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Lore & Background

Watts was founded on the 1843 Rancho La Tajauta Mexican land grant, where the principal vocation was grazing and beef production. Household settlers were in the area as early as 1882, and by 1904 the population was 65 people; a year later it was 1,651. C.V. Bartow of Long Beach was noted as one of the founders. Watts became a city in 1907, after three petitions objecting to the proposed borders were presented to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. The City of Watts was approved by voters and became a municipality in May 1907, with J. F. Donahue, a driver for the Blue Ribbon beer company, as mayor and Frederick J. Rorke as city clerk. There was no money to run the city because it had become incorporated too late to levy taxes, so a straw vote allowed saloons to raise funds. Rorke said: 'We have two retail saloons and one wholesale as a result, and an income that more than pays our running expenses. In fact, we have several hundred in the treasury.' By 1910, Watts had a population of about 2,500, 'well improved streets, a fire department, a weekly newspaper' (the Watts Advertiser), and was completing a $12,000 city hall. In a special election on April 2, 1926, Watts residents decided to enter Los Angeles by a vote of 1,338 to 535, adding 23,000 more people to Los Angeles when the decision took effect on June 1 of that year.

In Their Own Story

Watts was brought to nationwide attention in 1908 with the New York production of a musical comedy called 'Lonesome Town,' set in an imaginary place called Watts, California, in the year 1902. The endeavor ran for 88 performances at the Circle Theatre from January 20 through April 24, 1908. In response to the raillery, a 'big advertising excursion' took place on Thursday, May 30, 1912, via a special train of three chartered electric railway cars, distributing some 25,000 pieces of advertising material. The object was to call attention 'to the fact that Watts has been born again, and the name Lucky Watts will be used as much as possible.' The excursion was repeated in 1913. By the 1940s, Watts transformed into a primarily working class African-American neighborhood, but from the 1960s developed a reputation as a low-income, high-crime area, following the Watts riots and the increasing influence of street gangs. Watts has become a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood with a significant African American minority, and remains one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Los Angeles despite falling crime rates since the 1990s. Notable civic activities include the 'Toys for Watts' toy drive, the Watts Christmas parade, and the 'Watts Summer Games' athletic tournament, as well as a local theatre and a dance company.

Reader's Guide

Watts is noted internationally for the landmark Watts Towers by Simon Rodia, which are a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The neighborhood has been featured or referenced in numerous forms of media, particularly West Coast hip-hop music, and movies and television shows set in Los Angeles. The naming of Watts has a contested history: in 1904, it was reported that Watts was named after Pasadena businessman Charles H. Watts, who was found dead by suicide in the St. Elmo Hotel, Los Angeles, on August 23 of that year. The Los Angeles Times said: 'Watts station on the Salt Lake road is named after the deceased, and is located on property which he once owned.' In 1919, Watts Mayor Z. A. Towne said the settlement was named after a widow who lived on ten acres later occupied by a Pacific Electric power house. In 1912 and 1913, a movement was afoot to change the name of Watts because residents were tired of 'quips and jests' at the town's expense; the name 'South Angeles' was proposed. Mayor Towne said: 'Watts has got a bad reputation in Southern California, somehow or other ... a good many of us felt that the liquor element left a black mark upon the community's name.'

Did You Know?

• Watts was named after Pasadena businessman Charles H. Watts, who was found dead by suicide in the St. Elmo Hotel, Los Angeles, on August 23, 1904.
• In 1908, a musical comedy called 'Lonesome Town' set in an imaginary Watts, California, ran for 88 performances on Broadway.
• Watts became a city in May 1907 with J. F. Donahue, a driver for the Blue Ribbon beer company, as its first mayor.
• In a 1926 special election, Watts residents voted 1,338 to 535 to consolidate with Los Angeles, adding 23,000 people to the city.
• The Watts Towers by Simon Rodia are a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.