IN THE WORLD OF VARRIOS, IT'S A TRIPPY THING HOW ALL "SIDES" AND "AREAS" BREAK DOWN IN A CITY LIKE L.A.
YOU GOT THE EAST SIDE, THE WEST SIDE, THE SOUTH SIDE, THE HARBOR AREA, SOUTH CENTRAL, THE SGV, THE 818, ETC, ETC.
BUT EACH ONE OF THOSE "SIDES" OR "AREAS" BREAK DOWN EVEN FURTHER, AND SOME VARRIOS CLAIM ONE SIDE WHEN THEY'RE COMPLETELY IN A DIFFERENT ZONE, OR EVEN CLAIM ONE THING, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE CLAIMING SOUTH CENTRAL, WHILE THE NEXT DOOR VARRIO CLAIMS SOUTH SIDE.
A RIVER, A FREEWAY, SOME HILLS, A CITY ZONE, THEY ALL SERVE TO BREAK DOWN THE CITY INTO DIFFERENT SIDES, AND IT'S ALL TRIPPY THING., I GUESS YOU GOT TO REALLY GET INTO IT TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF IT ALL, HOW IT ALL REALLY BREAKS DOWN.
IN OLD CITY TIMES YOU HAD WHAT THE GABACHOS CONSIDERED EAST L.A., BUT THE EAST L.A. OF THOSE OLD TIMES WAS NOT THE EAST L.A. OF PRESENT TIMES (MARAVILLA/BELVEDERE/CITY TERRACE), NOPES, THE EAST L.A. BACK THEN WAS LINCOLN HEIGHTS, AND THEN THE GREATER EAST SIDE WENT FROM ECHO PARK ELYSIAN HILLS AND TEMPLE BEAUDRY, EAST ACROSS L.A. THE RIVER AND BEYOND TO THE HILLS STRETCHING FROM EAGLE ROCK TO BELVEDERE. EVEN THE IMMEDIATE AREA KNOWN AS THE LOW BOTTOMS (SOUTH CENTRAL L.A.) JUST SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN WAS CONSIDERED EAST SIDE.
WITH THE TIMES, THINGS HAVE CHANGED, AND NOW EVERYONE CONSIDERS THE EAST SIDE TO BE EAST OF THE L.A. RIVER, FROM LINCOLN HEIGHTS TO WINTER GARDENS. BUT EVEN THE EAST SIDE TODAY IS BROKEN UP INTO EAST SIDE LOS AND EAST L.A. PROPER. EAST L.A. PROPER IS MARAVILLA/BELVEDERE, CITY TERRACE, EASTMONT AND WINTER GARDENS, THAT'S THE EXTENT OF UNINCORP EAST L.A., BUT THE EAST SIDE LOS AREA INCLUDES BOYLE HEIGHTS, LINCOLN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, ROSE HILLS, HAPPY VALLEY, EL SERENO, AND WYVERNWOOD. BUT THEN YOU HAVE THE REST OF THE OLD EAST SIDERS IN NORTH EAST L.A. STILL CLAIMING TO BE PART OF THE EAST SIDE., MAINLY THOSE FROM HIGHLAND PARK, CYPRESS PARK, GLASSELL PARK, ARROYO SECO, AND MOUNT WASHINGTON., BUT THEN YOU WOULD LEAVE OUT OTHER AREAS WHICH ARE CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE N.E.L.A. ZONE, BUT ARE NOT NECESSARILY "EAST SIDE"., AMONG THOSE ARE RIVERDALE, ATWATER AND ATWATER VILLAGE., WHICH BRINGS US TO THE QUESTION OF THE WEST SIDE., THERE IS WHAT IS CONSIDERED WEST SIDE, THEN THERE'S WEST LOS OR WEST L.A.,
WEST L.A. (WEST LOS) WOULD BE THOSE AREAS AND CITIES LIKE SANTA MONICA, VENICE, CULVER CITY AND SAWTELLE, AND THEN YOU THROW IN THE MIX THE COMMUNITIES OF MAR VISTA, PALMS, RANCHO PARK AND WEST LOS ANGELES PROPER., ALTHOUGH THEY ARE ALL TECHNICALLY WEST SIDE, THE WEST SIDE IS REALLY CONSIDERED TO BE THE AREA CLOSER TO L.A. LIKE WESTLAKE, RAMPART VILLAGE, PICO UNION, KOREA TOWN, FILIPINO TOWN, ECHO PARK, LOS FELIZ, SILVER LAKE, WEST ADAMS, MID CITY, WILSHIRE AND EVEN HOLLYWOOD., EVERYTHING NORTH OF THE 10 FREEWAY, ALL THE WAY TO THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS, THAT'S THE WEST SIDE, ALTHOUGH VARRIOS SOUTH OF THE 10 FREEWAY ALSO CONSIDER THEIR AREA PART OF THE WEST SIDE, LIKE THE ONES IN THE COMMNUNITIES OF OLYMPIC PARK, JEFFERSON AND MCMANUS.
BUT THIS AREA OF L.A. BETWEEN THE 10 FWY, THE HARBOR FWY, THE CENTURY FWY, AND THE 405 FWY CAN BE SOMEWHAT OF A DILEMA. MOST VARRIOS IN THIS AREA CLAIM WEST SIDE, BUT SOME CLAIM SOUTH CENTRAL, AND SOME EVEN CLAIM SOUTH SIDE, ALL THE WHILE THE WHOLE AREA IS CONSIDERED TO BE SOUTH WEST SOUTH CENTRAL AND NOT REALLY THE WEST SIDE OR EVEN WEST LOS., AND THEN YOU HAVE PLACES LIKE INGLEWOOD THAT CLAIM THEIR OWN SIDE. TO ME, SWLA IS REALLY PART OF THE GREATER SOUTH SIDE OF L.A. TOGETHER WITH EAST SOUTH CENTRAL AND THE WHOLE AREA ALL THE WAY TO ALAMEDA.
HERE IS WHERE IT GETS EVEN TRICKIER WITH THE WHOLE DEAL IN SOUTH SIDE L.A., YOU HAVE THOSE THAT CLAIM SOUTH SIDE, THEN YOU HAVE THE ONES THAT CLAIM SOUTH CENTRAL, THEN YOU HAVE SOME THAT CLAIM EAST SIDE. SOUTH SIDE L.A. GOES FROM THE LOW BOTTOMS ON THE NORTH END, TO WATTS ON THE SOUTH END, TO THE L.A. RIVER ON THE EAST END, INCLUDING VERNON, HUNTINGTON PARK, BELL, MAYWOOD, CUDAHY, SOUTH GATE, LYNWOOD, AND EVEN BELL GARDENS (EVEN THOUGH BXG ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER), BUT THAT'S ALL CONSIDRED SOUTH SIDE L.A., THE GRAND EXCEPTION IS COMPTON (THE HUB), THEY CLAIM THEIR OWN, AND COMMUNITIES LIKE WILLOBROOK AND LYNWOOD GARDENS ROLL WITH THE HUB.
WHEN YOU GET PAST BOMPTON, YOU GET INTO WHAT IS CONSIDERED THE HARBOR AREA TODAY, BUT IN REALITY THE O.G. HARBOR AREA USED TO BE SOLELY THE TOWNS OF SAN PEDRO, WILMINGTON, LONG BEACH AND HARBOR CITY, THAT WAS THE EXTENT OF THE HARBOR AREA, BUT WITH TIMES OTHER TOWNS GOT HITCHED UP TO THE LABEL AND NOW ROLL WITH THE HARBOR AREA HANDLE, LIKE LOMITA, CARSON, TORRANCE, THE HARBOR GATEWAY AND GARDENA., IT BECAME SO THAT EVEN HAWTHORNE, LAWNDALE AND REDONDO MAY CLAIM HXA. HERE'S THE THING, THE WHOLE HXA IS ALL PART OF THE GREATER SOUTH BAY AREA, AND THE SOUTH BAY INCLUDES PLACES LIKE LAKEWOOD, AND EVEN PARAMOUNT, BUT NEITHER OF THOSE PLACES CLAIM HXA. WHICH BRINGS US TO THE NEXT AREA WHICH INCLUDES PARAMOUNT, ARTESIA, HAWAIIAN GARDENS, BELLFLOWER AND DOWNEY. WHAT SIDE OR AREA DO THEY CLAIM? THEY'RE NOT HXA, THEY'RE NOT REALLY SOUTH SIDE L.A. AND THEY'RE NOT S.E.L.A. NEITHER (?) SO WHAT SIDE DO THEY CLAIM TO BE?
EVERYTHING NORTH OF THE 91 FWY AND EAST OF THE RIO HONDO IS CONSIDERED TO BE PROPER SOUTH EAST L.A., FROM NORWALK-LA MIRADA TO PICO RIVERA-WHITTIER IT'S ALL S.E.L.A.
THEN YOU GET INTO THE S.G.V. CAR, WHICH STRETCHES FROM PASADENA ALL THE WAY EAST TO LA VERNE, WITH POMONA ABSTAINING AND CLAIMING THEIR OWN. BUT I THINK THAT BASSETT, LA PUENTE, WALNUT, VALINDA, HACIENDA HEIGHTS AND ROWLAND SHOULD ALL FALL UNDER THEIR OWN HANDLE ~> THE PUENTE VALLEY HANDLE, BECAUSE THIS AREA IS WAY DISTANT FROM FAR OFF PLACES LIKE LA VERNE AND PASADENA. AND SURE THING, BOLEN, EL MONTE, SAN GABRIEL, AZUSA, SAN DIMAS, DUARTE, WEST COVINA AND ROSEMEAD + SOUTH S.G. SHOULD STAY S.G.V., BUT PASADENA IS NOT ALL THERE WITH THE MAIN SGV AREA, SO I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT.
THE LAST AREA YOU GOT LEFT IN L.A. IS THE NORTH VALLEY, A.K.A. THE 818 (SAN FERNANDO VALLEY), BUT THAT BREAKS DOWN INTO MID-VALLEY, WEST VALLEY, AND THE SAN FER/SYLMAR/PACAS AREA ON THE NORTHERN PART OF THE VALLEY. AND BURBANK, ALTHOUGH PART OF THE 818, THEY CAN NOT REALLY BE ON PAR WITH THE REST., BURBANK SHOULD MAYBE BE LUMPED IN TOGETHER WITH GLENDALE AND SUNLAND-TUJUNGA TO FORM THEIR OWN.. I DON'T KNOW.. I'M JUST SAYING.. SOME PLACES ARE HARD TO SQUARE IN WITH THE MAIN SIDE OR AREA.. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
