Eagle Rock is a neighborhood of

Northeast Los Angeles Northeast Los Angeles (abbreviated NELA) is a region of Los Angeles County, comprising seven neighborhoods within Los Angeles. The area is home to Occidental College located in Eagle Rock. History The bulk of the area closer to Pueblo de ...

, abutting the San Rafael Hills in Los Angeles County, California. The community is named after Eagle Rock, 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 Rancho San Rafael was a Spanish land grant in the San Rafael Hills, bordering the Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco in present-day Los Angeles County, southern California, given in 1784 to Jose Maria Verdugo. Geography The rancho include ...

under Spanish and Mexican governorship. In 1911, Eagle Rock was incorporated as a city, and in 1923 it was annexed by

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The neighborhood is the home of

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

. As with other neighborhoods in Northeast Los Angeles, Eagle Rock experienced significant

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

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 The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the people lived in as many as 100 villages and primarily identified by ...

, 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

. 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 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 and Glendale, was once incorporated as a city in 1911, its need for an adequate water supply and a high school resulted in its annexation by

in 1923. Several major crime sprees occurred in the neighborhood during the late 20th century. An early victim of the Hillside Strangler 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, frightened local residents. According to an opinion piece by a resident under the pseudonym Deirdre Blackstone that was published in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' on December 6, 1977:

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 Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramirez (; February 29, 1960 – June 7, 2013), better known as Richard Ramirez, was an American serial killer and sex offender whose killing spree occurred in Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in the ...

. This was the seventh in a long string of murders and sexual assaults committed by Ramirez in Los Angeles and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

before he was apprehended. In 2002, an effort to designate an area of the community as "Philippine Village" for the large

Filipino American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...

population was stopped. Like the surrounding areas of Northeast Los Angeles, Eagle Rock has undergone

. Beginning in the 2000s, the area attracted young professionals and fostered a 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 professionals have moved from nearby neighborhoods such as

Los Feliz LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

and Silver Lake. 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. was a 2009 project of the ''Los Angeles Times''. It identified 158 cities and Unincorporated area, unincorporated areas within Los Angeles County, California. It also drew boundary lines for 114 neighborhoods within the Los Angeles, C ...

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

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

considered average for the city and

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

. 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 Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to th ...

, 40.3%;

whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

, 29.8%; Asians, 23.9%; blacks, 1.8%; and others, 4.1%. The

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

(35.1%) and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

(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 by 2000, an average percentage for the city.

Geography

Eagle Rock is bordered by Glendale on the north and west, Highland Park on the southeast, Glassell Park on the southwest, and Pasadena on the east. Major thoroughfares include Eagle Rock Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard, with

Figueroa Street Figueroa Street is a major north-south street in Los Angeles County, California, spanning from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington north to Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, Eagle Rock. A short, unconnected continuation of ...

along the eastern boundary. The Glendale 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,

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

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

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 Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria. History The Historic-Cul ...

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. The Bucket is a historic example of programmatic or novelty architecture meant to look live a 1930s ice chest and usually used as hamburger stand.

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

Higher education

Eagle Rock is the site of

, which was first established in Boyle Heights in 1887. After a fire destroyed the original campus in 1896, it moved to Downtown Los Angeles, then Highland Park, until reopening permanently in Eagle Rock in 1914. The campus was designed by architect

Myron Hunt Myron Hubbard Hunt (February 27, 1868 – May 26, 1952) was an American architect whose numerous projects include many noted landmarks in Southern California and Evanston, Illinois. Hunt was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Archi ...

.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 State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...

. * 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 original building was demolished in 1970 over concerns about its earthquake safety. It was replaced by a contemporary brutalist style 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.

Tiny Homes Village

In March 2022, then Councilmember for Eagle Rock, Kevin De Leon and then Mayor Of Los Angeles

Eric Garcetti Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to India, United States ambassador to India from 2023 to 2025. He was the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles f ...

opened Eagle Rock's Tiny Homes Village, the tenth such community in Los Angeles. These communities are sometimes included as part of the Tiny-house_movement. The community was placed near the junction of North Figueroa Street and Colorado Blvd, near the 134 Freeway exit, and just a few hundred yards from the Eagle Rock geological landmark. Like other Tiny Homes Villages in Los Angeles, the community serves as transitional housing for homeless people formerly living in tents or their cars.

Notable residents

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...

, a former Occidental College student, lived on Hill Drive with then-roommate and co-writer

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...

while they wrote the script for '' Good Will Hunting'. *

Maria Bamford Maria Bamford (born September 3, 1970) is an American actress and stand-up comedian. Her work often uses self-deprecating and dark topics, including her dysfunctional family, depression, anxiety, suicide and mental illness. Her first comedy alb ...

(comedian) *

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

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

Zack de la Rocha Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Rage Against the Machine. Through both Rage Against ...

(musician)Metro Boston News Sunday October 5th
* Paul Ecke (botanicals) * M.F.K. Fisher (writer) * Lloy Galpin (suffragist, teacher) *

Jack Kemp Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician, professional Gridiron football, football player, and U.S. Army veteran. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party from New York, he served a ...

(Congressman, quarterback, HUD Secretary - Occidental College alumnus) * Terry Jennings (Early Minimalist Composer and Jazz pioneer) * Carlos R. Moreno (jurist) *

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

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

Zasu Pitts ZaSu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who, in a career spanning nearly five decades, starred in many silent film drama film, dramas, such as Erich von Stroheim's 1924 epic ''Greed (1924 film), Greed'', along wi ...

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

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

(author) * Madeleine Stowe (actress) * Bill Tom (Olympic gymnast) * Marshall Thompson (actor) * Dalton Trumbo (screenwriter, author) * Lindsay Wagner (actress) *

Virginia Weidler Virginia Anna Adeleid Weidler (March 21, 1927 – July 1, 1968) was an American child actor, child actress, popular in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s. Early life and career Weidler was born on March 21, 192 ...

(actress)
* Keith Wyatt (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 Neighborhoods in Los Angeles Northeast Los Angeles Populated places established in 1906 San Rafael Hills