Recreation and leisure-time activities go hand in hand with cultural and educational facilities in community development. In Los Angeles County, the natural advantages of climate and proximity to seashore and mountains have given much impetus to such programs. In fact, Los Angeles was the first city in the United States to create a municipal department to provide public recreation. Today many cities within this area, as well as the county itself, have public agencies for the promotion and management of recreational facilities.
For a long time, parks and recreation areas were administered separately. Parks were landscaped areas with “Keep Off the Grass” signs prominently displayed. Recreation sites existed in certain established or natural play areas of the county, but organized programs were infrequent. Today, in addition to special supervised recreation areas, parks also have become the neighborhood recreation centers.
The County of Los Angeles, through its Department of Parks and Recreation, maintains more than thirty park and recreation areas, 210 miles of bridle trails, and eleven beach areas. Noteworthy in this park system, which reaches all parts of the unincorporated territory of the county, are several large mountain parks and play areas. Arcadia County Park, located within the City of Arcadia, contains 185 acres of recreation facilities, including the Santa Anita golf course, and an Olympic swimming pool. The Department of Parks and Recreation comes under the control of the County Board of Supervisors and is financed largely by general county tax revenues.
The City of Los Angeles makes a major contribution to community recreation through facilities which serve an estimated 25,000,000 people a year. Its Department of Recreation and Parks is under the direction of a commission of five, appointed by the Mayor, and is supported by tax funds. The department operates nearly 200 parks, playgrounds and recreation centers, and over six miles of public beach.
Griffith Park, the largest municipal park in the United States, has a planetarium, an observatory, four golf courses, an outdoor Greek Theatre, a large zoo, and many other features. Exposition Park is unique for its swimming stadium and community house and is also the site of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. McArthur (formerly Westlake) Park in the Wilshire district is one of the oldest recreation areas in the city.
Many other cities in the county maintain their own park and recreation programs and departments. Six sections of unincorporated territory have been organized into districts for the purpose of providing park and recreational facilities. Five districts are organized under a State law vesting governing authority in the County Board of Supervisors and are administered by the County Department of Parks and Recreation. One is organized under another State law providing for an independent Board of Directors. All six districts are financed by funds from a special property tax.
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