The 2016 Curbed Cup winner is…Leimert Park!

The historic South LA neighborhood claims the imaginary trophy

By Elijah Chiland Jan 3, 2017, 11:32am PST

Leimert Park Village is anchored by the landmark Vision Theater and Leimert Plaza Park.

In a thrilling final round of Curbed Cup action, sixth-seeded Leimert Park squared off against ninth-seeded San Pedro for the title of Curbed LA’s Neighborhood of the Year.

20/20

A photo posted by Melina Matsoukas (@msmelina) on Sep 5, 2015 at 7:49pm PDT

It was a hard fought battle, with San Pedro residents making a valiant late push, but in the end, historic Leimert Park eked out a victory over the proud port community, earning just over 53 percent of the vote.

Along the way to the coveted imaginary trophy, Leimert Park also scored victories over rapidly changing Frogtown, high-seeded Highland Park, and trendy Koreatown. Tough matchups, but the resilient residential community prevailed each time.

2017 promises to be another exciting year for the master planned neighborhood. Work is moving right along on the Crenshaw/LAX Line, while local officials take steps to promote community-oriented development along the route. Meanwhile, in June, the city adopted a streetscape plan for Crenshaw Boulevard that will give the thoroughfare a pedestrian and bike-friendly makeover.