Elysian Valley (AKA Frogtown)

Frogtown is a really long, skinny neighborhood neighborhood hidden between Elysian Heights (Echo Park) and the Los Angeles River. It is 2-4 blocks wide and 2.5 miles long. There is a 1 block band of industrial buildings along the river, and the rest of the neighborhood is primarily small single family homes and apartment buildings. In recent years a major bike/walking path has been created along the Los Angeles River, and it now functions as the main promenade for the neighborhood. Because of this cycling and cycling related businesses are prominent in the neighborhood.

The increasingly cool neighborhood has long been home to many artists and designers who used the industrial buildings for studio space. Artists Shepard Fairey, Mark Grohjahn, Thomas Houseago, and many others have opened studios there in recent years. The annual Frogtown Art Walk has drawn visitors from all over the city. The neighborhood used to be fairly isolated, but in recent years the new bike path along the LA River (as well as other river improvement projects) has brought renewed attention to the neighborhood and has created more demand for cafes, housing and resting places along the Los Angeles River. Parts of the neighborhood recently were rezoned from “manufacturing” to “commercial manufacturing” which makes regulatory room for high-density residences and retail.

The boundaries of Frogtown are the LA River to the north and east, Riverside Drive to the South, Fletcher Drive to the west. To the north of the river you will find Atwater Village across the river you will find Atwater, Glassell Park, Cypress Park, Mt. Washington. Also nearby is Silver Lake, to the south-west.

Approx. 7,770+ people live in the  .79 square mile neighborhood. In the 2000 census the neighborhood was 61% Latino, 25.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 1.1% black.

WHERE TO EAT, DRINK, HANGOUT IN FROGTOWN