The Avalon Gardens is a

public housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

project located in the Green Meadows neighborhood of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. It is one of the oldest housing projects owned by the

Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) is a state-chartered public agency. Established in 1938, HACLA provides the largest stock of affordable housing in the city Los Angeles, California and is one of the nation's oldest public ...

History

Avalon Gardens was constructed in 1941 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

for

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

families and veterans at a cost of $638,000. In 1947, the housing projects were open to low income residents. Since there was a significant waiting list to get into the newly built homes, it was not until the 1950s that the residents went from military families to low-income families. In the early 1970s it became the turf of the Avalon Garden Crips gang led by Jimel Barnes, who lived in the project. In the late 1970s the buildings began to deteriorate and they experienced an increase in crime. By the early 1990s it was labeled as a "war zone" and was dominated by drug activity and violence. In 1996 the

implemented a $1.7-million project in which a decorative wrought-iron fence and 11-foot-high wall were built around the complex to decrease crime and gang activity. After its completion, Avalon Gardens became a

gated community A gated community (or walled community) is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences ...

, and crime and gang violence decreased.

Education

Residents are zoned to the following

Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a public school district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the 2nd largest public school district in ...

schools:
93rd Street Elementary SchoolDrew Middle School
* John C. Fremont High School

References

External links

Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
Public housing in Los Angeles {{LosAngeles-struct-stub