The "Bungalow Boom": The Working-Class Housing Industry and the Development and Promotion of Early Twentieth-Century Los Angeles

Civic, railroad, and business leaders in early twentieth-century Los Angeles conspired to draw working-class settlers as a source of cheap labor. A key role was played by real estate investment and cooperative building companies that developed and promoted extensive low-cost bungalow tracts. One of the largest of these was the Los Angeles Investment Company, between 1899 and 1913. By tracing its methods and ists appeal to working-and middle-class homeseekers, this article illustrates an essential element of Los Angeles' transformation from an affluent tourist destination to an industrial center with a significant labor base.