Pico-Union Profile- Wikipedia

Pico-Union is a district in Los Angeles, California. Its name derives from the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Union Avenue. "The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) officially adopted the name in 1970, when it launched a neighborhood renewal program that continues to this day. In the late 1970s and 1980s, the area became a major point of entry for Salvadoran and Guatemalan immigrants seeking refuge from civil war, according to the Pico Union Self-Guided Walking Tour, published in 2009 by the Los Angeles Conservancy.

History

The Salvadoran Civil War caused many Salvadorans to immigrate to North America. Many settled in the Pico-Union area, drawn to the area's low income housing and proximity to Salvadoran and Guatemalan consulates.

Geography and Transportation

Pico Union, a sub-district of the community of Westlake, is bordered by South Park on the east, West Adams on the south, Harvard Heights and Koreatown on the west, and the north part of Westlake on the north. Its boundaries are Hoover Street on the west, Olympic Blvd. on the north, the Harbor Freeway on the east, and the Santa Monica Freeway on the south. Principal thoroughfares include Washington, Venice, Pico, and Olympic Boulevards, Union Avenue, and Alvarado and Hoover Streets. The district lies within ZIP codes 90006 and 90015.

The Neighborhood

Pico Union is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Once predominantly white and (prior to World War II) heavily Jewish, it is now primarily populated by first-generation Hispanic immigrants, particularly Mexicans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and Hondurans. Nearly 50% of the population is believed to be living in the United States illegally, but as Los Angeles is designated a sanctuary city, many of the undocumented are somewhat protected. In many places, Pico-Union resembles an East Side neighborhood, with busy industrial concerns frequently adjoining residential properties. A number of Korean businesses, priced out of Koreatown, have also established themselves in the district. Most of the district lies within the Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, and is plagued with high crime. Several transnational gangs, most notably the 18th Street Gang and Mara Salvatrucha ("MS-13"), were started in the neighborhood and maintain a strong presence.

Nevertheless, as of 2008[update], Pico Union may be in the beginning stages of gentrification. Although the majority of the neighborhood is impoverished around what is known as the Salvadoran Community Corridor[4], the area's western and eastern fringes are beginning to see new residential development. Near the Harbor Freeway, development in downtown Los Angeles—especially the South Park area around Staples Center--is expanding into Pico-Union, while the areas around Hoover Street are beginning to be incorporated into something of a "Greater Koreatown."

Pico Union became the city's 19th Historic Preservation Overlay Zone on August 10, 2004. It contains two historic districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places: South Bonnie Brae Tract Historic District and Alvarado Terrace Historic District. HPOZ Map

One of Jim Jones' Peoples Temples was located in Pico Union, at the corner of Alvarado Street and Alvarado Terrace[5].
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Source: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pico-Union,_Los_Angeles