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Comment by kristopolous | Hacker News Reader

This is more like the construction date of buildings that have survived. Some early neighborhoods (like palms) have been completely replaced building by building so they really appear as dark here when they weren't. It had a downtown in the 1890s but all those buildings are gone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palms,_Los_Angeles#/media/File...

it's basically this data: https://portal.assessor.lacounty.gov/ through this portal https://data.lacity.org/

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Exactly this -- This is more like the construction date of buildings that have survived. Everything demolished, burned, or replaced is invisible.

Probably should put that front and center.

Yes. The description is quite misleading. The fact that it is simply an overlay of the current map is also misleading. Looking at the west side, it completely skips the canals period of Venice. Marina Del Rey evolved considerably into its current form. Ballona creek was only dammed in the 30s. Etc.

Also noticeable as the first buildings show up - each one isolated and miles from anyone else? Generally not how human habitation clusters up, even if it was all farms to start.

this is the best resource I know of

https://mil.library.ucsb.edu/ap_indexes/FrameFinder/

It genuinely is much more sporadic then you think. 1 or 2 houses, then empty blocks with streets there, then 1 more, then some building ...

For a modern version, look up california city - modest suburban homes respectably maintained with cars in the driveway surrounded by endless nothing.

I have to presume there's some people that look at this and say "wow, this is perfect".

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