Photos: Neighborhood Spotlight | Lincoln Heights was L.A.’s first suburb

With Lincoln Park and more within its boundaries, Lincoln Heights is a repository of Los Angeles history.

The Brewery Art Colony and USC’s Keck School of Medicine attract students and young creative types, giving Lincoln Heights a bit more nightlife than neighboring communities.

The proximity to downtown that made Lincoln Heights a popular suburb in the 1800s is still a prime feature, especially given the central city’s resurgence.

The industries that created good jobs for residents of Lincoln Heights have long since departed, leaving the neighborhood with one of the city’s highest poverty rates.

In the beginning, the residents were mainly commuters, but soon the new neighborhood had its own employment centers.

Lincoln Heights’ diverse housing stock has something for fans of every classic L.A. residential architectural style, from the 1800s to the postwar boom.

More than 125 years old, Sacred Heart Church is one of the many historic sites that are still part of the community.

Stephanie Serrano, who spent 15 years buying and selling in the neighborhood, said home prices have slowly risen over the last five years, but an expensive house in Lincoln Heights is still a steal relative to the rest of the city.