Rancho Park, Los Angeles, California

Rancho Park is a small district in western Los Angeles, California. In phone books it is sometimes called "Home Junction."Fact|date=March 2008

Geography

It is bordered by Palms on the south, West Los Angeles on the west, Westwood on the northwest, Cheviot Hills on the Southeast and South Robertson on the east. The district's boundaries, while somewhat ill-defined, are generally considered to be the San Diego Freeway (I-405) on the west, Olympic Boulevard on the north, Manning Avenue (south of Pico Boulevard) and Beverly Glen Boulevard (north of Pico) on the east, and the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) on the south. (Los Angeles City signs mark Olympic Boulevard as the district's northern boundary.) Major thoroughfares include Pico, Westwood, Olympic, Sepulveda, and Beverly Glen Boulevards, nearby Santa Monica Boulevard, along with Overland and Manning Avenues.

The name

Rancho Park was named by area boosters after World War II.

"We thought it was about time to have our own community. We must separate ourselves from Westwood. There were many names suggested for our new community but there was a pioneer real estate broker here who had established his office on Pico near Manning back in 1927. His name was Bill Heyler. Bill did as much as any other one person to develop the area; so when it came time to adopting a name for the community, the wisdom of our pioneer was in counsel. The honor of naming this community 'Rancho Park' went to Bill Heyler."

— Gail B. McKay, quoted in "History of the Golden Westside, Book One, by Ralph Brogdon, The Rancho Park Story, Chapter One," "Citizen-News," August 31, 1967.

The neighborhood

Rancho Park was developed in the 1920s as a middle-class area, and most of its housing stock consists of modestly sized Spanish Colonial bungalows and ranch houses. Apart from the heavily traveled stretch of Pico Boulevard (including the Westside Pavilion shopping mall) in its central portions, the district has a notably quiet, suburban feel. The district's streets are equipped with faux 19th-century streetlights and feature large deciduous trees in the strips between the sidewalk and the street. (Rancho Park is one of the few districts in Los Angeles where fall foliage can be seen.) While not as upscale as Cheviot Hills or Brentwood, it is generally a fairly affluent area.

Police service

Los Angeles Police Department operates the West Los Angeles Community Police Station serving the neighborhood. [ [http://www.lapdonline.org/west_la_community_police_station West LA Community Police Station - official website of THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT ] ]

Education

Rancho Park is served by Los Angeles USD schools:
* [http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Emerson_MS/ Emerson Middle School]
* Hamilton High School

Los Angeles Public Library operates the Palms-Rancho Park Branch.

Recreation

The municipal Rancho Park Golf Course includes an 18-hole layout and an adjacent par-3 course. Two people have tied the course record of 61 (–10) at the par-71 course. The junior record is 64 (–7) by Tiger Woods in 1989, at the age of 13. The senior record is held by James White, who shot a 65 (–6) in the Los Angeles Senior City Championship in August 1998.

In popular culture

*Pico and Sepulveda is a song by Felix Figueroa & His Orchestra (stage name for Freddy Martin's band).

External links

* [http://www.wncla.org/ Westside Neighborhood Council (includes Rancho Park)]
* [http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/communities/2004/la-re-guide4apr04,0,5429274.story?coll=la-realestate-communities-2004 "Los Angeles Times", Real Estate section, Neighborly Advice column: " [Rancho Park:] Pancakes, putting green just around the corner" (4 Apr 2004)]

References