| University Park | |
| Pushpin Map: | United States Los Angeles Central |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within South Los Angeles |
| Settlement Type: | Neighborhood of Los Angeles |
| Coordinates: | 34.0278°N -118.2833°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | California |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Los Angeles |
| Subdivision Type3: | City |
| Area Code: | 323 |
| Timezone: | Pacific |
University Park is a 1.17sqmineighborhood in the South Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California.[1] The area includes the University of Southern California (USC), and the residential neighborhoods located immediately north of the campus: North University Park, Chester Place and St. James Park. [2]
The area contains two historic districts that are both on the National Register of Historic Places: The North University Park Historic District and the Menlo Avenue–West Twenty-ninth Street Historic District.
Charles Epting, author of the book "University Park", states:
After the founding of the USC, the North University Park neighborhood was developed thanks to an influx of wealthy citizens.
The neighborhood's street boundaries are the Santa Monica Freeway on the north, Washington Boulevard on the northeast, Vermont Avenue on the west, the Harbor Freeway on the east, and Exposition Boulevard on the south.[1] [3] University Park is flanked by Pico-Union on the north, Downtown Los Angeles on the northeast, Historic South Central on the east, the Exposition Park neighborhood on the south and west and Adams-Normandie on the west.[4]
University Park is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Los Angeles, with a diversity index of 0.676. "The diversity index measures the probability that any two residents, chosen at random, would be of different ethnicities. If all residents are of the same ethnic group it's zero. If half are from one group and half from another it's .50."[5]
Latinos made up 47.7% of the population, with white people at 25.5%, Asians at 16.1%, black people at 7%, and others at 3.8%. Mexico and El Salvador were the most common places of birth for the 42.4% of the residents who were born abroad, an average percentage of foreign-born when compared with the city as a whole.[1]
A total of 23,596 people lived in University Park's 1.17 square miles, according to the 2000 U.S. census—averaging 20,217 people per square mile, among the highest population densities in the city as a whole. Population was estimated at 25,181 in 2008. The median age was 23, considered young when compared to the city as a whole. The percentage of residents aged 19 to 34 was among the county's highest.[1]
The $16,533 median household income in 2008 dollars was considered low for the city and county. The percentage of households earning $20,000 or less (56.6%) was the second-largest in Los Angeles County, outplaced only by Downtown Los Angeles. The average household size of 2.7 people was average for the city. Renters occupied 92.2% of the housing units, and homeowners occupied the rest.[1] [6]
In 2000 there were 590 families headed by single parents, or 20.3%, a rate that was high for the county and the city. The percentages of never-married women (61.5) and never-married men (67.2) were among the county's highest.[1]
In the same year there were 198 military veterans, or 1% of the population, considered low when compared to the city and county as a whole.[1]
Just 23.7% of University Park residents aged 25 or older had completed a four-year degree in 2000, about average when compared with the city and the county at large, but the percentage of those residents with less than a high school diploma was high for the county. The percentage of the same residents with a master's degree or higher was also high for the county.[1]
The schools within University Park's boundaries are:[3] [7]
The Metro E Line serves the neighborhood, with stations at 23rd Street, Jefferson Blvd./USC, Exposition Park/USC and Exposition Blvd./Vermont Avenue.[10]