Eagle Rock is a neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles, abutting the San Rafael Hills in Los Angeles County, California. Eagle Rock is named after

Eagle Rock Eagle Rock may refer to: Entertainment * "Eagle Rock" (song), a hit single in 1971 by Australian band Daddy Cool * "Eagle Rock", a song by Motörhead * Eagle Rock Entertainment, a record label Places * Eagle Rock (formation), in California * Eag ...

, a large boulder whose shadow resembles an eagle.http://www.eaglerockcouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=72 Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, History of. Retrieved June 24, 2010 Eagle Rock was once part of the Rancho San Rafael under Spanish and

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

governorship. In 1911, Eagle Rock was incorporated as a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, and in 1923 it combined with the

City of Los Angeles 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' ...

. The neighborhood is the home of

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...

and is known for being an enclave of counterculture. As with other neighborhoods in Northeast Los Angeles, Eagle Rock experienced significant gentrification in the 21st century.

History

Before the arrival of European settlers, the secluded valley below the San Rafael Hills that is roughly congruent to Eagle Rock's present boundaries was inhabited by the Tongva people, whose staple food was the acorns from the valley's many oak trees.Eagle Rock Historical Society Time Line
Retrieved June 24, 2010 These aboriginal inhabitants were displaced by Spanish settlers in the late 18th century, with the area incorporated into the Rancho San Rafael. Following court battles, the area known as Rancho San Rafael was divided into 31 parcels in 1870. Benjamin Dreyfus was awarded what is now called Eagle Rock. In the 1880s Eagle Rock existed as a farming community. The arrival of American settlers and the growth of Los Angeles resulted in steadily increasing semi-rural development in the region throughout the late 19th century. The construction of Henry Huntington's Los Angeles Railway trolley line up Eagle Rock Boulevard to

Colorado Boulevard Colorado Boulevard (or Colorado Street in Glendale and Arcadia) is a major east–west street in Southern California. It runs from Griffith Park in Los Angeles east through Glendale, the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Arcadia, ...

and on Colorado to Townsend Avenue commenced the rapid suburbanization of the Eagle Rock Valley. Although Eagle Rock—which is geographically located between the cities of

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

and

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

—was once incorporated as Eagle Rock City in 1911, it was thereafter annexed to the City of Los Angeles in 1923 due to need for an adequate water supply and a high school. Several of the major crime sprees that have become part of Los Angeles' late 20th century history have left their mark on the neighborhood. An early victim of the

Hillside Strangler The Hillside Strangler, later the Hillside Stranglers, is the media epithet for one, later discovered to be two, American serial killers who terrorized Los Angeles, California, between October 1977 and February 1978, with the nicknames originating ...

was discovered in an Eagle Rock neighborhood on October 31, 1977. The discovery, along with the successive murders of at least 10 other women in the area over the course of five months, rocked what was then a small, close-knit community on the outskirts of Los Angeles. In an opinion piece to the '' Los Angeles Times'' on December 6, 1977, a resident under the pseudonym Deirdre Blackstone wrote of the fear experienced by the community: "Groups of gum-chewing girls in look-alike hairdos and jeans who used to haunt the Eagle Rock Plaza — they too are keeping close to home ... We are all afraid. For women living alone, ours is an actual visceral fear that starts at the feet. Then it hits the knees — and finally it grips the mind." Two men, Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, were subsequently convicted of the murders. On the night of March 20, 1985, an 8-year-old girl was abducted from her home in Eagle Rock and sexually assaulted by a man dubbed the "Valley Intruder," "Walk-in Killer" and "The Night Stalker," later identified as Richard Ramirez. This was the seventh in a long string of murders and sexual assaults committed by Ramirez in Los Angeles and San Francisco before he was apprehended. In 2002, an effort to designate an area of the community as "Philippine Village" for the large Filipino American population was stopped. Like the surrounding areas of Northeast Los Angeles, Eagle Rock has undergone gentrification. Beginning in the 2000s and picking up speed in the 2010s, the “authentic urbanism” and “small-town intimacy” of the area's boulevards have played a role in drawing young professionals and fostering an emergent hipster culture. As a result, housing prices have dramatically risen and a new wave of restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and art galleries have appeared over the last decade.

Demographics

The neighborhood is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups and the creative class. Over the past decade the Eagle Rock and neighboring Highland Park have been experiencing gentrification as

young urban professionals Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...

have moved from nearby neighborhoods such as Los Feliz and

Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

. A core of counter-culture writers, artists and filmmakers has existed in Eagle Rock since the 1920s. According to the "

Mapping L.A. Mapping L.A. is a project of the ''Los Angeles Times'', beginning in 2009, to draw boundary lines for 158 cities and unincorporated places within Los Angeles County, California. It identified 114 neighborhoods within the City of Los Angeles and 42 ...

" project of the '' Los Angeles Times,'' the 2000 U.S. census counted 32,493 residents in the Eagle Rock neighborhood — or 7,644 people per square mile, an average

population densities Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

for both the city and

the county ''The County'' ( is, Héraðið) is a 2019 Icelandic Melodrama#Film, melodrama directed by Grímur Hákonarson. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. Cast * Arndís Hrönn Egi ...

. In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 34,466. In 2000 the median age for residents was 35, about average for city and county neighborhoods.http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/eagle-rock "Eagle Rock," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times'' The neighborhood was considered "highly diverse" ethnically within Los Angeles, with a relatively high percentage of Asian people. The breakdown was Latinos, 40.3%; whites, 29.8%;

Asians Asian people (or Asians, sometimes referred to as Asiatic people)United States National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings. 2004. November 17, 200Nlm.nih.gov: ''Asian Continental Ancestry Group'' is also used for categorical purpos ...

, 23.9%; blacks, 1.8%; and others, 4.1%. The Philippines (35.1%) and Mexico (25.1%) were the most common places of birth for the 38.5% of the residents who were born abroad—an average figure for Los Angeles. The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $67,253, considered high for the city. The neighborhood's income levels, like its ethnic composition, can still be marked by notable diversity, but typically ranges from lower-middle to upper-middle class. Renters occupied 43.9% of the housing stock, and house- or apartment-owners held 56.1%. The average household size of 2.8 people was considered normal for Los Angeles. Thirty percent of Eagle Rock residents aged 25 and older had earned a

four-year degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

by 2000, an average percentage for the city.

Geography

Eagle Rock is bordered by the City of Glendale on the north and west, Highland Park on the southeast, Glassell Park on the southwest and the cities of

and South Pasadena on the east. Major thoroughfares include Eagle Rock Boulevard and

, with Figueroa Street along the eastern boundary. The

and Ventura freeways run along the district's western and northern edges, respectively.

Landmarks

2007September formerEagleRockBranchLibrary

The neighborhood is home to many historic and architecturally significant homes, many done in the Craftsman,

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...

, Art Deco and

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

styles. There are nine Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Eagle Rock: * The Eagle Rock - located at the terminus of Figueroa Street, it is Historic-Cultural Monument #10. * Eagle Rock City Hall - Located at 2035 Colorado Boulevard, it is Historic-Cultural Monument #59. Once a separate municipality, this was Eagle Rock's original City Hall. * Eagle Rock Branch Library - Located at 2225 Colorado Boulevard, it is Historic-Cultural Monument #292. The original library, which was built with the aid of a Carnegie grant in 1914, was replaced in 1927 with a new structure which used one wall and the basement of the old library. It now serves as the Center for the Arts Eagle Rock.Warren, Eric. ''Images of America Eagle Rock''. Arcadia Publishing 2009 * Residence at 1203-1207 Kipling Avenue - It is Historic-Cultural Monument #383. * Loleta House - Located on Loleta Avenue, it is a cultural hub and home to the Loleta Boys. * Argus Court - Located at 1760-1768 Colorado Boulevard, it is Historic-Cultural Monument #471. * Eagle Rock Playground Clubhouse - Located at 1100 Eagle Vista Drive , it is Historic-Cultural Monument #536. * Eagle Rock Women's Twentieth Century Clubhouse - Located at 1841-1855 Colorado Boulevard, it is Historic-Cultural Monument #537. * Swanson House - Located at 2373 Addison Way, it is Historic-Cultural Monument #542. * Eagle Rock Women's Christian Temperence Union Home - Located at 2222-2244 Laverna Avenue & 2225-2245 Norwalk Avenue, it is Historic-Cultural Monument #562.

Parks and recreation

* Eagle Rock Recreation Center - 1100 Eagle Vista Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90041 * Eagle Rock Dog Park - 1100 Eagle Vista Drive Los Angeles, CA 90041. * Eagle Rock Hillside Park - North of the Ventura Freeway and South of Valle Vista, Los Angeles, CA 90041. * Richard Alatorre Park - Figueroa and 134 Freeway, Los Angeles, CA 90041. * Yosemite Recreation Center - 1840 Yosemite Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90041.

Education

Eagle Rock, LA, California Jan 1969 (cropped)

Higher education

Eagle Rock is the site of

, which was first established in Boyle Heights in 1887, but a fire destroyed its original site in 1896; from there the college moved to a temporary location in Downtown Los Angeles until 1898 when it moved to Highland Park, and then to Eagle Rock in 1914. The campus was designed by architect Myron Hunt.Occidental College; A long Tradition
Retrieved on June 24, 2010

Schools

Eagle Rock children attend schools in District 4 of the

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 ...

. * Eagle Rock High School, 1750 Yosemite Drive. Eagle Rock High School was built in 1927 by the City of Los Angeles, as promised at the time of Eagle Rock's annexation. The building was demolished in 1970 over concerns about its earthquake safety. It was replaced by a contemporary

brutalist style Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

building at the rear of the same school site. * Renaissance Arts Academy, charter high school, 1800 Colorado Boulevard * Dahlia Heights Elementary School, 5063 Floristan Avenue * Santa Rosa Charter Academy, middle school, 3838 Eagle Rock Boulevard * Eagle Rock Elementary School, 2057 Fair Park Avenue * Rockdale Elementary School, 1303 Yosemite Drive * Delevan Drive Elementary School, 4168 West Avenue 42 * Toland Way Elementary School, 4545 Toland Way * Annandale Elementary School, 6125 Poppy Peak Drive * Celerity Rolas Charter School, 1495 Colorado Boulevard. Closed for 2018–2019 school year.

In popular culture

Eagle Rock locations appear in ''

Top Gun ''Top Gun'' is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, with distribution by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., and was inspired by an a ...

'', ''

The Hunt for Red October ''The Hunt for Red October'' is the debut novel by American author Tom Clancy, first published on October 1, 1984, by the Naval Institute Press. It depicts Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius as he seemingly goes rogue with his country's cutt ...

'', and a second-season episode of '' The O.C.'' ''Star Trek III'' was partially filmed on the campus of

. Other movies filmed almost entirely in Eagle Rock include; all of the exterior scenes of ''

The Incredible Shrinking Woman ''The Incredible Shrinking Woman'' is a 1981 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Joel Schumacher (in his theatrical directing debut), written by Jane Wagner and starring Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, John Glover, and Eliz ...

'' (1981) starring Lily Tomlin, ''Record City'' (1978) with

Ed Begley Jr. Edward James Begley Jr. (born September 16, 1949) is an American actor and environmental activist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He played Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series ''St. E ...

was filmed in its entirety in a defunct auto paint shop, and ''The Unwed Father'' (1974) starring

Joseph Bottoms Joseph Bottoms is an American actor who won the 1975 Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year for his role in '' The Dove''. He is also well known for his roles in the television mini-series ''Holocaust'' and Disney's '' The Black Hole''. Ca ...

and Kay Lenz had all of its exterior location shots filmed on the Eagle Rock High School campus. * This Is Us - Pearson family home, 5223 Shearin Avenue. * Reservoir Dogs - Pat and Lorraine's Coffee Shop, 4720 Eagle Rock Boulevard. * Clueless - Occidental College. * Beverly Hills, 90210 - Occidental College served as "California University". *

Aquarius Aquarius may refer to: Astrology * Aquarius (astrology), an astrological sign * Age of Aquarius, a time period in the cycle of astrological ages Astronomy * Aquarius (constellation) * Aquarius in Chinese astronomy Arts and entertainment ...

- Cindy's coffee shop, 1500 Colorado Boulevard. * Pharrell's music video "

Happy Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. Sinc ...

" - locations include the CVS Pharmacy on Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock High School and the All-Star Lanes. * Avril Lavigne's music video " Complicated" - locations include the Eagle Rock Plaza Mall.

Notable residents

* Ben Affleck, a former Occidental College student, lived on Hill Drive with then-roommate and co-writer Matt Damon while they wrote the script for '' Good Will Hunting'. * Maria Bamford (comedian) *

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

(actor)Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society
/ref> * Mike Carter (American-Israeli basketball player) *

John Dwyer John Dwyer may refer to: * John Dwyer (Australian judge) (1879–1966), Australian judge * John Dwyer (baseball) (active 1882), American baseball player * John Dwyer (field hockey) (born 1928), Australian Olympic hockey player * John Dwyer (medici ...

(musician) * Zack de la Rocha (musician)Metro Boston News Sunday October 5th
* Paul Ecke (botanicals) * M.F.K. Fisher (writer) *

Lloy Galpin Ava Lloy Galpin (1877 – April 19, 1935) was an American educator, clubwoman, suffragist, temperance activist, and politician, based in Southern California. Early life Ava Lloy Galpin was born in Saginaw, Michigan,Parrello, Frank"The Galpins o ...

(suffragist, teacher) *

Jack Kemp Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician and a professional football player. A member of the Republican Party from New York, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bu ...

(Congressman, quarterback, HUD Secretary - Occidental College alumnus) *

Carlos R. Moreno Carlos Roberto Moreno (born November 4, 1948) is an American jurist who is the former United States Ambassador to Belize, serving from June 24, 2014 to January 20, 2017. Previously, he served as a judge of the United States District Court for the ...

(jurist) * Barack Obama (44th President of the United States - Occidental College student) *

Zasu Pitts Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...

(actress) * Hanson Puthuff (artist) *

Mark Ryden Mark Ryden (born January 20, 1963) is an American painter who is considered to be part of the Lowbrow (or Pop Surrealist) art movement.Ken Johnson"Mark Ryden: ‘The Gay 90s: Old Tyme Art Show" ''The New York Times'', May 6, 2010. Retrieved 2013 ...

(artist)"Ryden and Peck,
Bizarre
June 2009. * Robert Shaw (conductor) *

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

(author) *

Madeleine Stowe Madeleine Marie Stowe Mora (born August 18, 1958) is an American actress. She appeared mostly on television before her role in the 1987 crime-comedy film ''Stakeout''. She went on to star in the films ''Revenge'' (1990), ''Unlawful Entry'' (199 ...

(actress) * Marshall Thompson (actor) *

Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), ''Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) ...

(screenwriter, author) * Lindsay Wagner (actress) * Virginia Weidler (actress)
*

Keith Wyatt The Blasters are an American rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Their self-described " American Music" ...

(Musician, educator)

References

External links

Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council

Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society

Eagle Rock crime map and statistics
{{Authority control 1906 establishments in California 1923 disestablishments in California Former municipalities in California Hipster neighborhoods Neighborhoods in Los Angeles Northeast Los Angeles Populated places established in 1906 San Rafael Hills