South Los Angeles is a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. It had a population of 749,453 in 2000, according to the U.S. Census with a density of 14,671 people per square mile. In comparison, San Francisco has a population of 805,235 with a density of 17,179 people per square mile according to the 2010 U.S. Census. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known as such by its residents. It borders the Westside on the northwest, and Downtown Los Angeles on the northeast.

In 2003, the city of Los Angeles changed the area's name to South Los Angeles in hopes of removing the associations of urban decay and street crime with which the name South Central had become associated. The Los Angeles Times uses both the old and new names to describe the area. Some residents of the Los Angeles area (including residents of South Los Angeles) still use the old name. Prominent figures from South L.A., such as Ice Cube, also continue to refer to the area as South Central.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Central_Los_Angeles