Territory Size Variation Among South Los Angeles Gangs

This map reveals that gangs with significant territories are concentrated on the Westside portion of the city. On the Eastside, which consists of Watts, and the City of Compton have significantly smaller territories. I determined that the size variation had little to do with population density, but more to do with the temporal aspect of gangs in a particular area. The older more original gang territories were smaller and those gangs that developed in the newer "unclaimed" areas, where able to develop larger territories. This notion is very similar to how the United States developed individual states over time. The older original colonies are significantly smaller than the West coast states that joined the union later.