Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles
Neighborhood
Clockwise, from top: Skyline from the southwest, the Arts District, City Hall, the Jewelry District and the Financial District in 2001
Nicknames: 
"Downtown L.A.", "DTLA",[1] "Downtown"
Freeway map of the Los Angeles area showing Downtown LA
Freeway map of the Los Angeles area showing Downtown LA
Downtown map as delineated by the Los Angeles Times
Downtown map as delineated by the Los Angeles Times
Coordinates: 34°03′N 118°15′W / 34.05°N 118.25°W / 34.05; -118.25
Country United States of America
StateCalifornia
CountyLos Angeles
CityLos Angeles
Downtown neighborhoods
List
Area
 • Total5.84 sq mi (15.1 km2)
Elevation
[2]
305 ft (93 m)
Population
 • Estimate 
(2020)
85,000

Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a 5.84 sq mi (15.1 km2)[3] area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents,[4] with an estimated daytime population of over 200,000 people prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6]

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, Fashion, Banking, Theater, Toy, and Jewelry Districts. It is the hub for the city's urban rail transit system, as well as the Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink commuter rail system covering greater Southern California. Also located in downtown is the Civic Center, the administrative core of the city government.

Historically, downtown held a dense concentration of banks, 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, and retail and entertainment, especially for Hispanic Angelenos and immigrants, on 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.

  1. ^ Karlamangla, Soumya (January 19, 2015). "IN AN EMERGING DOWNTOWN, 'DTLA' MAKES STRONG INITIAL IMPRESSION" . Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ "Elevations and Distances". US Geological Survey. April 29, 2005. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  3. ^ "Downtown". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 23, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Roger Vincent (April 12, 2024). "Downtown L.A. is hurting. Frank Gehry thinks arts can lead a revival". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 14, 2024.