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Atwater Village, Los Angeles

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Atwater Village
Neighborhood
Aerial view of recently constructed Golden State Freeway (I-5) with Atwater Village in the background, separated by the Los Angeles River (1957)
Aerial view of recently constructed Golden State Freeway (I-5) with Atwater Village in the background, separated by the Los Angeles River (1957)
Boundaries of Atwater Village as drawn by the Los Angeles Times
Boundaries of Atwater Village as drawn by the Los Angeles Times
Atwater Village is located in Los Angeles
Atwater Village
Atwater Village
Location in Northeast Los Angeles
Coordinates: 34°06′59″N 118°15′23″W / 34.11639°N 118.25639°W / 34.11639; -118.25639
Country United States
State California
CountyLos Angeles
CityLos Angeles
Named forAtwater Tract, the original railroad tract beside (or at) the water of the Los Angeles River
Elevation
[1]
410 ft (120 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code
90039
Area codes213, 323
Atwater Village Neighborhood Sign
located on Glendale Boulevard
at Seneca Avenue

Atwater Village is a neighborhood in the 13th district of Los Angeles, California. Much of Atwater Village lies in the fertile Los Angeles River flood plain. Located in the northeast region of the city, Atwater Village borders Griffith Park and Silver Lake to the west, Glendale to the north and east and Glassell Park to the south. The eastern boundary is essentially the railroad tracks (originally, the Southern Pacific). The area has three elementary schools—two public and one private. Almost half the residents were born abroad, a high percentage for the city of Los Angeles.

History

[edit]
1927 photo showing historic Glendale–Hyperion Bridge connecting Silverlake and Atwater Village.

Much of Northeastern Los Angeles was part of Rancho San Rafael, until 1868, when parts of it were purchased by W.C.B. Richardson, who renamed it Rancho Santa Eulalia. The entire region was subdivided and sold to home builders in 1902, with the Atwater Village portion being named as such due to its proximity to the Los Angeles River. The area was initially named "Atwater," while the "Village" was added in 1986.[2]

Initial residents included the newly created middle-class workers employed at the nearby DWP substation. The location between the Los Angeles and Glendale city cores made it a highly sought after residential neighborhood beginning in the 1920s. The majority of homes and structures in Atwater Village have never been demolished (although many have changed in use or have been renovated), resulting in the neighborhood having one of the highest number of structures built before 1939 in Los Angeles County.[3]

Since 2015, the neighborhood has seen an increase in gentrification.[4][5]

Population

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Cristo Rey Catholic Church.

2000 census

[edit]

The 2000 U.S. census counted 14,888 residents in the 1.78-square-mile Atwater Village neighborhood—or 8,379 people per square mile, an average population density for the city. The median age for residents was 34, about average for the city.[6]

The neighborhood was considered highly diverse ethnically,[7] with a high percentage of Asians. The breakdown was Latinos, 51.3%; whites, 22.2%; Asians, 19.7%; black, 1.4%; and others, 5.4%. Mexico (27.2%) and the Philippines (20.4%) were the most common places of birth for the 49.3% of the residents who were born abroad—a high percentage, compared to the city at large.[6]

The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $53,872, an average figure for Los Angeles. The percentages of households that earned $20,000 to $60,000 yearly were high for Los Angeles County. The average household size of 2.7 people was average for Los Angeles. Renters occupied 59.6% of the housing stock, and house or apartment owners held 40.4%. The percentage of never-married women was among the county's highest.[6]

2008 estimate

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In 2008, the city estimated that 15,455 people lived in Atwater Village.[6]

2013 findings

[edit]

Census tracts 1883, 1881 and 1871.01 lie wholly within Atwater Village boundaries, and a large portion of census tract 1871.02 is also within Atwater Village.[8] Census tract 1883 had a median income of $31,111 and was 37.8% non-Hispanic white, 34.1% Hispanic, 20.2% Asian, 1.6% Pacific Islander and 1.1% black.[9] Census tract 1871.01 had a median income of $72,526 and was 42.9% non-Hispanic white, 34.4% Hispanic, 21.2% Asian and 1.4% black.[10] Census tract 1881 was 60.3% Hispanic, 23.9% non-Hispanic white, 13.2% Asian, 2% black and 1.3% American Indian or Alaska Native. Median income for this census tract was $30,996.[9] Census tract 1871.02 was 47.9% Hispanic, 27.5% non-Hispanic white, 13.9% Asian and 8.4% black, with a median income of $24,852.[9]

Geography

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Much of Atwater lies in the old Los Angeles River flood plain, which resulted in deep, fertile soil.[11]

According to the Mapping L.A. project of the Los Angeles Times, Atwater Village is bordered on the north and east by Glendale, on the southeast by Glassell Park, on the south by Echo Park, on the southwest by Los Feliz and Silver Lake and on the west by Griffith Park.[12]

Street and other boundary limits are the Ventura Freeway on the north, San Fernando Boulevard on the east, and the Los Angeles River on the south and west.[6]

Climate data for Atwater Village, Los Angeles
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 68
(20)		 70
(21)		 70
(21)		 75
(24)		 76
(24)		 82
(28)		 87
(31)		 88
(31)		 86
(30)		 81
(27)		 74
(23)		 69
(21)		 77
(25)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 45
(7)		 47
(8)		 48
(9)		 51
(11)		 55
(13)		 59
(15)		 62
(17)		 63
(17)		 62
(17)		 56
(13)		 49
(9)		 45
(7)		 54
(12)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.74
(95)		 4.19
(106)		 3.56
(90)		 0.90
(23)		 0.34
(8.6)		 0.08
(2.0)		 0.02
(0.51)		 0.15
(3.8)		 0.35
(8.9)		 0.49
(12)		 1.26
(32)		 2.10
(53)		 17.17
(436)
Source: [13]

Education

[edit]

22% of Atwater Park residents aged 25 and older held a four-year degree by 2000, an average figure for both the city and the county.[6]

Schools

[edit]
  • Glenfeliz Boulevard Elementary School, LAUSD, 3955 Glenfeliz Boulevard
  • Holy Trinity Elementary School, private, 3716 Boyce Avenue
  • Atwater Avenue Elementary School, LAUSD, 3271 Silver Lake Boulevard

[14]

Library

[edit]
Atwater Village Library in 2024

The Atwater Village District is served by the Atwater Village Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library. It is located at 3379 Glendale Boulevard, east of the Los Angeles River and Interstate 5.[15]

Transportation

[edit]

Atwater Village is close to the Interstate 5, SR 134, SR 2 and SR 110 freeways.

It is served by several Metro Bus lines, including the 92, 94 & 180.[16] It also is adjacent to Metrolink Glendale Station.

[edit]

A number of film locations in Atwater Village were used for Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), including the house of Lance (Eric Stoltz) and his wife, Jody (Rosanna Arquette). The intersection of Fletcher Drive and Atwater Avenue also appears briefly in a pivotal scene where Bruce Willis’s character, Butch, hits Marsellus Wallace with his car.

The Beastie Boys recorded their albums Check Your Head (1992) and Ill Communication (1994) at G-Son, the recording studio they established in 1991 in Atwater Village. The neighborhood also provided the backdrop for some of the group’s music videos, including Pass the Mic (1992).

Anthony Bourdain featured Tacos Villa Corona in the Jan. 2012 season finale of his series The Layover.[17]

The Tam O'Shanter, operating in Atwater Village since 1922, has appeared in Mad Men, The Office, Glee, Larry Crowne, among others[18][19]. In 2020, the Streamline Moderne–style building at 2751 Fletcher Drive was used in the Netflix series Hollywood, where it was reimagined as the “Golden Tip” gas station. In 2024, the same building appeared in HBO’s The Sympathizer, based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen.

Notable people

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Worldwide Elevation Finder".
  2. ↑ "Welcome eastsidelalifestyle.com – BlueHost.com". www.eastsidelalifestyle.com.
  3. ↑ "Atwater Village neighborhood in Los Angeles, California (CA), 90039, 91204 subdivision profile – real estate, apartments, condos, homes, community, population, jobs, income, streets". www.city-data.com.
  4. ↑ "Column: Gentrification opened a rift between an L.A. church and a children's center. Can they both survive?". Los Angeles Times. August 30, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Northeast Los Angeles Gentrification in Comparative and Historical Context". PBS SoCal. June 4, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Atwater Village". Mapping L.A.
  7. ↑ "Diversity Ranking – Mapping L.A. – Los Angeles Times". maps.latimes.com.
  8. ↑ "Census map" (PDF). www2.census.gov.
  9. 1 2 3 "American FactFinder – Results". factfinder.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 18, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ↑ "American FactFinder – Results". factfinder.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 18, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ "Future looks brighter in urban Atwater", Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2003
  12. ↑ "Map" (PDF). www.latimes.com.
  13. ↑ "Zipcode 90039". www.plantmaps.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Atwater Village". Mapping L.A.
  15. ↑ "Branch Map | Los Angeles Public Library". www.lapl.org. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Metro Search".
  17. ↑ "Anthony Bourdain's The Layover Uses Jonathan Gold as a Guide - LA Weekly". January 23, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  18. ↑ Zak, Kennedy (January 6, 2025). "100-Year-Old Businesses: Tam O'Shanter". LA Business Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ↑ Blake, Lindsay (March 14, 2014). "Scene It Before: The Tam O'Shanter Pub from "Glee" and "Larry Crowne"". LAmag. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  20. ↑ Leitereg, Neal (August 31, 2018). "Deadpool' actress Morena Baccarin gets her price and more for Atwater Village duplex". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 13, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ "Spotlight: Self-portrait, August 8, 2018 by Don Bachardy | The Huntington". www.huntington.org. Archived from the original on May 16, 2026. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  22. ↑ Oswaks, Molly (September 8, 2019). "Alexa Demie, a Breakout Star of 'Euphoria,' Has Hidden Talents". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  23. ↑ Beale, Lauren (May 20, 2019). "Actor Alexander Gould snaps up a bungalow in Atwater Village". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 13, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ↑ Leitereg, Neal (October 21, 2016). "Comedian Tim Heidecker gets his price and more for Atwater Village home". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 13, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ↑ Bowman, Wendy (May 2, 2024). "Riley Keough's Charming Tudor-Style Cottage in L.A. Just Hit the Market for $1.6 Million". Robb Report. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Riley Keough Lists Her Stunning L.A. Home for $1.6 Million — See Inside!". People.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Peter Krasnow: Breathing Joy and Light | Skirball Cultural Center". www.skirball.org. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  28. ↑ Juliano, Michael (June 18, 2025). "Atsuko Okatsuka might be the most popular person in Atwater Village. Here are her favorite spots". Time Out Los Angeles. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  29. ↑ X (September 13, 2019). "Love, sex, death and the language of painting: Lari Pittman on his Hammer retrospective". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  30. ↑ Miles, Kathleen (July 6, 2012). "Giovanni Ribisi Home: The Newly-Wed Actor Buys Artist's Atwater Village Home (PHOTOS)". HuffPost. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  31. ↑ Bowman, Wendy (October 6, 2023). "Kiefer Sutherland Is Selling His Cozy L.A. Bungalow for $1.8 Million". Robb Report. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Constance Wu Hustles Into Atwater Village Tudor Revival". Yahoo Entertainment. October 5, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
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