USC, by contrast, is located in the University Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles by Exposition Park. It was a fashionable area in the early years of the city, but the 20th century saw the rapid decline of the area's manufacturing base and increasing crime. By the early 2000s, the crime rate had declined significantly and the city began an effort to "erase a stigma that has dogged the southern part of the city" by changing the name from "South Central" to "South Los Angeles". The university has recently expanded its campus reach in the area with a renovated USC Village town center for retail and residential space.
