![Alsace unincorporated neighborhood OpenStreets Map edit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Alsace_unincorporated_neighborhood_OpenStreets_Map_edit.jpg)
Alsace is an
archaic place name. Originally an interurban trolley stop, the name now informally designates an approximately five-block area of unincorporated
Los Angeles County in the
Westside region, surrounded by the north-of-Jefferson section of
Playa Vista
Playa Vista is a neighborhood in the Westside area of Los Angeles, California. The area was the headquarters of Hughes Aircraft Company from 1941 to 1985 and the site of the construction of the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" aircraft. The ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, California.
Geography
![Parking restriction signs in Alsace with Los Angeles County markings](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Parking_restriction_signs_in_Alsace_with_Los_Angeles_County_markings.jpg)
The Alsace area is one of approximately 472 recognized neighborhoods in
Los Angeles County.
Although historically Alsace was a large, amorphously defined section of Los Angeles lying between
Ballona Creek
Ballona Creek (pronunciation: “Bah-yo-nuh” or “Buy-yo-nah”
) is an channelized stream in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, that was once a “year-round river lined with sycamores and willows.” Ballona Creek ...
and what is now
Jefferson Boulevard, today Alsace consists of a five-block strip of unincorporated Los Angeles County land bounded Jefferson Boulevard,
Centinela Avenue
Centinela Avenue is a 10.2 mile major street in the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California.
Geography
Centinela Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Culver City, Inglewood, Ladera Heights, Mar Vista, Santa Monica, and West Los Angeles. ...
, Grosvenor Boulevard, and
Centinela Creek Channel (or Marina Freeway,
California State Route 90
State Route 90 (SR 90) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that consists of two unconnected pieces in Greater Los Angeles.
Most of the western portion of SR 90 is the Marina Freeway, a short freeway in southwestern Los Angeles and ...
, which runs parallel to the creek channel in this section).
The streets of Alsace include one-block sections of Hammack Street, Aneta Street, Lucile Street, Beatrice Street, as well as a very short span of Juniette Street, all of which dead-end before Grosvenor.
Alsace has one east-west paved alley (parallel to Jefferson) and one north-south paved alley (parallel to Centinela). As is common in certain unincorporated sections of Los Angeles County, the streets in the Alsace do not have sidewalks as the County has limited funds available for sidewalk construction and maintenance.
Government
The Alsace
county island
A county island is a small or large portion of an unincorporated area that is within the jurisdiction of a county, usually surrounded by adjacent areas that are incorporated into a municipality. On maps, these geopolitical anomalies will form ja ...
is served by Los Angeles County first responders, including the
Los Angeles County Sheriff Department located in nearby
Marina del Rey
Marina del Rey (Spanish language, Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated area, unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination ...
.
The
Los Angeles County Department of Public Works
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) is responsible for the construction and operation of Los Angeles County's roads, building safety, sewerage, and flood control. DPW also operates traffic signals and intelligent transpor ...
and the
Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning refer to this area as West Fox Hills. (Fox Hills is a nearby neighborhood in the city of
Culver City.)
History
![Location of Motordrome stop (California geographic place name)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Location_of_Motordrome_stop_%28California_geographic_place_name%29.jpg)
Alsace was a stop on the
Venice–Inglewood Line of the Los Angeles’ electric interurban system, located at what is now the intersection of
Centinela Avenue
Centinela Avenue is a 10.2 mile major street in the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California.
Geography
Centinela Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Culver City, Inglewood, Ladera Heights, Mar Vista, Santa Monica, and West Los Angeles. ...
and
Jefferson Boulevard. Local historian the Militant Angeleno connects the place name with the ancestral homeland of local ranchero and real estate developer
Louis Mesmer
The Mesmer family of California was a wealthy family of early Los Angeles settlers who contributed to the development of the city between the rancho era and the explosive growth of the post-WWII era.
Louis Mesmer
Louis Aloise Moessmer Mesmer ...
.
Oil was discovered in the area in 1929 and drilling was conducted on the otherwise undeveloped Alsace section for a period of less than a decade thereafter. After that, Alsace and adjacent areas remained primarily agricultural through the 1950s.
Pictures of the
Hughes Airport as late as 1952 confirm that that area remained undeveloped as of that date.
Shortly thereafter, it was developed as Tract No. 10038 and construction commenced on free-standing single-family residences completed in 1953 and 1954.
By 1960, the housing development portion of the Alsace was completed and was shown on the maps as currently configured.
See also
*
County island
A county island is a small or large portion of an unincorporated area that is within the jurisdiction of a county, usually surrounded by adjacent areas that are incorporated into a municipality. On maps, these geopolitical anomalies will form ja ...
*
Cypress Grove, California
*
Alla, California
Alla is a former streetcar station and archaic place name located near Marina del Rey in the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California.
The former Glen Alla Park (now Bill Rosendahl Del Rey Park) is also derivative of this place name; ...
*
Motordrome, California
*
Machado, California
Machado refers to three locations in Los Angeles, California, all named for the rancho-era Machado family. Machado is a name derived from Portuguese meaning "hatchet", the stop was probably more directly named for the Machado family of the Ranc ...
References
External links
Ask the Militant Angeleno: Alsace and Alla That (2015-08-15)Map of LACounty Supervisorial District 2 appears to show Alsace as an unincorporated enclave
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Unincorporated communities in Los Angeles County, California
Westside (Los Angeles County)
Enclaves in the United States
Del Rey, Los Angeles
Playa Vista, Los Angeles