As we all know, Los Angeles is one of the most massively sprawling cities in the US. Covering over 503 square miles of oceans, deserts, mountains, and Hollywood douchebaggery, LA is the kind of town where borders get blurred and no one has a clue where anything is geographically located.
Through the years, one conversation I've been privy to is "Where is the exact center of this god forsaken town?" Well, the late Allen Edward has given us the answer, and he even documented it with a lovely plaque.
It's hard to imagine that someone would take the time out of their day to find the exact center of the damned city, so I give major props to Mr. Edward. I mean, this really must've been a massive undertaking; not only is this city irregularly shaped, but who knows what strange part of town it might be in? The middle of the intersection at Wilshire and Santa Monica? a Taco joint? on top of one of the TMZ headquarters? Nope, it's in the middle of the woods.
Located in middle Franklin Canyon Park, a sprawling landmass with 605 acres of dry leafy goodness, the plaque is a little tough to find. Since there's so little information available on its location, I literally had no clue where to start and had to follow the photo directions here to even get on the right path. After getting lost in the woods for a good 30 minutes, I finally stumbled upon the concrete slab of goodness.
Like most things roasting in nature for 20+ years, the plaque looks a little grimey now. It's small, a bit cryptic, and the handwriting is in a style that would make the zodiac killer proud. It's that exact moment where you take a breath, look around and soak in the middle vibes. Be proud.
Nothing too special, but nice to say "I was there, man".
HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?
Allen Edwards worked for the USGS (US Geological Survey) and was a guide at Franklin Canyon park for the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority. It was apparently his obsession to find the exact center of Los Angeles, though there isn't much information on how finding it went down.
Although this hasn't been officially sanctioned by The National Parks service, no one else has even attempted to find the center, so (as far as I'm concerned) this is IT! The rock was christened on 12/30/90.
