Downtown Los Angeles

Lore & Background

The Tongva village of Yaanga was located in what is now downtown Los Angeles, possibly near or underneath where the Bella Union Hotel was located (now Fletcher Bowron Square). Father Juan Crespí noted in 1769 that the region had 'all the requisites for a large settlement.' On September 4, 1781, Los Angeles was founded by a group of settlers. The area passed to American control in 1847. Land speculation in the 1880s saw the population explode from 11,000 in 1880 to nearly 100,000 by 1896. By 1920, the city's private and municipal rail lines were the most far-flung and comprehensive in the world in mileage. During the early 20th century, banking institutions clustered around South Spring Street, forming the Spring Street Financial District. Broadway became the nightlife, shopping and entertainment district, with over a dozen theater and movie palaces built before 1932. Following World War II, suburbanization and increased automobile ownership led to decreased investment downtown. Since the early 2000s, downtown has experienced a renaissance of economic revitalization, including the Crypto.com Arena in downtown's south end.

In Their Own Story

The 6:47 p.m. whistle hasn't sounded yet, but the building is already alive. You can feel it through the soles of your sneakers on the concourse tile—a low, subsonic hum that climbs from the lower bowl. The air smells of cold pretzel salt and the faint ozone tang of the ice resurfacer still spinning its quiet circle below.

A kid in a faded 1999 Forum-era jersey presses his forehead against the glass railing overlooking the rink. His breath fogs the pane. Below, a Zamboni carves a fresh white line through the blue paint, and the sound is almost holy in the half-dark. Around you, the crowd is a single organism: phones raised, scarves draped, the low chant of "Kings, Kings, Kings" rolling like a wave through the upper deck. A woman two rows back is eating a hot dog with one hand and snapping a photo of the Zamboni with the other, grinning like the machine is a performer.

The lights dim. The organ swells. And for ninety minutes, Downtown Los Angeles forgets it is a city of a million separate stories. There is only the ice, the puck, and the roar.

Reader's Guide

Downtown Los Angeles is divided into neighborhoods and districts, some overlapping. Most districts are named for the activities concentrated there now or historically, such as the Arts, Fashion, Banking, Theater, Toy, and Jewelry Districts. It is the hub for the city's urban rail transit system, as well as the Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink commuter rail system. Also located in downtown is the Civic Center, the administrative core of the city government. Notable landmarks include the Crypto.com Arena, L.A. Live complex, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and The Broad museum. The adaptive reuse ordinance has led to the conversion of historic buildings into lofts and apartments, increasing the residential population.

Did You Know?

• Downtown Los Angeles covers a 5.84 mi² (15.1 km²) area.
• As of 2020, downtown had a population of roughly 85,000 residents.
• The Crypto.com Arena opened in 1999 and adds nearly 4 million visitors per year to the neighborhood.
• The Spring Street Financial District was sometimes referred to as the 'Wall Street of the West'.