east los angeles (), also called east l.a., is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (cdp) in los angeles county, california. it is part of the greater los angeles area and is to the east of los angeles. at the 2010 census, 126,496 people lived there. many hispanic and latino americans live there. about 96% of its people are hispanic or latino. this is the highest number for any cdp with more than 100,000 people. even though it is called east los angeles, it is not part of the city of los angeles. in the 1920s, it was first called belvedere or belvedere gardens.