View source for Downtown Los Angeles

{{Short description|Neighborhood in Los Angeles, California}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->| name                     = Downtown Los Angeles
| settlement_type          = [[List of districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles|Neighborhood]]
| official_name            = 
| nicknames                = "Downtown L.A.", "DTLA",<ref>Karlamangla, Soumya (January 19, 2015). [https://web.archive.org/web/20150119141018/http://www.latimes.com/local/great-reads/la-me-c1-dtla-20150119-story.html "IN AN EMERGING DOWNTOWN, 'DTLA' MAKES STRONG INITIAL IMPRESSION"] . ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.</ref> "Downtown"
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| photo1a = Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg
| photo2a = Skyline_of_Los_Angeles,_Downtown_Los_Angeles,_California_13.jpg
| photo2b = Artist District, Los Angeles, California, {{Not a typo|05-29-2001}}.jpg
| photo3a = JewelryDistLA-042801.JPG
| photo3b = Los Angeles City Hall 2013.jpg
| position = center
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| color = white
| spacing = 1
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| foot_montage = Clockwise, from top: Skyline from the southwest, the [[Arts District, Los Angeles|Arts District]], [[Los Angeles City Hall|City Hall]], the [[Jewelry District (Los Angeles)|Jewelry District]] and the [[Financial District, Los Angeles|Financial District]] in 2001
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| image_map                = Los Angeles Freeway Map.png
| mapsize                  = 300px
| map_caption              = Freeway map of the Los Angeles area showing Downtown LA
| image_map1               = Map of Downtown Los Angeles, California.png
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| map_caption1             = Downtown map as delineated by the ''Los Angeles Times''
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| coordinates              = {{coord|34.05|-118.25|display=inline,title}}
| seat_type                = 
| seat                     = 
| unit_pref                = US
| parts_type               = Downtown neighborhoods
| parts_style              = list
| parts                    = 
| p1                       = [[Arts District, Los Angeles|Arts District]]
| p2                       = [[Broadway Theater and Commercial District]]
| p3                       = [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles|Bunker Hill]]
| p5                       = [[Civic Center, Los Angeles|Civic Center]]
| p6                       = [[Fashion District (Los Angeles)|Fashion District]]
| p7                       = [[Financial District, Los Angeles|Financial District]]
| p8                       = [[Flower District, Los Angeles, California Flower District|Flower District]]
| p9                       = [[Gallery Row, Los Angeles|Gallery Row]]
| p10                      = [[Historic Core, Los Angeles|Historic Core]]
| p11                      = [[Jewelry District (Los Angeles)|Jewelry District]]
| p12                      = [[Little Tokyo, Los Angeles|Little Tokyo]]
| p13                      = [[Old Bank District, Los Angeles|Old Bank District]]
| p14                      = [[Skid Row, Los Angeles|Skid Row]]
| p15                      = [[South Park (Downtown Los Angeles)|South Park]]
| p16                      = [[Toy District, Los Angeles|Toy District]]
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = {{Nowrap|{{flag|United States|name=United States of America|size=23px}}}}
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[California]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles]]
| subdivision_type3        = [[List of cities and towns in California|City]]
| subdivision_name3        = [[Los Angeles]]
| subdivision_type4        = 
| subdivision_name4        = 
| elevation_ft             = 305
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb//pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html|title=Elevations and Distances|publisher=US Geological Survey|date=April 29, 2005|access-date=February 10, 2015|archive-date=November 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109183109/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb//pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi         = 5.84
| population_est           = 85000
| pop_est_as_of            = 2020
}}

'''Downtown Los Angeles''' ('''DTLA''') is the [[central business district]] of the city of [[Los Angeles]]. It is part of the [[Central Los Angeles]] region and covers a {{convert|5.84|mi2|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Downtown |url=http://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/downtown/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723030814/http://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/downtown/ |archive-date=July 23, 2013 |access-date=May 31, 2020 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents,<ref name=":0" /> with an estimated [[daytime population]] of over 200,000 people prior to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=DowntownLosAngelesHurting>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-04-12/heavy-new-investments-in-the-arts-promise-to-lift-bunker-hill|title=Downtown L.A. is hurting. Frank Gehry thinks arts can lead a revival|author=Roger Vincent|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 12, 2024|access-date=April 14, 2024}}</ref>

Downtown Los Angeles is divided into neighborhoods and districts, some overlapping. Most districts are named for the activities concentrated there now or historically, such as the [[Arts District, Los Angeles|Arts]], [[Los Angeles Fashion District|Fashion]], [[Old Bank District, Los Angeles|Banking]], [[Broadway Theater District (Los Angeles)|Theater]], [[Toy District, Los Angeles|Toy]], and [[Jewelry District (Los Angeles)|Jewelry]] Districts. It is the hub for the city's [[Los Angeles Metro Rail|urban rail transit system]], as well as the [[Pacific Surfliner]] and [[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]] [[commuter rail]] system covering greater [[Southern California]]. Also located in downtown is the [[Civic Center, Los Angeles|Civic Center]], the administrative core of the [[Government of Los Angeles|city government]].

Historically, downtown held a dense concentration of [[bank]]s, [[department stores]], and [[movie palaces]] that drew residents and visitors of all socioeconomic classes, but after the 1950s the area began to experience an economic decline. Still, it remained an important center for various activities—government business in the Civic Center, banking on [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles|Bunker Hill]], and retail and entertainment, especially for [[Hispanics and Latinos in California|Hispanic Angelenos]] and immigrants, on [[Broadway (Los Angeles)|Broadway]]. Since the early 2000s, downtown has experienced a renaissance of economic revitalization, including the [[Crypto.com Arena]] in downtown's south end, and the restoration and repurposing of historic buildings in the area.

==History==
{{See also|History of Los Angeles}}

The [[Tongva]] village of [[Yaanga]] was located in what is now downtown Los Angeles, possibly near or underneath where the [[Bella Union Hotel]] was located (now [[Triforium (Los Angeles)|Fletcher Bowron Square]]).<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last1=Greene|first1=Sean|last2=Curwen|first2=Thomas|title=Mapping the Tongva villages of L.A.'s past|newspaper=LA Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-tongva-map/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620230251/https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-tongva-map/|archive-date=June 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M7E2AQAAMAAJ|title=Los Angeles Union Station Run-through Tracks Project: Environmental Impact Statement|publisher=United States. Federal Railroad Administration|year=2004|pages=34–35|access-date=March 19, 2023|archive-date=September 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913170726/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Los_Angeles_Union_Station_Run_through_Tr/M7E2AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Spanish and Mexican era===
{{Main||Pueblo de Los Ángeles}}
Father [[Juan Crespí]], a Spanish [[Franciscan Order|Franciscan]] missionary charged with exploring sites for [[Catholic]] [[Spanish missions in California|missions in California]], noted in 1769 that the region had "all the requisites for a large settlement".<ref>[http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/historic/crespi.html FATHER CRESPI IN LOS ANGELES, USC] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707155441/http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/historic/crespi.html |date=July 7, 2009 }}</ref>  On September 4, 1781, Los Angeles was founded by a group of settlers who trekked north from present-day Mexico. Like most [[Spanish Colonial architecture#La Traza|urban centers]] in the [[Spanish Empire]], the town grew, in accordance with the [[Laws of the Indies]], in a [[grid plan|grid-like street pattern]] around a [[Los Angeles Plaza|central plaza]] which faced the [[La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles|first church]]. The area passed to American control in 1847,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KyFPAAAAYAAJ|title=Historical and biographical record of southern California: containing a history of southern California from its earliest settlement to the opening year of the twentieth century|last=Guinn|first=James Miller|publisher=Chapman pub. co.|year=1902|page=50|access-date=September 30, 2011|archive-date=March 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318040525/https://books.google.com/books?id=KyFPAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> and the small town grew to 11,000 by 1880,<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2016|archive-date=February 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228083025/https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The business district was centered along Main Street between the Plaza and First Street.<ref>{{cite news |title=Los Angeles Fifty Years Ago |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31539771/los-angeles-fifty-years-ago-1931/ |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 15, 1931 |access-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-date=November 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102141909/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31539771/los-angeles-fifty-years-ago-1931/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Newmark |first1=Harris |title=Sixty Years in Southern California |date=January 1926 |page=318 |publisher=The Knickerbocker press |url=http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.023 |quote=in 1853…from the street now known as Macy throughout the business part of the city, and as far south as First Street. |access-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-date=February 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208231906/https://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.023/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Victorian-era Downtown===
[[File:Central Business District of Los Angeles 1894 from Plaza (r) to Third Street (l).jpg|thumb|1894 drawing of [[Victorian Downtown Los Angeles]], now the eastern half of the Civic Center district.]]
[[File:Hamburger&#039;s People&#039;s Store Spring Street 1880s.jpg|thumb|Looking northeast on Spring Street from First Street, 1880s. [[Asher Hamburger]]'s Peoples Store at the center. Towers of the [[Baker Block]] are visible in the distance.]]
{{Main|Victorian Downtown Los Angeles}}
Land speculation increased in the 1880s, which saw the population of the city explode from 11,000 in 1880 to nearly 100,000 by 1896.<ref>[http://www.downtownla.com/5_05_downtownHistory.asp Downtown History, Downtown Center Business Improvement District] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804025547/http://www.downtownla.com/5_05_downtownHistory.asp |date=August 4, 2009 }}</ref> Infrastructure enhancements and the laying of a street grid eventually brought development south of the Plaza: [[Victorian Downtown Los Angeles]] in the 1800s and 1890s along Main, [[Spring Street (Los Angeles)|Spring]] and Broadway south to Third Street – all of which were razed to make way for today's [[Civic Center, Los Angeles|Civic Center]]. After 1900, larger buildings were constructed along Broadway and Spring from Third to Ninth streets in what is now called the [[Historic Core, Los Angeles|Historic Core]].

===Downtown's golden age===
By 1920, the city's private and municipal rail lines were the most far-flung and most comprehensive in the world in mileage, even besting that of [[New York City]]. By this time, a steady influx of residents and aggressive land developers had transformed the city into a large metropolitan area, with DTLA at its center. Rail lines connected four counties with over {{convert|1100|mi|km|sp=us}} of track.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pacific Electric Subway|url=http://www.westworld.com/~elson/larail/PE/tunnel.html|date= 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503130518/http://www.westworld.com/~elson/larail/PE/tunnel.html |archive-date=May 3, 2010 }}</ref>

During the early part of the 20th century, banking institutions clustered around South Spring Street, forming the [[Spring Street Financial District]]. Sometimes referred to as the "[[Wall Street of the West]]",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jun-11-me-39908-story.html |title=Wall Street of the West Had Its Peaks, Crashes |first=Cecilia |last=Rasmussen |date=June 11, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305145247/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jun/11/local/me-39908 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |url-status=live |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> the district held corporate headquarters for financial institutions including [[Bank of America]], [[Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles|Farmers and Merchants Bank]], the [[Crocker National Bank]], California Bank & Trust, and International Savings & Exchange Bank. The [[Pacific Exchange|Los Angeles Stock Exchange]] was also located on the corridor from 1929 until 1986 before moving into a new building across the [[Interstate 110 and State Route 110 (California)|Harbor (110) Freeway]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publicartinla.com/Downtown/Broadway/stock_exchange.html |title=Salvatore Cartaino Scarpitta, Los Angeles Stock Exchange, bas reliefs |publisher=Publicartinla.com |date=October 29, 1929 |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106164343/http://www.publicartinla.com/Downtown/Broadway/stock_exchange.html |archive-date=November 6, 2009 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

Commercial growth brought with it hotel construction—during this time period several grand hotels, the [[Hotel Alexandria|Alexandria]] (1906), the Rosslyn (1911), and the [[Millennium Biltmore Hotel|Biltmore]] (1923), were erected—and also the need for venues to entertain the growing population of Los Angeles. [[Broadway Theater and Commercial District|Broadway]] became the nightlife, shopping and entertainment district of the city, with over a dozen theater and movie palaces built before 1932.

Department stores, most that had grown from local [[dry goods]] businesses, moved from [[Central Business District, Los Angeles (1880s-1890s)|Spring and Main streets around Temple and 1st]], to much larger stores along Broadway, including [[The Broadway]], Hamburger's, which became [[May Company California|May Co.]], [[J. W. Robinson's|Robinson's]], [[Bullock's]], [[Coulter's]], [[Desmond's]], [[Silverwoods]], [[Harris & Frank]], and the [[Fifth Street Store]]/Walker's, serving a variety of socioeconomic groups from across the city and suburbs. All but Coulter's would, in the 1920s–1950s, launch branches dotting shopping centers across a growing Southern California. Numerous specialty stores also flourished including those in the jewelry business which gave rise to the Downtown Jewelry District. Among these early jewelers included the Laykin Diamond Company (later becoming Laykin et Cie<ref>{{Cite web |title=Laykin et Cie |url=https://www.laykin.com/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Laykin et Cie}}</ref>) and [[Harry Winston]] & Co., both of which found their beginnings in the [[Hotel Alexandria]] at Fifth and Spring streets.

===Decline and redevelopment===
[[File:Angels flight los angeles.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Angels Flight]] in November 2008.]]
Following [[World War II]], [[suburbanization]], the development of the Los Angeles freeway network, and increased automobile ownership led to decreased investment downtown. Many corporate headquarters slowly dispersed to new suburbs or fell to mergers and acquisitions. As early as the 1920s once-stately Victorian mansions on [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles|Bunker Hill]] were dilapidated, serving as [[rooming house]]s for 20,000 working-class Angelenos.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&httpsredir=1&article=3377&context=gc_etds |title=The Bunker Hill Story: Welfare, Redevelopment, and Housing Crisis in Postwar Los Angeles |access-date=May 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802212906/https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&httpsredir=1&article=3377&context=gc_etds |archive-date=August 2, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Broadway Theater District (Los Angeles)|Broadway theaters]] saw much use as Spanish-language movie houses during this time, beginning with the conversion of the [[Million Dollar Theater]] in the 1950s to a Spanish-language theater.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.laconservancy.org/remaining/remaining_theatres08.php4#million |title=Last Remaining Seats |publisher=Laconservancy.org |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927103834/http://www.laconservancy.org/remaining/remaining_theatres08.php4#million |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Recent years===
[[File:Wilshire Grand.jpg|thumb|220px|The [[Wilshire Grand Center]] in DTLA is the tallest building in the U.S. west of the [[Mississippi River]] at ({{convert|1099|ft|m|sp=us|disp=or}}). It is also the [[List of tallest buildings in California|tallest building in the state of California]].]]
[[File:Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]].]]
[[File:The Last Bookstore (19270292680).jpg|thumb|220px|[[The Last Bookstore]], founded in 2005.]]
In the early 2000s, the neighborhood became popular with Artists and Creatives due to low rent, open loft space, and many vacancies. In mid-2013, downtown was noted as "a neighborhood with an increasingly [[Hip (slang)|hip]] and [[:wikt:well-heeled|well-heeled]] residential population".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pierson |first=David |date=July 31, 2013 |title=Whole Foods to Open Downtown L.A. Store in 2015 |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-whole-foods-downtown-20130731,0,2826238.story |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130916224558/http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-whole-foods-downtown-20130731,0,2826238.story |archive-date=September 16, 2013 |access-date=February 20, 2020 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

Because of the downtown area's office market's migration west to Bunker Hill and the [[Financial District, Los Angeles|Financial District]], many historic office buildings have been left intact, which is simply used for storage or remaining empty during recent decades. In 1999, the [[Los Angeles City Council]] passed an [[adaptive reuse]] [[Local ordinance|ordinance]], making it easier for developers to convert outmoded, vacant office and commercial buildings into [[loft apartment|renovated lofts]] and luxury apartment and condo complexes.

As of early 2009, 14,561 residential units<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.downtownla.com/pdfs/econ_residential/1Q09HousingBook.pdf|title=Downtown Los Angeles Housing Information, First Quarter 2009|publisher=Downtown Center Business Improvement District|access-date=June 9, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719141954/http://www.downtownla.com/pdfs/econ_residential/1Q09HousingBook.pdf|archive-date=July 19, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> have been created under the adaptive reuse ordinance, leading to an increase in the residential population.  With 28,878 residents in 2006,<ref name=DiMassa01>Cara Mia DiMassa, "[https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-downtown21feb21,0,4218500.story Downtown L.A. has gained people but lost jobs, report says] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070508190456/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-downtown21feb21,0,4218500.story |date=2007-05-08 }}", ''Los Angeles Times,'' February 21, 2007.</ref> 39,537 in 2008,<ref name="downtownla1">[http://www.downtownla.com/survey/2011/Downtown-LA-Demographic-Study-2011.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227113244/http://www.downtownla.com/survey/2011/Downtown-LA-Demographic-Study-2011.pdf|date=February 27, 2012}} DowntownLA.com demographic study</ref> and over 60,000 in 2017,<ref name=Forbes>Scott Beyer, "[https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottbeyer/2017/04/28/downtown-los-angeles-is-americas-most-colorful-neighborhood Downtown L.A. Is America's Most Colorful Neighborhood] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904055920/https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottbeyer/2017/04/28/downtown-los-angeles-is-americas-most-colorful-neighborhood |date=2019-09-04 }}", ''Forbes,'' April 28, 2017.</ref> downtown Los Angeles is seeing new life and investment.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-main-street11-2009jun11,0,4047200.story | work=Los Angeles Times | date=June 11, 2009 | title=Ordinance brings new life into downtown L.A.'s Main Street | access-date=February 20, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614093411/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-main-street11-2009jun11,0,4047200.story | archive-date=June 14, 2009 | url-status=live }}</ref>

*[[Crypto.com Arena]], which opened in 1999, has contributed immensely to the revitalization plans, adding 250 events and nearly 4 million visitors per year to the neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aegworldwide.com/01_venues/staples_center.php |title=Facilities, STAPLES Center |publisher=AEG Worldwide |access-date=June 13, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828062613/http://aegworldwide.com/01_venues/staples_center.php |archive-date=August 28, 2008 }}</ref> Since the opening of the Staples Center, the adjacent [[L.A. Live]] complex was completed, which includes the [[Nokia Theatre L.A. Live|Microsoft Theatre]] and the [[Grammy Museum at L.A. Live|Grammy Museum]].
*[[Los Angeles Metro Rail]], a rail transit network centered on the downtown area, facilitates access to the city center, especially from the congested West Side.
*[[Real estate developer]]s and investors planned a $1.8 billion revitalization project along Grand Avenue, which included the development of [[Grand Park]], a large city park,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/may/27/worlddispatch.usa |title=Downtown looks up: Dan Glaister reports on ambitious plans to create a brighter, better and shinier heart of LA |last=Glaister |first=Dan |date=May 27, 2005 |work=[[The Guardian]] |publisher=Guardian News and Media |access-date=July 19, 2012 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829051919/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/may/27/worlddispatch.usa |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the construction of major city landmarks, including the [[Frank Gehry]]-designed [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]] and contemporary art museum [[The Broad]], which opened in 2015.
*On August 7, 2007, the [[Los Angeles City Council]] approved sweeping changes in zoning and development rules for the downtown area.<ref name=LAT080807>Sharon Bernstein and David Pierson, "[https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-downtown8aug08,0,5462749,full.story L.A. moves toward more N.Y-style downtown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007142223/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-downtown8aug08,0,5462749,full.story |date=2008-10-07 }}", ''Los Angeles Times,'' August 8, 2007.</ref> Strongly advocated by Mayor [[Antonio Villaraigosa]], the changes allow larger and denser developments downtown; developers who reserve 15% of their units for low-income residents are now exempt from some open-space requirements and can make their buildings 35% larger than current zoning codes allow.<ref name="LAT080807"/>
*In 2009, [[Bottega Louie]] opened on the first floor of the historic [[Brockman Building]] on [[Grand Avenue (Los Angeles)|Grand Avenue]] and Seventh Street. It contributed to the revitalization of DTLA by creating Restaurant Row, which has since brought numerous new restaurants and retail shops to the area.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/the-downtowners-of-distinction/article_1b311095-358e-5d39-ab5b-351f6dcb9c1a.html|title=The Downtowners of Distinction|first=Jon|last=Regardie|date=February 18, 2011|work=[[Los Angeles Downtown News]]|access-date=March 26, 2016|archive-date=July 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730071105/http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/the-downtowners-of-distinction/article_1b311095-358e-5d39-ab5b-351f6dcb9c1a.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, the upper 11 floors of the Brockman Building were bought with the intention of being sold as luxury lofts.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-apr-16-la-fi-mo-brockman-lofts-20120413-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Roger | last=Vincent | title=New owners turning Brockman Building into apartments | date=April 16, 2012 | access-date=February 20, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026161541/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/16/business/la-fi-mo-brockman-lofts-20120413 | archive-date=October 26, 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref>
*Several labels of [[Warner Music Group]] moved into the [[Arts District, Los Angeles|Los Angeles Arts District]] in 2019 where the company had purchased a former [[Ford Motor Company]] assembly plant.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-arts-district-ford-factory-warner-music-20190407-story.html|title=Warner Music turns former Ford assembly plant into Arts District music factory|last=Vincent|first=Roger|date=April 7, 2019|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=April 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408002418/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-arts-district-ford-factory-warner-music-20190407-story.html|archive-date=April 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Broadway retail is transitioning from a broad mix of stores catering mostly to Hispanic immigrants and a burgeoning [[Sneakers|sneaker]] and [[streetwear]] retail cluster has emerged from 4th to 9th streets: Sneaker Row.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sneaker-row-20181208-story.html |title=Must Reads: Downtown L.A.'s latest retail renaissance? Broadway's burgeoning 'Sneaker Row' |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=December 8, 2018 |access-date=May 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520225910/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sneaker-row-20181208-story.html |archive-date=May 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Oceanwide Plaza]] has planned to open in 2020, but was later changed to unknown date due to financial problems and costs.<ref name="curbed1">{{cite web |url=https://la.curbed.com/2019/3/21/18272985/oceanwide-plaza-downtown-development-construction-debt |title=Construction restarting at Oceanwide Plaza as debt soars to $98.6M - Curbed LA |publisher=La.curbed.com |date=2019-03-21 |accessdate=2019-10-30 |archive-date=June 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613042314/https://la.curbed.com/2019/3/21/18272985/oceanwide-plaza-downtown-development-construction-debt |url-status=live }}</ref>

Multiple [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] and [[Paralympic Games|Paralympic]] events will be held in DTLA during the [[2028 Summer Olympics]] and [[Paralympics]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://la24-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/pdf/LA2024-canditature-part2_english.pdf |title=Assets |website=la24-prod.s3.amazonaws.com |access-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012093308/http://la24-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/pdf/LA2024-canditature-part2_english.pdf |archive-date=October 12, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/business/revitalization-projects-reawaken-downtown-los-angeles.html|title=Revitalization Projects Reawaken Downtown Los Angeles|last=Marino|first=Vivian|date=March 5, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 5, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305181336/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/business/revitalization-projects-reawaken-downtown-los-angeles.html|archive-date=March 5, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

After six years of construction, the new [[Sixth Street Viaduct]] opened on July 9, 2022 at a cost of $588-million. This new bridge replaced a 1932 viaduct of the same name which was demolished in 2016 due to a fact that it would collapse if there were a major earthquake, and alkali-silica reaction – colloquially known as "concrete cancer". Pedestrian and bicycle access points link to other projects such as 12 acres of new park space below the viaduct.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 16, 2022 |title=New Sixth Street Viaduct to open on July 9 |url=https://la.urbanize.city/post/new-sixth-street-viaduct-open-july-9 |access-date=2022-06-16 |website=Urbanize LA |language=en |archive-date=June 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616163815/https://la.urbanize.city/post/new-sixth-street-viaduct-open-july-9 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Shopping malls ==
Shopping centers include [[FIGat7th]],<ref name="Los Angeles Times">{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-nov-04-la-fi-1104-downtown-target-20101104-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | first1=Andrea | last1=Chang | first2=Roger | last2=Vincent | title=Move to downtown L.A. site right on Target | date=4 November 2010 | df=mdy-all | access-date=May 3, 2023 | archive-date=December 13, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213022258/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/04/business/la-fi-1104-downtown-target-20101104 | url-status=live }}</ref> and [[The Bloc Los Angeles]], an open-air shopping area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Bloc {{!}} Discover Los Angeles |url=https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/the-bloc |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=www.discoverlosangeles.com |language=en |archive-date=September 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922140906/https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/the-bloc |url-status=live }}</ref> Others include Japanese Village Plaza in [[Little Tokyo, Los Angeles|Little Tokyo]], [[City National Plaza]], the [[Homer Laughlin Building]], and the [[Los Angeles Mall]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Downtown LA Malls and Shopping Centers |url=https://latourist.com/index.php?page=shopping-center-links-downtown |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=latourist.com |language=en |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321182331/https://latourist.com/index.php?page=shopping-center-links-downtown |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Discover the Best Shopping Centers in Los Angeles {{!}} Discover Los Angeles |url=https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/discover-the-best-shopping-centers-in-los-angeles |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=www.discoverlosangeles.com |language=en |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529200534/https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/discover-the-best-shopping-centers-in-los-angeles |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
Downtown Los Angeles is flanked by [[Echo Park, Los Angeles|Echo Park]] to the north and northwest, [[Chinatown, Los Angeles|Chinatown]] to the northeast, [[Boyle Heights]] to the east, [[Vernon, California|Vernon]] to the south, [[Historic South Central]] and [[University Park, Los Angeles|University Park]] to the southwest, and [[Pico-Union]] and [[Westlake, Los Angeles|Westlake]] to the west.<ref name="MappingLACentralLA">[http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/region/central-la/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114214922/http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/region/central-la//|date=January 14, 2011}} "Central L.A.," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''</ref><ref name="MappingLADowntown">[http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/downtown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516171935/http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/downtown/|date=May 16, 2013}} "Downtown," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''</ref><ref name="ThomasGuideDowntownLA">''The Thomas Guide,'' 2006, pages 634 and 674</ref>

Downtown is bounded on the northeast by [[Cesar Chavez Avenue]], on the east by the [[Los Angeles River]], on the south by the Los Angeles [[city limits|city line]] with Vernon, on the southwest by East [[Washington Boulevard (Los Angeles)|Washington Boulevard]] and on the west by the [[Interstate 110 and State Route 110 (California)|110 Freeway]] or Beaudry Avenue, including the entire [[Four Level Interchange]] with the [[U.S. Route 101 in California|101 Freeway]].<ref name=MappingLADowntown/><ref name=ThomasGuideDowntownLA/>

===Districts===
The neighborhood includes these districts:
{{Div col}}
*[[Arts District, Los Angeles|Arts District]]<ref>[http://discoverlosangeles.com 2012–2013 Official Visitors Map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527152503/http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/ |date=May 27, 2013 }}, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, 2012</ref>
*[[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles|Bunker Hill]]<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>
*[[Civic Center, Los Angeles|Civic Center]]<ref name=MappingLADowntown/> (built on the razed site of the [[Central Business District, Los Angeles (1880s-1890s)|Central Business District during the 1880s–1890s]])
*[[Fashion District, Los Angeles|Fashion District]]<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>
*[[Financial District, Los Angeles|Financial District]]
*[[Los Angeles Flower District|Flower District]]
*[[Gallery Row, Los Angeles|Gallery Row]]
*[[Historic Core]] (contains the [[Broadway (Los Angeles)|Broadway Theater District]], [[Spring Street Financial District]] and [[Old Bank District, Los Angeles|Old Bank District]]<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>)
*[[The Run, Los Angeles|The Run]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dtlaweekly.com/have-the-curtains-closed-on-broadway/|work=Downtown Los Angeles Weekly|title=Have the Curtains Closed on Broadway?|author=Shawn Smith|date=January 10, 2024|access-date=March 5, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dtlaweekly.com/run-lgbtq-banners-dtla/|title=Rebirth of The Run! LGBTQ+ Banners & Tremendous Block Party Spotlight DTLA's Queer Past, Present and Future|work=Downtown Los Angeles Weekly|author=Jackson Roberts|date=August 22, 2023|access-date=March 5, 2025}}</ref>
*[[L.A. Downtown Industrial District|Industrial District]]<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>
*[[Jewelry District, Los Angeles|Jewelry District]]<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>
*[[Little Tokyo, Los Angeles|Little Tokyo]]<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>
*[[Skid Row, Los Angeles|Skid Row]]<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>
*[[South Park (Downtown Los Angeles)|South Park]]<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>
*[[Toy District, Los Angeles|Toy District]]
*[[Wholesale District, Los Angeles|Wholesale District or Warehouse District]]
{{div col end}}

===Climate===
{{Weather box
| location = Los Angeles ([[University of Southern California|USC]], Downtown), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1877–present
| single line = Y
| Jan high F = 68.0
| Feb high F = 68.0
| Mar high F = 69.9
| Apr high F = 72.4
| May high F = 73.7
| Jun high F = 77.2
| Jul high F = 82.0
| Aug high F = 84.0
| Sep high F = 83.0
| Oct high F = 78.6
| Nov high F = 72.9
| Dec high F = 67.4
| year high F= 74.8
| Jan mean F = 58.4
| Feb mean F = 59.0
| Mar mean F = 61.1
| Apr mean F = 63.6
| May mean F = 65.9
| Jun mean F = 69.3
| Jul mean F = 73.3
| Aug mean F = 74.7
| Sep mean F = 73.6
| Oct mean F = 69.3
| Nov mean F = 63.0
| Dec mean F = 57.8
| year mean F = 65.8
| Jan low F = 48.9
| Feb low F = 50.0
| Mar low F = 52.4
| Apr low F = 54.8
| May low F = 58.1
| Jun low F = 61.4
| Jul low F = 64.7
| Aug low F = 65.4
| Sep low F = 64.2
| Oct low F = 59.9
| Nov low F = 53.1
| Dec low F = 48.2
| year low F= 56.8
| Jan avg record high F = 83.0
| Feb avg record high F = 82.8
| Mar avg record high F = 85.8
| Apr avg record high F = 90.1
| May avg record high F = 88.9
| Jun avg record high F = 89.1
| Jul avg record high F = 93.5
| Aug avg record high F = 95.2
| Sep avg record high F = 99.4
| Oct avg record high F = 95.7
| Nov avg record high F = 88.9
| Dec avg record high F = 81.0
| year avg record high F=101.5
| Jan avg record low F = 41.4
| Feb avg record low F = 42.9
| Mar avg record low F = 45.4
| Apr avg record low F = 48.9
| May avg record low F = 53.5
| Jun avg record low F = 57.4
| Jul avg record low F = 61.1
| Aug avg record low F = 61.7
| Sep avg record low F = 59.1
| Oct avg record low F = 53.7
| Nov avg record low F = 45.4
| Dec avg record low F = 40.5
| year avg record low F= 39.2
| Jan record high F =  95
| Feb record high F =  95
| Mar record high F =  99
| Apr record high F = 106
| May record high F = 103
| Jun record high F = 112
| Jul record high F = 109
| Aug record high F = 106
| Sep record high F = 113
| Oct record high F = 108
| Nov record high F = 100
| Dec record high F =  92
| Jan record low F = 28
| Feb record low F = 28
| Mar record low F = 31
| Apr record low F = 36
| May record low F = 40
| Jun record low F = 46
| Jul record low F = 49
| Aug record low F = 49
| Sep record low F = 44
| Oct record low F = 40
| Nov record low F = 34
| Dec record low F = 30
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain inch = 3.29
| Feb rain inch = 3.64
| Mar rain inch = 2.23
| Apr rain inch = 0.69
| May rain inch = 0.32
| Jun rain inch = 0.09
| Jul rain inch = 0.02
| Aug rain inch = 0.00
| Sep rain inch = 0.13
| Oct rain inch = 0.58
| Nov rain inch = 0.78
| Dec rain inch = 2.48
| year rain inch=14.25
| unit rain days = 0.01 in
| Jan rain days = 6.1
| Feb rain days = 6.3
| Mar rain days = 5.1
| Apr rain days = 2.8
| May rain days = 1.9
| Jun rain days = 0.5
| Jul rain days = 0.4
| Aug rain days = 0.1
| Sep rain days = 0.4
| Oct rain days = 2.2
| Nov rain days = 2.8
| Dec rain days = 5.5
| year rain days=34.1
| Jan sun = 225.3 |Jan percentsun = 71
| Feb sun = 222.5 |Feb percentsun = 72
| Mar sun = 267.0 |Mar percentsun = 72
| Apr sun = 303.5 |Apr percentsun = 78
| May sun = 276.2 |May percentsun = 64
| Jun sun = 275.8 |Jun percentsun = 64
| Jul sun = 364.1 |Jul percentsun = 83
| Aug sun = 349.5 |Aug percentsun = 84
| Sep sun = 278.5 |Sep percentsun = 75
| Oct sun = 255.1 |Oct percentsun = 73
| Nov sun = 217.3 |Nov percentsun = 70
| Dec sun = 219.4 |Dec percentsun = 71
| year percentsun = 73
| source 1 = NOAA (sun 1961–1977)<ref name="Los Angeles NOAA">{{cite web |url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=lox |title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date = July 18, 2020 |archive-date = July 11, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150711032124/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=lox |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Los Angeles Downtown Weatherbox NOAA txt">{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00093134&format=pdf |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020 |access-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-date=August 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809144943/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00093134&format=pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NOAA txt USC">{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USW00093134.normals.txt |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525051536/ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USW00093134.normals.txt |archive-date=2017-05-25 |url-status=dead |title=Station Name: CA LOS ANGELES DWTN USC CAMPUS |access-date=July 18, 2020 }}</ref><ref name="Los Angeles sun">{{cite web |url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-IV/US/GROUP1/00045115.TXT |title = LOS ANGELES/WBO CA Climate Normals |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170525051535/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-IV/US/GROUP1/00045115.TXT |archive-date = 2017-05-25 |url-status = dead |access-date = October 20, 2013 }}</ref>
}}

==Population==
[[File:Dodger Stadium and DTLA.jpg|left|alt=|thumb|220px|DTLA with [[Dodger Stadium]] in the foreground.]]
[[File:OrpheumTheatreMarquee.jpg|thumb|220px|The [[Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles, California)|Orpheum Theatre]] in 2007.]]
[[File:St Vincent Court - Downtown Los Angeles 03.jpg|thumb|[[St. Vincent's Place|St. Vincent Court]] in 2017. European-style decorations date to 1957.]]
The 2000 U.S. census found that just 27,849 residents lived in the 5.84 square miles of downtown—or 4,770 people per square mile, among the lowest densities for the city of Los Angeles but about average for the county. The [[Southern California Association of Governments]] estimates that downtown's daytime population is 207,440.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/downtown/|title=Downtown|website=Mapping L.A.|access-date=November 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125135910/http://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/downtown/|archive-date=November 25, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The population increased to 34,811 by 2008, according to city estimates. By the end of 2019, the population of the district had grown to 85,000 residents, and 7,956 residential units were under construction.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wowtapka|first1=Dawn|title=In Downtown LA, a Housing Revival|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304281004579220210670242326|access-date=July 13, 2014|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=November 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123211249/http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304281004579220210670242326|archive-date=January 23, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The median age for residents was 39, considered old for the city and [[Los Angeles County|the county]].<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>

Downtown Los Angeles is almost evenly balanced among the four major racial and ethnic groups—[[Asian Americans]] (23%), [[African Americans]] (22%), [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latinos]] (25%) and [[non-Hispanic whites]] (26%)—according to an analysis of 2010 census data made by [[Loyola Marymount University]] researchers.<ref>{{cite news|last=Trounson|first=Rebecca|title=A multicultural moment: Downtown L.A.'s population evenly split|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/multicultural-moment-downtown-la.html|access-date=April 13, 2012|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=April 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414235024/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/multicultural-moment-downtown-la.html|archive-date=April 14, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

A study of the 2000 census showed that downtown was the second–most diverse neighborhood in Los Angeles, its [[diversity index]] being 0.743, outrated only by [[Mid-Wilshire]].<ref>[http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/diversity/neighborhood/list/#downtown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623010957/http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/diversity/neighborhood/list/#downtown|date=June 23, 2013}} "Diversity," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''</ref> The ethnic breakdown in 2000 was [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latinos]], 36.7%; [[African Americans|blacks]], 22.3%; [[Asian Americans|Asians]], 21.3%; [[Non-Hispanic whites|whites]], 16.2%, and others, 3.5%. Mexico (44.7%) and Korea (17%) were the most common places of birth for the 41.9% of the residents who were born abroad, about the same ratio as in the city as a whole.<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>

The median household income in 2008 dollars was $15,003, considered low for both the city and the county. The percentage of households earning $20,000 or less (57.4%) was the highest in Los Angeles County, followed by University Park (56.6%) and Chinatown (53.6%). The average household size of 1.6 people was relatively low. Renters occupied 93.4% of the housing units, and home or apartment owners the rest.<ref name=MappingLADowntown/><ref>[http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/income/20-or-less/neighborhood/list] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130710040803/http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/income/20-or-less/neighborhood/list/|date=July 10, 2013}} "$20,000 or less," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''</ref>

In 2000, there were 2,400 military veterans living downtown, or 9.7% of the population, considered a high rate for the city but average for the county overall.<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>

In 2010, census data concluded that 40,227 people lived in downtown Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web |title=Census Data by Neighborhood Council |url=https://data.lacity.org/A-Livable-and-Sustainable-City/Census-Data-by-Neighborhood-Council/nwj3-ufba/data |website=data.lacity.org |publisher=City of Los Angeles |access-date=June 1, 2020 |archive-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730034858/https://data.lacity.org/A-Livable-and-Sustainable-City/Census-Data-by-Neighborhood-Council/nwj3-ufba/data |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2013, a study by Downtown Center Business Improvement District showed that of the 52,400 people resided in downtown Los Angeles, the demographic breakdown was 52.7% Caucasian, 20.1% Asian, 17.0% Latino, and 6.2% African-American; 52.9% female, 47.1% male; and 74.8% of residents were between the ages of 23–44. The median age for residents was 34. The median household income was $98,700. The median household size was 1.8. In terms of educational attainment, 80.1% of residents had completed at least 4 years of college. The study was a self-selecting sample of 8,841 respondents across the DTLA area. It was not a "census" but rather a comprehensive survey of Downtown LA consumers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.downtownla.com/survey/2013/results/DTLA-Demo-Study-2013.pdf|title=Downtown LA Demographic Study 2013 |publisher=Downtown Center Business Improvement District|access-date=July 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807072720/http://www.downtownla.com/survey/2013/results/DTLA-Demo-Study-2013.pdf|archive-date=August 7, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

An additional study by the Downtown Center Business Improvement District showed that by 2017 the population reached 67,324.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.downtownla.com/images/reports/BID_MarketReport2017.Q8.Web.pdf |title=Downtown LA Market Report, Second Quarter 2017 |publisher=Downtown Center Business Improvement District |access-date=September 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912235247/https://www.downtownla.com/images/reports/BID_MarketReport2017.Q8.Web.pdf |archive-date=September 12, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In early 2020 the population was estimated to have exceeded 80,000 at the end of 2019.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.downtownla.com/images/reports/DTLAMarketReport2019.web.pdf |title=Downtown LA Market Report, Fourth Quarter 2019, Year End Report |date=2019 |publisher=Downtown Center Business Improvement District |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216201348/https://www.downtownla.com/images/reports/DTLAMarketReport2019.web.pdf |archive-date=February 16, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Public transportation==
===Local and regional service===
[[File:Los Angeles Metro System Map.png|thumb|229x229px|Current [[Los Angeles Metro Rail]] map showing rail and rapid transit lines.]]
Downtown Los Angeles is the center of the region's growing rail transit system, with six commuter lines operated by [[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]], as well as six [[urban rail transit]] lines and local and regional bus service operated by [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (Metro).

Major Metro stations in the district include [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]], [[Civic Center/Grand Park station]], [[Pershing Square station]], [[7th Street/Metro Center station]], [[Pico station]], [[Little Tokyo/Arts District station]], [[Historic Broadway station]], and [[Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill station]].

*The [[Los Angeles Metro Rail]] system has four rail lines that serve downtown Los Angeles: the [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|A Line]], [[B Line (Los Angeles Metro)|B Line]], [[D Line (Los Angeles Metro)|D Line]], and [[E Line (Los Angeles Metro)|E Line]].
*In late 2009, the [[J Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro J Line]] bus rapid transit project opened, replacing two unconnected bus rapid transit lines with through service at street level through the downtown area.
*In 2006, a portion of the Metro Red Line (now the B Line) was rebranded by Metro as the [[D Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro Purple Line]] (now the D Line), a heavy-rail subway line which runs from [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] to [[Wilshire/Western station]] in [[Koreatown, Los Angeles, California|Koreatown]]. A [[D Line Extension|westward extension]] of the line to [[Westwood, Los Angeles, California|Westwood]] is currently under construction.
*Metro operates an extensive bus network,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/default.htm |title=Metro Maps |publisher=Metro.net |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090526073951/http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/default.htm |archive-date=May 26, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> including Metro Local, Metro Express commuter lines, and Metro Rapid<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metro.net/projects/rapid/ |title=Metro Rapid |publisher=Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226004823/http://www.metro.net/projects/rapid/ |archive-date=February 26, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> buses with signal priority and limited stops.
*[[Los Angeles Department of Transportation]] operates seven local [[LADOT DASH|DASH]] shuttle lines downtown on weekdays: Lines A, B, C, D, E and F.<ref name=dashsched>[http://ladottransit.com/dash/routes/downtown/downtown.html DASH Schedule] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601173708/http://www.ladottransit.com/dash/routes/downtown/downtown.html |date=June 1, 2009 }}, LADOT.</ref>  Weekend service is operated on lines DD (Downtown Discovery), E and F.<ref name=dashweekendsched>[http://ladottransit.com/dash/routes/downtown_wkend/downtown_we.html DASH Weekend Schedule] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615215316/http://ladottransit.com/dash/routes/downtown_wkend/downtown_we.html |date=June 15, 2009 }}, LADOT.</ref>
*The [[Regional Connector|Regional Connector Transit Corridor]] connected the A, E, and L Lines between the [[Little Tokyo/Arts District station|Little Tokyo/Arts District]] and 7th Street/Metro Center stations which opened on June 16, 2023. This had the A and E Lines take over different parts of the L Line, which was promptly discontinued.<ref>{{cite news | last = Nolan | first = Conan | date = June 16, 2023 | title = Need a ride? Metro to open its Regional Connector system | url = https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/metro-regional-connector-transit/3171404/ | location = Los Angeles | access-date = June 16, 2023 | archive-date = June 16, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230616144809/https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/metro-regional-connector-transit/3171404/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:Union-Station-LA-Waiting-Ro.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] main passenger concourse.]]

===Amtrak===
Amtrak operates intercity passenger train service on five routes through [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Los Angeles Union Station]]: the ''[[Coast Starlight]]'', ''[[Pacific Surfliner]]'', ''[[Southwest Chief]]'', ''[[Sunset Limited]]'', and ''[[Texas Eagle]]''.

===Greyhound===
[[Greyhound Lines]] operates a major bus terminal in downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of Seventh and Alameda streets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greyhound.com/home/TicketCenter/en/locations.asp?state=ca |title=Locations: California |publisher=Greyhound.com |access-date=June 13, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707085226/http://www.greyhound.com/home/TicketCenter/en/locations.asp?state=ca |archive-date=July 7, 2009 }}</ref>

===Service to Los Angeles International Airport===
[[Los Angeles World Airports]] operates a direct shuttle, LAX FlyAway Bus,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flylax.com/flyaway |website=Fly LAX - FlyAway Bus |publisher=Los Angeles World Airports |title=LAX Official Site &#124; Traffic and Ground Transportation - FlyAway Bus |access-date=March 15, 2021 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224114609/https://www.flylax.com/FlyAway |url-status=live }}</ref> every 30–60 minutes between [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] and [[Los Angeles International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lawa.org/welcome_lax.aspx?id=4696|title=LAX FlyAway|access-date=May 24, 2013|publisher=Los Angeles World Airports|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522112525/http://www.lawa.org/welcome_lax.aspx?id=4696|archive-date=May 22, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Transit expansion===
[[File:LACMTA-GoldLine.jpg|thumb|220px|[[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro A Line]] light rail at Union Station.]]

*The [[E Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro E Line]] was built in two phases and completed in 2016. The first phase of the project connected [[7th St/Metro Center (LACMTA station)|7th Street/Metro Center Station]] downtown with Culver City via the former [[Pacific Electric Railway]] [[Santa Monica Air Line]] right-of-way. The second phase extended the line to [[Santa Monica]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090524191730/http://buildexpo.org/phase2_target_schedule.php]}}</ref>  The E Line shares tracks with the [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro A Line]] north of Washington Boulevard, and shares the [[Pico (LACMTA station)|Pico Station]], [[7th St/Metro Center (LACMTA station)|7th Street/Metro Center Station]], [[Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill station]], [[Historic Broadway station]], and [[Little Tokyo/Arts District station]] with the A Line.
*[[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] is set to be a major stop on the under-construction [[California High-Speed Rail]] system, though it will not be a part of the project's Initial Operating Segment.<ref>"[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/though-california-is-in-the-throes-of-a-budget-crisis-vice-president-joe-biden-said-today-that-the-states-high-speed-rail.html Joe Biden says California high-speed rail looking good for federal money] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220011134/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/though-california-is-in-the-throes-of-a-budget-crisis-vice-president-joe-biden-said-today-that-the-states-high-speed-rail.html |date=2011-02-20 }}", ''Los Angeles Times''.</ref> The project would connect Northern and Southern California via the [[San Joaquin Valley]], with service averaging {{convert|220|mph|km/h|sp=us}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/faqs/why.htm |title=Why High-Speed Trains? |publisher=Cahighspeedrail.ca.gov |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429224148/http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/faqs/why.htm |archive-date=April 29, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2014/04/california-high-speed-rail |title=California high speed rail: Wobbling on its tracks |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=April 1, 2014 |access-date=September 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002091336/http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2014/04/california-high-speed-rail |archive-date=October 2, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Work is planned to bring [[streetcar]]-style trolley service to downtown Los Angeles via [[Broadway (Los Angeles)|Broadway]], connecting the [[L.A. Live]] development with the Grand Avenue cultural corridor and [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles|Bunker Hill]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bringingbackbroadway.com/updates/index.htm |title=Streetcar |publisher=Bringing Back Broadway |access-date=June 13, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603003900/http://bringingbackbroadway.com/updates/index.htm |archive-date=June 3, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bringingbackbroadway.com/timeline/index.htm |title=Progress |publisher=Bringing Back Broadway |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520081936/http://www.bringingbackbroadway.com/timeline/index.htm |archive-date=May 20, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Parks and open space==
[[File:Lacathedral.jpg|thumb|[[Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels]] located adjacent to [[Los Angeles City Hall]].]]
[[File:Pershing Square fountain, LA, CA, jjron 22.03.2012.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Pershing Square (Los Angeles)|Pershing Square]] in 2012.]]
Downtown Los Angeles is home to several public parks, plazas, gardens and other open space:
*[[Los Angeles Plaza]]
*[[Olvera Street]]
*[[El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument]]
*[[Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels]] meditation garden and olive garden (park)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090425235348/http://www.ci.la.ca.us/angelswalk/5.htm Biddy Mason Park]
*[[Grand Park]]
*[[Maguire Gardens]]
*[[Pershing Square (Los Angeles)|Pershing Square]]
*[[Los Angeles City Hall]] South Lawn
*[[Los Angeles Police Department]]'s Police Administration Building South Lawn<ref>{{cite news |last=Green |first=Emily |url=https://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-lapd23-2009may23,0,1601557.story |title=LAPD green: landscaping at the new police headquarters |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 23, 2009 |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529093334/http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-lapd23-2009may23,0,1601557.story |archive-date=May 29, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Los Angeles State Historic Park]]
*[[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] gardens
*[[Walt Disney Concert Hall]] Community Park
*The Water Court at [[One California Plaza|California Plaza]], an outdoor performance and dining space with water features, fountains, shaded seating areas and an amphitheater.
*Japanese Garden and plaza at the Little Tokyo Cultural and Community Center Plaza
*Japanese Garden at the [[Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens]]
*Garden at [[Bank of America Center (Los Angeles)|Bank of America Plaza]]

Several future park proposals for the district make use of public-private partnerships between developers and the city of Los Angeles, including a public park at the proposed Nikkei Center development in [[Little Tokyo, Los Angeles|Little Tokyo]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20081010f2.html |title=Little Tokyo looks to get back its vibes with new development |work=The Japan Times Online |date=October 10, 2008 |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013064758/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20081010f2.html |archive-date=October 13, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> a {{convert|1|acre|m2|adj=on}} park at the Medallion development in the Historic Core; and a [[pocket park]] at the [[Wilshire Grand Tower|Wilshire Grand Hotel]] replacement project, currently under construction.<ref>{{cite web|author=carllehmanpi.com |url=http://www.downtownnews.com/articles/2009/04/03/news/doc49d594ea82496067545550.txt |title=Los Angeles Downtown News and Information&nbsp;– LA Downtown News Online > Archives > News > Korean Air Plans $1 Billion Downtown Project |publisher=Downtownnews.com |date=April 3, 2009 |access-date=June 13, 2009}}</ref>

Additionally, the city recently completed a new park located on the 400 block of South Spring Street in the [[Historic Core, Los Angeles|Historic Core]] neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://la.curbed.com/archives/2009/01/shiny_downtown_tower_is_out_new_park_in.php |title=Curbed LA: Shiny Downtown Tower Is Out, New Park Is In |publisher=La.curbed.com |date=January 14, 2009 |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124005651/http://la.curbed.com/archives/2009/01/shiny_downtown_tower_is_out_new_park_in.php |archive-date=January 24, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Skyline==
{{Main|List of tallest buildings in Los Angeles}}
[[File:Los Angeles downtown p1000070.jpg|thumb|220px|The modern skyline of Los Angeles resulted from the termination of severe height restrictions in 1957.]]
[[File:Los Angeles, California, street lamp with Ritz-Carlton Hotel.jpg|thumb|Ritz-Carlton Hotel, with distinctive street lamps in foreground, 2012.]]
Despite its relative decentralization and comparatively new high-rises (until 1958, the city did not permit any structures taller than the 27-story City Hall building<ref>{{cite web |url=http://studentreader.com/la-city-hall/#Building-City-Hall |title=LA City Hall – Student Reader |publisher=StudentReader.com |date=October 24, 2012 |access-date=November 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424043703/http://studentreader.com/la-city-hall/#Building-City-Hall |archive-date=April 24, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>), Los Angeles has one of the largest skylines in the [[United States]], and its development has continued in recent years.

The skyline has seen rapid growth due to improvements in seismic design standards, which has made certain building types highly earthquake-resistant. Many of the new skyscrapers contain a housing or hotel component.

Some current and upcoming examples of skyscraper construction include:
*705 Ninth Street, a 35-story residential tower, was completed in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://la.curbed.com/archives/2009/11/it_turns_out_that_rumor.php|title=MerueloMaddux|publisher=MerueloMaddux|access-date=June 13, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106165752/http://la.curbed.com/archives/2009/11/it_turns_out_that_rumor.php|archive-date=January 6, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>
*717 Olympic, a 26-story residential tower, was completed in mid-2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://717olympic.com|title=UDR Apartments 717 Olympic|website=UDR.com|access-date=May 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704013325/http://www.717olympic.com/|archive-date=July 4, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>
*888 Olive, a 32-story apartment tower by Vancouver-based Omni Group,  opened in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/the-development-scene-the-latest-info-on-downtown-projects/article_b91d651e-c3d5-11e2-8963-001a4bcf887a.html|title=The Development Scene: The Latest Info on 88 Downtown Projects|first=Richard Guzmán, Jon Regardie and Ryan|last=Vaillancourt|date=May 23, 2013 |access-date=August 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812040549/http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/the-development-scene-the-latest-info-on-downtown-projects/article_b91d651e-c3d5-11e2-8963-001a4bcf887a.html|archive-date=August 12, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Concerto, a 28-story residential tower, was completed in early 2009.  A second phase (Tower II) is currently under construction.
*The [[Grand Avenue Project]], designed by architect [[Frank Gehry]], is a multi-phase project on four parcels. It includes a 39-story hotel tower at the corner of First Street and Grand Avenue and a [[Grand Park|civic park]].<ref>[http://thegrandla.com The Grand]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415174039/http://thegrandla.com/ |date=April 15, 2009 }}. Thegrandla.com. Retrieved on July 29, 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/02/grand-avenue-pr.html | work=The Los Angeles Times | title=L.A. Now | date=February 10, 2009 | access-date=June 8, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214170025/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/02/grand-avenue-pr.html | archive-date=February 14, 2009 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://urbanize.la/post/surprise-grand-avenue-project-files-construction-permits|title=Surprise: Grand Avenue Project Files for Construction Permits|date=August 11, 2017|access-date=August 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811222206/https://urbanize.la/post/surprise-grand-avenue-project-files-construction-permits|archive-date=August 11, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[L.A. Live]], a multi-phased dining, entertainment and hotel development that includes a [[Ritz-Carlton]] and [[JW Marriott]] Hotel hybrid as well as Ritz-Carlton-branded condominiums, was completed in February 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lalive.com/content.php?section=hotels&page=ritz_carlton_residences |title=L.A. Live |publisher=L.A. Live |access-date=June 13, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430095351/http://lalive.com/content.php?section=hotels&page=ritz_carlton_residences |archive-date=April 30, 2009 }}</ref>
*[[Marriott International]] completed a 24-story [[Courtyard by Marriott|Courtyard]] and [[Residence Inn by Marriott|Residence Inn]] tower near L.A. Live, which opened in July 2014, and plans to build a 20+ story [[Renaissance Hotels|Renaissance Hotel]] to open in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/News/L-A--Live-to-Get-New-Renaissance-Hotel/#.Uhu7HNK-rfg|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130826205805/http://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/News/L-A--Live-to-Get-New-Renaissance-Hotel/%23.Uhu7HNK-rfg|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 26, 2013|title=L.A. Live to Get New Renaissance Hotel |publisher=TravelAge West|first=Kelly |last=Rosenfeld|date=April 30, 2013|website=www.travelagewest.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2013-mar-07-la-fi-property-report-20130307-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Roger | last=Vincent | title=Marriott doubles down on high-rise hotels in L.A | date=March 7, 2013 | access-date=February 20, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726215019/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/07/business/la-fi-property-report-20130307 | archive-date=July 26, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref>
*Metropolis, a mixed-use four-tower project (60, 50, 38, and 19 stories) at Francisco and Ninth streets, is currently under construction.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-26/china-s-greenland-enters-u-s-in-1-billion-los-angeles-project.html | work=Bloomberg | title=China's Greenland Buys Stake in Los Angeles Project | access-date=March 6, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123190952/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-26/china-s-greenland-enters-u-s-in-1-billion-los-angeles-project.html | archive-date=January 23, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref>
*''South'', a three-tower complex called Elleven, Luma, and Evo, spans the block from 11th Street and Grand Avenue to 12th Street and Grand Avenue, and was completed in phases ending in early 2009.
*The [[Wilshire Grand Tower]] redevelopment, a 900-room hotel and office project built in 2017, is the tallest tower west of the [[Mississippi River]], at {{convert|1,100|ft|m}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/amid-slump-one-part-of-downtown-remains-hot.html |title=Amid slump, one part of downtown remains hot |work=Los Angeles Times |date=April 7, 2009 |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411101004/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/amid-slump-one-part-of-downtown-remains-hot.html |archive-date=April 11, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Figueroa Centre]], a 975-foot residential and hotel tower proposed across from [[The Original Pantry]] restaurant on the [[Figueroa Corridor]]. The tower proposed will become the third tallest building in Los Angeles when completed.
*[[Angels Landing (Los Angeles)|Angels Landing]], a proposed super tall tower at 1020&nbsp;ft. Currently in the funding stage. Approved by the city council in 2017.

===Building height limits: 1904–1957===
[[File:LA Eastern Columbia Building.jpg|thumb|The [[Eastern Columbia Building]]: the Entrance to the [[Historic Core, Los Angeles|Historic Core]] and the "Jewel of Downtown".]]
The first height limit ordinance in Los Angeles was enacted following the completion of the 13-story [[Continental Building]], located at the southeast corner of Fourth and Spring streets. The purpose of the height limit was to limit the density of the city. There was great hostility to skyscrapers in many cities in these years, mainly due to the congestion they could bring to the streets, and height limit ordinances were a common way of dealing with the problem. In 1911, the city passed an updated height limit ordinance, establishing a specific limit of {{convert|150|ft|m}}. Exceptions were granted for decorative towers such as those later built on the [[Eastern Columbia Building]] and United Artists Theatre, as well as the now-demolished [[Richfield Tower]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.4wilshire.com|title=The Latest On AXS|access-date=May 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070627031541/http://www.4wilshire.com/|archive-date=June 27, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Flat Roof Ordinance===
The pattern of buildings in Los Angeles to feature flat rooftops was the result of a 1974 fire ordinance which required all tall buildings in the city to include rooftop [[helipad]]s in response to the devastating 1974 [[Joelma Fire]] in [[Sao Paulo, Brazil]], in which helicopters were used to effect rescues from the flat rooftop of the building.<ref>Rosenberg, Jeremy (January 16, 2012) [http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/columns/laws-that-shaped-la/laws-that-shaped-la-why-is-the-la-skyline-so-bland.html "Laws That Shaped L.A.: Why is the Los Angeles Skyline So Bland?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223084554/http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/columns/laws-that-shaped-la/laws-that-shaped-la-why-is-the-la-skyline-so-bland.html |date=February 23, 2016 }} [[KCET]]</ref> The [[Wilshire Grand Center]] was the first building granted an exception by the [[Los Angeles City Fire Department]] in 2014. However, as the building was under construction, [[Los Angeles City Council|L.A. City Council]] removed the flat roof ordinance as of 2015.<ref>Glick Kudler, Adrian (February 7, 2013) [http://la.curbed.com/archives/2013/02/new_wilshire_grand_will_be_the_west_coasts_tallest_tower.php "New Wilshire Grand Will Be the West Coast's Tallest Tower"] [[Curbed|CURBED Los Angeles]]</ref>

==Government and infrastructure==
[[File:Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Los Angeles.JPG|thumb|[[Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco]], Los Angeles Branch. This building is now loft apartments.]]
The [[Los Angeles County Department of Health Services]] operates the Central Health Center in downtown Los Angeles.<ref>"[http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phn/docs/HealthCenter/central.pdf Central Health Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527190304/http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phn/docs/HealthCenter/central.pdf |date=2010-05-27 }}", [[Los Angeles County Department of Health Services]]. Retrieved on March 18, 2010.</ref>

The Southern California Liaison of the [[California Department of Education]] has its office in the [[Ronald Reagan]] State Building in downtown Los Angeles.<ref>"[http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/cd/liaison.asp Southern California Liaison] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091225095816/http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/cd/liaison.asp |date=2009-12-25 }}", [[California Department of Education]]. Retrieved on December 23, 2009.</ref>

The [[Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Los Angeles Branch]] is located in downtown Los Angeles.<ref>"[http://www.frbsf.org/federalreserve/branches/index.html FRBSF Branches] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925203620/http://www.frbsf.org/federalreserve/branches/index.html |date=2011-09-25 }}", [[Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco]]. Retrieved on March 30, 2010.</ref>

==Economy==
DTLA is a node in the tech economy that extends beyond [[Silicon Beach]]. A venture capital firm counted 78 tech-oriented firms in DTLA in 2015. This included mobile apps, hardware, digital media and clean-tech companies plus co-working spaces, start-up incubators, and other related businesses.<ref name=tech/>

The [[Arts District, Los Angeles|Arts District]] has become a popular spot for companies seeking out something different from typical modern offices. The central location is accessible from various parts of the Los Angeles Basin. The cultural life has also made the area attractive to young tech employees.<ref name=tech>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dtla-tech-20150308-story.html#page=1|title=Tech scene takes hold in revitalized downtown L.A.|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=March 7, 2015|first=Andrea|last=Chang|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917153844/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dtla-tech-20150308-story.html#page=1|archive-date=September 17, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Two Bit Circus]] is the only [[amusement park]] located in the area.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martens |first=Todd |title=Two Bit Circus will bring an indoor game-focused theme park to downtown Los Angeles |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=July 23, 2018 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/herocomplex/la-et-hc-two-bit-circus-20180723-story.html |access-date=November 20, 2023 |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121042440/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/herocomplex/la-et-hc-two-bit-circus-20180723-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Axon |first=Samuel |title=Inside Two Bit Circus, LA's new VR and arcade amusement park |work=[[Ars Technica]] |date=August 22, 2018 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/08/inside-two-bit-circus-las-new-vr-and-arcade-amusement-park/ |access-date=November 20, 2023 |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121042440/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/08/inside-two-bit-circus-las-new-vr-and-arcade-amusement-park/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Anschutz Entertainment Group]] has its corporate headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.<ref>[http://www.aegworldwide.com/home.html Anschutz Entertainment Group] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060707101145/http://www.aegworldwide.com/home.html |date=July 7, 2006 }}. Retrieved on November 9, 2009.</ref> [[BYD Company]], a Chinese technology firm, has its North American headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.<ref>"[http://bydit.com/doce/contact/ContactUs/index.html Contact Us] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222193031/http://bydit.com/doce/contact/ContactUs/index.html |date=February 22, 2015 }}." BYD Company. Retrieved on June 17, 2015. "BYD North America Headquarters Add.:1800 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA90015, USA"</ref>

[[The Last Bookstore]] is an [[independent bookstore]] founded in 2005 by Josh Spencer, that was called California's largest new and used bookstore by ''[[Conde Nast|Conde Nast Traveler]]'' in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cntraveler.com/shops/los-angeles/the-last-bookstore|title=The Last Bookstore: Our Review|date=|publisher=Conde Nast|accessdate=January 23, 2019|archive-date=February 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226060841/https://www.cntraveler.com/shops/los-angeles/the-last-bookstore|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Cathay Bank]] has its headquarters in the [[Chinatown, Los Angeles|Los Angeles Chinatown]].<ref>"[https://www.cathaybank.com/CathayBank/media/Cathay-General/PDF/2014-Annual-Report_w-10K_Revised.pdf 2014 Annual Report 2014]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150916073301/https://www.cathaybank.com/CathayBank/media/Cathay-General/PDF/2014-Annual-Report_w-10K_Revised.pdf Archive]). Cathay Bank. Retrieved on March 27, 2016. p. 18. "Corporate Headquarter 777 N. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90012"</ref>

==Education==
[[File:ColburnSchoolFront.jpg|thumb|220px|Colburn School on Grand Boulevard.]]
[[File:Central LA High School for the Visual and Performing Arts.jpg|thumb|220px|Ramon C. Cortines High School for the Visual and Performing Arts.]]

Downtown residents aged 25 and older holding a four-year degree amounted to 17.9% of the population in 2000, about average in the city and the county, but there was a high percentage of residents with less than a high school diploma.<ref name=MappingLADowntown/>

These are the elementary or secondary schools within the neighborhood's boundaries:<ref name="MappingLASchoolsDowntown">[http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/downtown/schools] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501174105/http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/downtown/schools/|date=May 1, 2013}} "Downtown Schools," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''</ref>
* [[Ramon C. Cortines School Of Visual And Performing Arts|Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts]], [[LAUSD]] high school, 450 N. Grand Ave.
* [[Downtown Magnets High School|Downtown Business High School]], LAUSD alternative, 1081 W. Temple St.
* [[California Academy for LS|California Academy for Liberal Studies Early College High School]], LAUSD charter, 700 Wilshire Blvd.
* Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High School, LAUSD charter, 644 W. 17th St.
* Abram Friedman Occupational School, LAUSD adult education, 1646 S. Olive St.
* Metropolitan Continuation School, LAUSD, 727 S. Wilson St.
* Para Los Ninos Middle School, LAUSD charter, 1617 E. Seventh St.
* Jardin de la Infancia, LAUSD charter elementary, 307 E. Seventh St.
* [[Saint Malachy]] Catholic Elementary School, private, 1200 E. 81st St.
* Tri-C Community Day School, LAUSD, 716 E. 14th St.
* City of Angels School, LAUSD alternative school, 1449 S. San Pedro St. (formerly Central High School)<ref name=ThomasGuideDowntownLA/>
* San Pedro Street Elementary School, LAUSD, 1635 S. San Pedro St.
* [[Saint Turibius]] Elementary School, private, 1524 Essex St.
* [[American University Preparatory School]], private, 345 S. Figueroa St.

The [[Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising]] is at 800 S. Hope St.,<ref name=ThomasGuideDowntownLA/><ref>Mapping L.A.,''Los Angeles Times''</ref> and the [[Colburn School]] for music and the performing arts is at 200 S. Grand Ave.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colburnschool.edu/page.cfm?p%3D2260 |title=Contact Us |access-date=May 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501172212/http://www.colburnschool.edu/page.cfm?p=2260 |archive-date=May 1, 2013 }} Colburn School website</ref>

==Emergency services==

===Fire services===
The [[Los Angeles Fire Department]] operates the following fire stations in downtown Los Angeles:

* Station 3 (Civic Center/Bunker Hill)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070630061811/http://lafd.org/fs3.htm Station 3]</ref>
* Station 4 (Little Tokyo/Chinatown/Union Station/Olvera Street)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090416084854/http://www.lafd.org/fs4.htm Station 4]</ref>
* Station 9 (Central City/Skid Row)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070630061805/http://lafd.org/fs9.htm Station 9]</ref>
* Station 10 (Convention Center area)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081121032328/http://www.lafd.org/fs10.htm Station 10]</ref>

===Police services===
The [[Los Angeles Police Department]] operates the Central area Community Police Station in downtown Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lapdonline.org/central_community_police_station |title=Central Community Police Station&nbsp;– official website of THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT |publisher=Lapdonline.org |access-date=June 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615050944/http://lapdonline.org/central_community_police_station |archive-date=June 15, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Civic Center Los Angeles Superior Court.jpg|thumb|850x850px|center|[[Los Angeles City Hall]]]]{{Clear}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Los Angeles|California|United States}}
* [[Central Business District, Los Angeles (1880–1899)]]
* [[LAMP Community]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Los Angeles]]
* ''[[Los Angeles Downtown News]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Los Angeles/Downtown}}
*[http://www.ccala.org Central City Association of Los Angeles]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140502090549/http://blogdowntown.com/ Blogdowntown community site]
*[http://www.downtownartwalk.com Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk, a California public benefit company]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130731031649/http://studentreader.com/downtown-los-angeles/ Downtown Los Angeles neighborhood guide]
*[http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/downtown/crime/ Downtown Los Angeles crime map and statistics]
*[https://dornsife.usc.edu/la-walking-tour/la-tour/ USC Dornslife Downtown Walking Tour]
*[http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0002sdtp Image of Downtown Los Angeles and Glendale Freeway seen from Eagle Rock, California, 1984.] Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
* [https://downtownla.com/ DowntownLA], Downtown Center Business Improvement District

===Videos===
*{{YouTube|nyNFm_QtNCI|Downtown Los Angeles For Free (Almost)}}

{{Downtown Los Angeles}}
{{Los Angeles}}
{{County of Los Angeles}}
{{Greater Los Angeles Area}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Downtown Los Angeles| ]]
[[Category:Central business districts in the United States|Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Central Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Economy of Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Neighborhoods in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Chicano and Mexican neighborhoods in California]]