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From Native-Americans to the Mission era, from the birth of Arroyo Culture to the Chicano Art Movement, Highland Park has always been a nexus of ideas, build or imagined. Come explore Los Angeles; first bohemian neighborhood with Departures.

From the Tongva people called the Hahamog'na, to years later the Spaniards, we explore the shifts of power over land in Los Angeles leading to the land divisions, or ranchos, that create Highland Park.

The efforts of Charles Lummis, William Lee Judson and Clyde Browne combined with those inspired by life “on the arroyo,” such as plein air painter Franz Bischoff and block print maker Frances Gearhart, came together to pioneer one of the first artistic and cultural movements to come out of Los Angeles.

When the Arroyo Seco Parkway was finished in 1940, it was a cause for celebration in Los Angeles. But the arrival of one of the nation’s first freeways would have unexpected consequences for Highland Park and its residents.

In the 1950s, Mexican immigrants and descendants began owning, renting and claiming Highland Park as home. This was the pre-civil rights era, where school segregation and manifestations began articulating a vocabulary of resistance and pride within the Latino and Mexican communities of L.A.

For many, the late 1960s through the early 1970s was the high-water mark of both community and social justice organizing in East Los Angeles. But the period immediately following would witness the emergence of novel responses to the most pressing questions of the era, particularly in the form of arts organizations and collectives aimed at bringing politically-minded public art to the larger community.

The failed promises of the civil-rights era coupled with the economic disparities of the 1980s created a dual deterioration in Highland Park seen both in the built and the social environment. The concept of the inner city created a disenfranchised youth that found alternative ways of organizing and engaging with their “turf.”

As we settle into the new millennium, the Highland Park post-urban landscape is embracing all the twists, turns and contradictions that history has presented to the neighborhood.

New Stories

Land of Sunshine | Portraits

Angelenos Found Creative Ways to Watch the First Super Bowl

by Yosuke Kitazawa

February 3, 2012 7:20 PM

The 1967 game held in Los Angeles was blacked out to TVs within a 75-mile radius due to an NFL policy.

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Land of Sunshine

L.A. River Excursion: Frogtown West Bank

by Justin Cram

February 3, 2012 6:15 PM

A short trip to the Los Angeles River can soothe a week's worth of stress. Grab a cup of coffee and visit Frogtown's West Bank.

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Land of Sunshine | LA Letters

Beats & Rhymes: A Tale of L.A. Literature

by Mike Sonksen

February 3, 2012 3:54 PM

Mike the PoeT recites his homage to Los Angeles authors.

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Land of Sunshine | Portraits

Jo Mora's Humorously Detailed L.A. History Map from 1942

by Yosuke Kitazawa

February 3, 2012 11:02 AM

Jo Mora's works about Los Angeles - illustrations, maps, sculptures - place the city within the legacy of the magnificent West.

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Land of Sunshine | Neighborhood Notes

Neighborhood Notes: Eastside vs. Westside Debate Continues & More

by Departures

February 3, 2012 10:19 AM

News and stories on the shifting culture of our neighborhoods: Eastside vs Westside, the debate continues & more.

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Land of Sunshine | LA River

The Los Angeles River is for Sale... But at What Cost?

by Justin Cram

February 2, 2012 5:05 PM

Choosing the right option for ownership of an L.A. River-adjacent parcel will be crucial for the future of the river.

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Land of Sunshine | Maps

Today in History: How the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo Defined our Neighborhood Boundaries

by Kelly Simpson

February 2, 2012 4:30 PM

Today marks the end of the Mexican-American War which not only secured the Southwest region for the U.S., but created a foundation of neighborhoods in L.A. still visible today.

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Land of Sunshine | Highland Park

Planning a Day Trip with the Highland Park Field Guides

by Departures

February 2, 2012 4:10 PM

Here's how you can use the Highland Park Field Guides to plan a day trip around this wonderful historic neighborhood.

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Food | The Public Kitchen

Malo's Ground Beef and Pickle Taco

by Zach Behrens

February 2, 2012 3:59 PM

Great food sometimes comes from a mix of kitchen confidence and creative improvisation. This Eastside taco is simple and tasty -- perfect party food.

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KCET Cinema Series | Schedules and Info

Spring 2012: Cinema Series Schedule

by Yoli Martinez

February 2, 2012 3:00 PM

KCET's fourth-yearly screening series is back for Spring! Join us as we preview eight major new films prior to their first run local release as well as a classic James Coburn film on the ninth night

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