Skip to main content

9 Photos of L.A. Farmers' Markets Over the Years

Support Provided By

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.

veggies1981

Customers sort through veggies at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market, shown here in 1981, the year it opened. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.

smmarket1981

When it first opened, the Santa Monica Farmers' Market was a modest affair. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.

meshulams1980

An array of vegetables were on display at this stall at the Fairfax Farmers' Market in 1980. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.

chess1985

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.

gcm1966

Downtown's Grand Central Market looked much the same in 1966 as it does today. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.

gcm1930

Ditto 1930. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.

publicmarket1920

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.

seafoodbar1942

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.

fmlot1940

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.

Support Provided By
Read More
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors S19 Primary

'Variety Studio: Actors on Actors' Features 2024 Oscar Nominees; 'Oppenheimer' Leads in Academy Award Nominations

With "Oppenheimer" leading the way, many of PBS SoCal's "Variety: Actors on Actors" Season 19 guests received Academy Award nominations Tuesday — including Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Bradley Cooper and Robert Downey, Jr.
A sepia-tone historic photo of a man holding a cane standing in front of a food stand, surrounded by various crates, boxes, and advertising signs promoting cigarettes, candies, barbeque and more.

Pasadena Claims To Be The Home Of The Cheeseburger — But There's Beef

The cheeseburger was supposedly invented by Lionel Sternberger at The Rite Spot in Pasadena, when he added a slice of cheese to a regular beef burger and called it the "Aristocratic Hamburger." But the real history behind this fast food staple is a bit more complicated.
A hand-colored postcard of a large, white, colonial-style building with a green tiled roof stands behind a lush landscape of flower beds, a green lawn and many varieties of trees, with mountains looming just behind. An American flag waves at the top of a flagpole above the roof.

From Hiking to Hospitals: L.A. at the Center of the Pursuit of Health

The opportunity to get and stay healthy was a major draw for people to both visit and move to Los Angeles — whether it was during the tuberculosis epidemic (a.k.a. the "forgotten plague") during the 19th century or the health and wellness boom of the early 20th century. Both of these topics are explored in Season 6 of the PBS SoCal Original Series Lost LA.