While perusing LATimes.com this rainy Saturday morning, I stumbled across the Mapping LA feature. It's made up of demographic, crime, and school information charts based on the most current U.S. Census for Los Angles County.

A comprehensive fact finder and very simple to use; a fill-in section is provided for readers to input their address, then city districts are broken down into maps of neighborhoods with data including up to date crimes committed in the given area.

It's an accessible and useful tool for informed residents of Los Angeles County communities. For example, I live on the border of Leimert Park & Jefferson Park, but I wasn't certain which neighborhood I am officially part of until checking the Mapping LA directory. Voila! I'm proud to say that I am a resident of Leimert Park!!  That had been my unofficial claim for the 22 years I have lived in the Crenshaw District active in media and cultural arts.

So, next time you are rained in with time to do something unplanned, check out the following link to Mapping LA and find out what data has been compiled for your neighborhood. You may be surprise by what you find out.

http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/about/