January 5, 2007

Frogtown Hipsterfication


Here in the Newbie household, we're beginning to think the next up-and-coming hipster hood is Elysian Valley. (Sorry, Curbed LA.) And by "up-and-coming" we mean "buy now and sit for five to 10 years."

Elysian Valley is a sliver south of here along I-5, down the hill from Dodger Stadium. It's a bit like Atwater Village, but closer to downtown LA. Should it attract a few more respectful residents and pedestrian-friendly retailers, poof! Hipsterfication.

Here's a recent listing from the Rental Girl:

1839 Blake / Rent $3,500.00 / Location: FrogTown / Loft Bedroom(s) / 1.5 Bathroom(s) / Warehouse Lofts / 2000+ Sq. Ft.

Located in the industrial Frogtown neighborhood of Atwater Village, this architectural 1950's warehouse has been brilliantly converted into 10 live/work loft spaces... The most desirable unit in the building, it is the south/east corner unit with 2 walls filled with glass windows, soaring ceilings, a roll up door, huge curved beams, polished cement floors, new sleek and modern kitchen and baths. A great feature of this unit is that it faces the Los Angeles River - it's in an industrial neighborhood, but the views are nature and trees! Perfect. And with secure access to the L.A. River Bike path, you can't ask for more.

Sure you can. You can ask for more than dubbing Elysian Valley the "industrial Frogtown neighborhood of Atwater Village."

9 comments:

AVN said...

But why is Elysian Valley given the colloquial name of "Frogtown" ... ?

1. To recall historic events caused by the neighborhood's proximity to the LA River, when the frog population exploded, covering streets and lawns in the 1960s and 70s

2. To denote the area's connection to the Frogtown street gang - likely named for the earlier frog incident

- AVN

Anonymous said...

I have been told that the reason it's called Frogtown is -- drum roll, please -- frogs. There used to be a lot of frogs before the river was cemented. In fact, supposedly, the area had a very healthy frog population.

sherru said...

I wish Glassell Park had a nifty hipster nickname, instead of what I call it, EL DUMPO DE EAST OF THE FIVE.

capitalna said...

I have lived in Frogtown since the 60's. At night the toads would come out in such numbers it was almost impossible not to step on them walking to your car. As you drove you would easily squash 10 per block. My theory of why they came and are now rarely seen has to do with a cleaner LA River. Their population exploded when only they survived in the polluted cemented river, not their predators. The river is cleaner now and there is more balance. They are toads not frogs. The people nicknaming did not know the difference. Thus the neighborhood should have been called Toadtown. The Frogtown name is linked to the gang. The name may fade back to Elysian Valley without them both, for the gang has faded too.

tiempo said...

I am disgusted by such hipster non sense. The hell with all this gentrification going on in my neighborhood. Leave my neighborhood alone! I am a victim of this new wave of development. I was kicked out with my family(Elderly Parents)from our home they rented for 40 years; because of these so called owners buying and moving in (which they never did, and raised rent in all 4units,which was rent control)HEARTLESS! I don't understand you newbies coming in and giving me the dirty looks like if I'm some "riff raff". Get out of Frog Town! It's not Silver Lake!

spirit said...

The word "hipster" is trite. And it has negative connotations to me: young, trendy and fashionable persons. When describing neighborhoods, the word essentially is used in a discriminatory fashion to exclude people that are old, traditional, or immigrant.

Smackmonkey said...

There already is a Toad Town in L.A. It's an area of Panorama City in the San Fernando Valley surrounding the intersection of Lanark & Hazeltine. It picked up the name in the late 1960's and 1970's when there was a sudden (and unexplained) explosion in the population of Western Toads (Boreal & California) as well as Pacific Tree Frogs in the otherwise suburban neighborhood.

Unknown said...

Hipsters moving in!!! This is a great area. Close by to silverlake minus the insane priced. I love biking at the river and the proximity to the freeways.

Unknown said...

Sorry about the increase in rent Tiempo, but as a landlord myself, property taxes, utilities like water, have all gone up recently. And if you like the area, you should have bought something. Learn from it... It sucks to rent, buy a property.