Elysian Park is a hilly middle-class neighborhood of Los Angeles about two miles north of the Civic Center district. It was founded in 1886 and has been shrinking in size ever since. A chunk of the district was taken to build the Pasadena Freeway and another chunk to build a training facility for the LAPD. Then in the 1960s, Dodger Stadium was constructed to host baseball games.[1]

The neighborhood is centered around the park of the same name, which is the second largest in LA with a size of 600 acres. It is also LA’s oldest park, established in 1886. The park is celebrated for its avocado trees, from which residents regularly loot.[2]

References:
Dickey, Jeff. Los Angeles, 3rd Edition. Rough Guides, 2003. ISBN: 1843530589.

“Elysian Park, Los Angeles, California.” < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysian_Park%2C_Los_Angeles%2C_California>

[1] Dickey, 71
[2] Elysian