Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a 5.84 sq mi (15.1 km2)[3] area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents,[4] with an estimated daytime population of over 200,000 people prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] Despite a business exodus from downtown Los Angeles since the COVID-19 pandemic, the district is evolving as a cultural center with the world's largest showcase of architecture designed by Frank Gehry.[6]
Downtown Los Angeles
5.84 sq mi (15.1 km2)
305 ft (93 m)
85,000
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 covering greater Southern California. Also located in downtown is the Civic Center, the administrative core of the city government.
Historically, downtown held a dense concentration of banks, department stores, and movie palaces that drew residents and visitors of all socioeconomic classes, but after the 1950s the area began to experience an economic decline. Still, it remained an important center for various activities—government business in the Civic Center, banking on Bunker Hill, and retail and entertainment, especially for Hispanic Angelenos and immigrants, on Broadway. Since the early 2000s, downtown has experienced a renaissance of economic revitalization, including the Crypto.com Arena in downtown's south end, and the restoration and repurposing of historic buildings in the area.
Shopping malls[edit]
Shopping centers include FIGat7th,[38] and The Bloc Los Angeles, an open-air shopping area.[39] Others include Japanese Village Plaza in Little Tokyo, City National Plaza, the Homer Laughlin Building, and the Los Angeles Mall.[40][41]
Downtown Los Angeles is home to several public parks, plazas, gardens and other open space:
Several future park proposals for the district make use of public-private partnerships between developers and the city of Los Angeles, including a public park at the proposed Nikkei Center development in Little Tokyo;[72] a 1-acre (4,000 m2) park at the Medallion development in the Historic Core; and a pocket park at the Wilshire Grand Hotel replacement project, currently under construction.[73]
Additionally, the city recently completed a new park located on the 400 block of South Spring Street in the Historic Core neighborhood.[74]
Economy[edit]
DTLA is a node in the tech economy that extends beyond Silicon Beach. A venture capital firm counted 78 tech-oriented firms in DTLA in 2015. This included mobile apps, hardware, digital media and clean-tech companies plus co-working spaces, start-up incubators, and other related businesses.[93]
The Arts District has become a popular spot for companies seeking out something different from typical modern offices. The central location is accessible from various parts of the Los Angeles Basin. The cultural life has also made the area attractive to young tech employees.[93] Two Bit Circus is the only amusement park located in the area.[94][95]
Anschutz Entertainment Group has its corporate headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles.[96] BYD Company, a Chinese technology firm, has its North American headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles.[97]
The Last Bookstore is an independent bookstore founded in 2005 by Josh Spencer, that was called California’s largest new and used bookstore by Conde Nast Traveler in 2019.[98] Cathay Bank has its headquarters in the Los Angeles Chinatown.[99]
Downtown residents aged 25 and older holding a four-year degree amounted to 17.9% of the population in 2000, about average in the city and the county, but there was a high percentage of residents with less than a high school diploma.[43]
These are the elementary or secondary schools within the neighborhood's boundaries:[100]
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising is at 800 S. Hope St.,[44][101] and the Colburn School for music and the performing arts is at 200 S. Grand Ave.[102]
Emergency services[edit]
Hospitals[edit]
Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center is located in the South Park district of Downtown LA at 1401 S. Grand Ave. Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center is known for its wide range of medical services, from women's health and maternal child to orthopedics and cardiology. The hospital also operates the only Level II Trauma Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and its emergency room treats over 70,000 patients each year. The hospital's neighbors include Staples Center, L.A. Live, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and the Fashion District.
Fire services[edit]
The Los Angeles Fire Department operates the following fire stations in Downtown Los Angeles: