Alsace, California facts for kids

This map shows the approximate area of Alsace, which is not part of Los Angeles City.

Alsace is a small area in Los Angeles County, California. It's like a tiny island of unincorporated land, meaning it's not officially part of the City of Los Angeles. Instead, it's managed directly by Los Angeles County. Alsace is located in the Westside region, surrounded by the Del Rey neighborhood, and just north of Playa Vista. It was originally known as a stop for electric trolley cars.

What is Alsace Like Today?

These parking signs show that Alsace is different from the neighborhoods around it because it's part of Los Angeles County, not the City of Los Angeles.

Alsace is one of many neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. While it used to be a much larger area, today Alsace is a strip of land about five blocks long. Its borders are Jefferson Boulevard, Centinela Avenue, Grosvenor Boulevard, and the Centinela Creek Channel (or the Marina Freeway, which runs next to the creek).

The streets in Alsace include short sections of Hammack Street, Aneta Street, Lucile Street, Beatrice Street, and a very small part of Juniette Street. These streets all end before Grosvenor Boulevard. Alsace also has two paved alleys. One runs east-west, and the other runs north-south. Unlike many city areas, the streets in Alsace do not have sidewalks. This is because the County has limited money for building and maintaining them.

A Look Back at Alsace's History

You can see "Alsace" listed as a station in the far right column of this 1905 advertisement for the electric railway.

This map from 1913 shows where the Alsace station was located.

Alsace first became known as a stop on the electric railway system in Los Angeles. This stop was on the Venice–Inglewood Line, located where Centinela Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard meet today. Some historians believe the name "Alsace" comes from the original home region of Louis Mesmer, a local landowner and real estate developer.

In 1929, oil was found in the Alsace area. For less than ten years, people drilled for oil there. After that, Alsace and nearby areas were mostly used for farming until the 1950s. Pictures from 1952 show that the Hughes Airport area, which is close by, was still undeveloped at that time.

Soon after, in 1953 and 1954, new houses were built in Alsace. By 1960, the housing development was finished, and maps showed Alsace looking much like it does today.

See also

In Spanish: Alsace (California) para niños