9 Photos of L.A. Farmers' Markets Over the Years
California's enviable climate means year-round access to fresh produce, and today's Angelenos have their pick of farmers' markets to patronize on any given day, as well as longtime mainstays like the Farmers' Market at 3rd and Fairfax and the Grand Central Market downtown. In these photos, the city's farmers' markets can be seen evolving over the past century, with many growing from small clusters of trucks or buildings into the grand enterprises they are today.
Customers sort through veggies at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market, shown here in 1981, the year it opened. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
When it first opened, the Santa Monica Farmers' Market was a modest affair. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
An array of vegetables were on display at this stall at the Fairfax Farmers' Market in 1980. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
Once upon a time, the Farmers' Market at 3rd and Fairfax was a great place to drink coffee and play chess. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
Downtown's Grand Central Market looked much the same in 1966 as it does today. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
Ditto 1930. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
Long Beach's Lincoln Park played host to a farmers' market as early as 1920, although back then it was simply known as the "public market." Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
Before it was known as the Farmers' Market, the complex at 3rd and Fairfax was called the Town and Country Market. In 1942, patrons crowded its seafood bar. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
To end on a truly disorienting note, here's a panorama of that same complex as it was in the forties. One of the most congested areas in today's Los Angeles looks almost pastoral here. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
