Putting Del Rey on the Map!

On Saturday, I joined leaders from the Del Rey Neighborhood Council and Del Rey Homeowners and Neighbors Association to celebrate the installation of City of Los Angeles - Del Rey neighborhood signs.

Although Del Rey's neighboring communities have greater name recognition (Culver City on the east, Mar Vista on the north, Marina del Rey and Venice on the west, and Playa Vista to the south), Del Rey actually pre-dates its more well known neighbors. As far back as 1903, Planning Department maps identified Del Rey as one of nine divisions of the West Los Angeles Planning Commission. Originally part of the sprawling Rancho Ballona, Del Rey established its agricultural identity early in its history, and Del Rey remained a farming community, dotted by dairies and fields, well into the 20th century.

Today, Del Rey is a residential community dominated by single-story homes built during the post-war boom. Only 2 miles from the beach, close to LAX, ethnically varied and relatively affordable, Del Rey may be the most interesting neighborhood of which most Angelinos have never heard. While the name Del Rey predates the development of both Marina del Rey and Playa del Rey, until recently few locals used the term to identify their own neighborhood. Even the U.S. Postal Service is confused: as far as the post office is concerned, more than one third of our residents – those with a 90230 zip code - live in Culver City and must use that municipality as their mailing address.

The installation of signs designating Del Rey will help demystify this perplexing condition. Signs were installed at six locations on Inglewood Blvd., Centinela Blvd., Culver Blvd. and Maxella Ave. I give my appreciation to the Del Rey Neighborhood Council for partnering with Nicole Velasquez, my Del Rey deputy, on this effort. I'd also like to send a very special "Thank You!" to the Department of Transportation for their work on the signs.

Welcome to Del Rey!

- Bill