Mid-City, Los Angeles, California

Mid-City is a district in west-central 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.

Geography and History

Mid-City's boundaries are roughly Arlington Avenue 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.

The Pacific Electric Red Car lines heading west from downtown Los Angeles diverged at Vineyard Junction in Mid-City. 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 Victoria Park neighborhood is one of only two neighborhoods in the entire city of Los Angeles where the homes are arranged on a circular street.

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).

Landmarks/Attractions

*St. Elmo Village
*United States Postal Service, Ray Charles Station
*Miracle Mile

chools

Marvin Avenue Elemantry
La Cienega Elemantry
Stella Charter Academy

Music References

In the song "Los Angeles Daze" by People Under the Stairs Thes One makes reference saying"Thes born inside the merica (America) with the South Bay run with the crew from "Mid-City" thats where I stay".

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

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 still remains to this day. [http://www.boheme-magazine.net/php/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=258]