Magic Street by Orson Scott Card, Author. Del Rey $24.95 (397p) ISBN 978-0-345-41689-6".
- ^ "Elfman in L.A." Elfman.filmmusic.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01.
External links
- Baldwin Hills Estates Homeowners Association website
- Friends of the Baldwin Hills website
- The Baldwin Hills Conservancy website
- Official Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area website
- lacounty.info: Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area
- Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Park website
- Village Green website
- Village Green: historic architecture article
- 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Athlete's Village in the Baldwin Hills: history
- Baldwin Hills Dam history
- University Park Family—a collaborative online community: focused on University Park, Expo Park and the surrounding areas.
- Leimert Park Beat—a collaborative online community focused on Leimert Park: "The Soul of Los Angeles and the African American cultural center of the city."