Pacoima

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Pacoima is a district of the Californian metropolis Los Angeles . It is the birthplace of Ritchie Valens .

location

Pacoima is located in the northwest of the Los Angeles part of the San Fernando Valley . The neighborhood borders on Arleta , Lake View Terrace with the Hansen Dam , Lopez / Kagel Canyons , Mission Hills , San Fernando , Shadow Hills , Sun Valley and Sylmar . The Pacoima Wash flows through the district.

population

According to the 2000 US census, 75,014 people lived in Pacoima at the time. At 86.5%, the district is predominantly inhabited by Latinos . 70.9% of the population are from Mexico . 47.1% of residents were not born in the United States .

history

The area of ​​today's Pacoima was inhabited by members of the Tataviam tribe. “Pacoima” is derived from their language. Colonization began in 1769 when the priest Junipero Serra founded a mission station.

In 1887 the founder Pacoimas Jouette Allen acquired 10,000 acres in the San Fernando Valley and founded the city of Pacoima here. The city was supposed to be exclusive and only attract the most affluent settlers. This plan was prevented by a flood disaster in 1891. Rather, it became an agricultural settlement.

In 1915 Pacoima became part of Los Angeles after a referendum, along with large parts of the San Fernando Valley.

Pacoima was the only area without covenants for non-white settlers in the San Fernando Valley. When a wave of emigration from Mexico started in connection with the Guerra Cristera , many Mexicans settled here. At the same time, Japanese began to settle here in the 1920s .

In 1938 there was a flood disaster in the San Fernando Valley. As a result, the land was expropriated from the Hansen family and the Hansen Dam was built.

The time of the Second World War brought about changes. On the one hand, the resident Japanese were deported, on the other hand, the booming aviation industry caused by the war led to increased construction of living space for workers.

Culture

Pacoima has a relatively large number of wall paintings in the tradition of the murals typical of Los Angeles . This concentration is a relatively recent development. Pacoima now has a so-called Mural Mile . The Mural Mile stretches along Van Nuys Boulevard . A directory of the murals is now available.

Pacoima's sons and daughters

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Pacoima in the Los Angeles Times Mapping LA project
  2. ↑ a b c d e History of Pacoima on the website of the Pacoima Historic Society (English)
  3. ↑ Kevin Starr, Deconstructing Los Angeles: The San Fernando Valley thinks it's independent enough to secede from the city. But instead of dwelling in self-pity, the region should become the engine of LA reform. , Los Angeles Times, May 26, 1996.
  4. ↑ April Aguierre: The Mural Mile of Northeast San Fernando Valley , KCET, July 6, 2012.
  5. ^ Karen Jao: A New Generation of San Fernando Valley Muralists Colors the City , KCET, July 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ Sarah Reingewirtz: Pacoima's 'Mural Mile': Where Ritchie Valens, Selena and Danny Trejo gaze with a 'sense of hope' , Los Angeles Daily News of July 24, 2019.
  7. ↑ www.muralmile.org