Watts is a neighborhood in southern Los Angeles, California. Watts was founded in 1886 as a ranching community, and the arrival of railroads and the construction of Watts Station saw the rapid development of Watts as an independent city. In 1926, Watts was consolidated with Los Angeles, and, by the 1940s, it transformed into a primarily working class African-American neighborhood. Starting in the 1960s, Watts developed a reputation as a low-income, high-crime area, following the Watts riots and the increasing influence of street gangs. Today, Watts is a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood with a significant African-American minority, and remains one of the most impoverished and dangerous neighborhoods of Los Angeles despite falling crime rates since the 1990s. In 2000, Watts had a population of 34,830 people, with 61.6% being Hispanic, 37.1% African-American, .5% white, .2% Asian, and .5% others.