Armenians in Glendale: The Armenian Heart of Los Angeles

Glendale, a city of about two hundred thousand people just north of downtown Los Angeles, is one of the largest Armenian communities outside the Republic of Armenia. Its shop signs are written in Armenian script, its bakeries sell fresh lavash, and its churches have been part of neighbourhood life for generations. How did this community take root in Southern California, and how has it changed over four generations?

In this video we follow the story from the survivors of 1915 who reached California with almost nothing, through the Armenian families who arrived from Beirut and Tehran, to the newcomers who came after the 1988 earthquake and the collapse of the Soviet Union. We look at Brand Boulevard, the churches and parish halls, schools and the film industry, the food and the language, and the question every family faces: how to stay Armenian in a new country.

Chapters (approximate, adjust after editing):
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Why Armenians came to California
06:00 The first generation in the San Joaquin Valley
09:00 Glendale grows as a suburb
12:00 Waves from Beirut and Tehran
16:00 The 1988 earthquake and the third wave
20:00 Brand Boulevard today
24:00 Church and community life
28:00 Education, work and the film industry
32:00 Food, language and music
36:00 Civic life, business and links with Armenia
40:00 Festivals, remembrance and the next generation
44:00 Conclusion

source