Baldwin Village, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
Baldwin Village is a community in Los Angeles
. Baldwin Village is officially part of the Crenshaw district, an area of Los Angeles that has gone through drastic economic changes.
Baldwin Village is called "the Jungle" by locals because for its tropical trees and foliage, like the palms, banana trees and begonias that thrived among tropical-style postwar apartment buildings. The Los Angeles City Council changed the name 16 years ago, after residents complained that it reinforced the neighborhood's image as a wild and menacing place. They renamed it Baldwin Village, hoping to reflect the affluent and peaceful Baldwin Hills neighborhood nearby, one of the most affluent African American
neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
Recently, former NBA star Magic Johnson
and others have begun revitalization plans for the area, which have already begun to boost the area economically and socially. While redevelopment has shown many successes, not all efforts have yielded results; development of Marlton Square
, for instance, has stalled in bankruptcy after years of work and millions of dollars of public and private funds.
Residents are zoned to schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District
.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Baldwin Village is officially part of the Crenshaw district, an area of Los Angeles that has gone through drastic economic changes.
Baldwin Village is called "the Jungle" by locals because for its tropical trees and foliage, like the palms, banana trees and begonias that thrived among tropical-style postwar apartment buildings. The Los Angeles City Council changed the name 16 years ago, after residents complained that it reinforced the neighborhood's image as a wild and menacing place. They renamed it Baldwin Village, hoping to reflect the affluent and peaceful Baldwin Hills neighborhood nearby, one of the most affluent African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
Recently, former NBA star Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
and others have begun revitalization plans for the area, which have already begun to boost the area economically and socially. While redevelopment has shown many successes, not all efforts have yielded results; development of Marlton Square
Marlton Square
Marlton Square is a one block, , retail and residential area located in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles. It is also known as Santa Barbara Plaza. The site has been the center of a long running controversy involving the developer Capital Vision Equities, the Los Angeles City Redevelopment...
, for instance, has stalled in bankruptcy after years of work and millions of dollars of public and private funds.
Education
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
.