Areas from Malibu to Downtown
Areas
Malibu
Residing on a 21-mile strip along the Pacific Ocean, Malibu is an affluent waterfront community known for its breathtaking beaches. Surfers, horse-lovers, families, and celebrities all inhabit this community that epitomizes California living. Malibu’s desirability derives from its beautiful scenery and cool ocean breezes. Most Malibu residents live within a few hundred yards of Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1), which traverses the city, with some residents living up to a mile away from the beach up narrow canyons, and many more residents of the unincorporated canyon areas identifying Malibu as their hometown. The city is also bounded by Topanga to the east, the Santa Monica Mountains (Agoura Hills, Calabasas, and Woodland Hills) to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the south, and Ventura County to the west.
Santa Monica
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, The city is named after the Christian saint, Monica. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is bordered on three sides by the city of Los Angeles – Pacific Palisades to the north, Brentwood on the northeast, West Los Angeles and Mar Vista on the east, and Venice on the southeast. Santa Monica is home to many Hollywood celebrities and executives and is a mixture of affluent single-family neighborhoods, renters, surfers, professionals, and students. Partly because of its agreeable climate, Santa Monica had become a famed resort town by the early 20th century. If there ever was a big city suburb that felt like a small town in the middle of a major metropolis – Santa Monica is it.
Brentwood
Brentwood is an affluent neighborhood in the Westside of Los Angeles, California. Brentwood Park is the enclave considered gold standard for this area – home to billionaires, celebrities, and everyone in between who loves the westside lifestyle and suburban feel of this area. Its residents are considered highly educated, and it is the home of seven private and two public schools. The district is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, bounded by the San Diego Freeway on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, the Santa Monica city limits on the southwest, the border of Topanga State Park on the west and Mulholland Drive along the ridgeline of the mountains on the north.
Bel Air
Bel Air, is an affluent neighborhood in Westside Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood, which lies across Sunset Boulevard from the University of California, Los Angeles, is the site of four private and two public pre-collegiate schools, as well as of the American Jewish University. Founded in 1923, the neighborhood has no multifamily dwellings and has been the filming location or setting for television shows. It has been the home of motion picture stars and of President Ronald Reagan. Residences range from relatively modest ranch-style houses, to large mansions. In general, the higher up the mountain, the smaller the building lots, and more modest the houses. Bel Air is also the home to Bel Air Country Club and Bel Air Hotel.
Westwood
Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The neighborhood was developed after 1919, with a new campus of the University of California being built and opened in 1926. Other attractions besides the UCLA campus include Westwood Village, with its historic motion picture theaters, restaurants and shopping, Holmby Hills, located in this district, is considered one of the wealthiest residential areas in Los Angeles, and the Geffen Playhouse attracts theater-goers. A Mormon temple is also prominent.
Holmby Hills
Holmby Hills is a neighborhood in the district of Westwood in western Los Angeles. It is bordered by the city of Beverly Hills on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, Westwood on the west, and Bel Air on the north. Sunset Boulevard is the area’s principal thoroughfare which divides Holmby Hills into north and south sections. Some of LA’s most valuable estates live in this enclave. It is considered the “50-yard-line” for real estate in LA and is also the home of the Playboy Mansion. In an effort to decrease traffic in the neighborhood, speed bumps have been installed on several key streets. Holmby Hills, Bel Air, and Beverly Hills form the “Platinum Triangle” of Los Angeles. It is bordered by the city of Beverly Hills on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, Westwood on the west, and Bel Air on the north. The section of Holmby Hills north of Sunset is within the Beverly Crest district of Los Angeles.
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city in Los Angeles County surrounded by the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood. It is the location of choice for many for simply having its own police department, fire department, and schools. Sometimes merely known by one of its primary ZIP codes, “90210”, it has been home to actors and celebrities. The city also includes the shopping district Rodeo Drive and the Beverly Hills Oil Field.Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. Specifically, Beverly Hills is bordered on the northwest by the Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air and the Santa Monica Mountains, on the east by West Hollywood, the Carthay neighborhood of Los Angeles, and the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, and on the south by the Beverlywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The area’s “Platinum Triangle” is formed by the city of Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Bel Air and Holmby Hills.
Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half (2.4 km) stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, It extends from West Hollywood’s eastern border with Hollywood at Havenhurst Drive, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive. The strip is best known for its abundance of luxury hotels, five star restaurants, rock clubs, and night clubs. In the celebrity-studded hills above the Sunset Strip, are some of the most exclusive and coveted residences in Los Angeles and the West Coast. The highest concentration of celebrities living in Los Angeles are in this part of the Hollywood Hills, located just above Sunset Boulevard, from Kings Road, to Sunset Plaza Drive, to Doheny Drive. Homes in this area generally range from $3–50 million, providing incomparable privacy and breathtaking views of the entire Los Angeles Basin.
West Hollywood
West Hollywood, colloquially referred to as WeHo, is a city in Los Angeles County. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. Most of West Hollywood is in the Postal Zip Code 90069. West Hollywood is bounded on the north by the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, on the east by the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, on the south by the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, and on the west by the city of Beverly Hills. West Hollywood benefits from a very dense, compact urban form with small lots, mixed land use, and a walkable street grid. According to Walk score, a website that ranks cities based on walkability, West Hollywood is the most walkable city in California with a Walk score of 89. Commercial corridors include the nightlife and dining focused on the Sunset Strip, along Santa Monica Boulevard, and the Avenues of Art & Design along Robertson, Melrose, and Beverly Boulevard. It is home to some of LA’s best restaurants, shopping and considered to be America’s Creative Ground Zero.
Miracle Mile, Melrose & the Grove
These bustling communities serve important cultural, retail and business functions for Los Angeles residents. Miracle Mile’s collection of museums, The Grove’s trendy retailers, and Melrose’s nationally acclaimed restaurants and internationally acclaimed designers attract affluent young professionals to these neighborhoods. Residential real estate has blown up in the area around Melrose Place – it is being dubbed the “West Village of LA.”
Hollywood
Hollywood is a district in the central region of Los Angeles. It is notable for its place as the home of the entertainment industry, including several of its historic studios. Its name has come to be a metonym for the motion picture industry of the United States. Hollywood is also a highly ethnically diverse, densely populated, economically diverse neighborhood and retail business district. It officially merged with the city of Los Angeles in 1910, and soon thereafter a prominent film industry began to emerge, eventually becoming the most dominant and recognized in the world. Hollywood is flanked by Hollywood Hills to the north, Los Feliz to the northeast, East Hollywood to the east, Larchmont and Hancock Park to the south, Fairfax to the southwest, West Hollywood to the west and Hollywood Hills West to the northwest.
Hancock Park – Windsor Square
Hancock Park – Windsor Square is a historic and affluent residential neighborhood in the central region of the City of Los Angeles. It is built around the grounds of the private Wilshire Country Club. Developed in the 1920s, the neighborhood features architecturally distinctive residences. Most of the residents are home owners. There are four private and two public schools in the area. Hancock Park is flanked by Hollywood to the north, Larchmont and Windsor Square to the east, Koreatown to the southeast, Mid-Wilshire to the south and southwest and Fairfax to the west. Street boundaries are Melrose Avenue on the north, Arden Boulevard on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south and La Brea Avenue on the west. Windsor Square is a small, historic and wealthy urban neighborhood just east of Hancock Park – Windsor Square runs from Wilshire to BeverlyBoulevards, and from Arden Boulevard to Van Ness Avenue. This is inclusive of the one-block strip of Larchmont Village, between First Street and Beverly Boulevard. Windsor Square is often mistakenly called “Hancock Park,” even by long-time residents. Windsor Square’s homes have the same historic value as in Hancock Park, but most of the homes are built on bigger lots.
Los Feliz
Los Feliz is an affluent hillside neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California, abutting Hollywood and encompassing part of theSanta Monica Mountains. It is noted for its expensive historic homes and celebrity inhabitants. Los Feliz encompasses several smaller but distinct areas, including the Los Feliz Hills and Los Feliz Estates (north of Los Feliz Boulevard), Laughlin Park, Los Feliz Village, Los Feliz Knolls, and Franklin Hills. Los Feliz is flanked on the north by Griffith Park, on the northeast by Atwater Village, on the southeast by Silver Lake, on the south by East Hollywood, and on the northwest by Hollywood and Hollywood Hills. The area north of Los Feliz Boulevard below Griffith Park is commonly referred to as the Los Feliz Hills. The Los Feliz Hills contain multimillion-dollar homes and have been known for the large share of their inhabitants being involved in creative pursuits.
Silverlake & Echo Park
Silver Lake is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California, built around a city reservoir which gives the district its name. The “Silver” in Silver Lake is not because of the water’s color, but named for the local engineer who built the reservoir. It’s known for its restaurants and clubs, and many notable people have made their homes there. The neighborhood has three public and four private schools. Silver Lake, known as one of “the city’s hippest neighborhoods”, has many bars, night clubs and restaurants. Since the 1990’s, Silver Lake has become the center of the alternative and indie rock scene in Los Angeles. Since 2000, gentrification has intensified in the neighborhood, including the opening of many stylish independent boutiques, coffee shops, fitness studios, and restaurants.
Downtown Los Angeles – Arts District
Downtown Los Angeles – Arts District is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, as well as a diverse residential neighborhood A heritage of the city’s founding in 1781, Downtown Los Angeles today is composed of different areas ranging from a fashion district to a skid row, and it is the hub of the city’s Metro rapid transit system. Banks, department stores and movie palaces at one time drew residents and visitors into the area, but the district declined economically and suffered a downturn for decades until its recent renaissance starting in the early 2000s: Old buildings are being modified for new uses, and skyscrapers have been built. Downtown Los Angeles is known for its government buildings, parks, theaters and other public places. In mid-2013, Downtown was noted as “a neighborhood with an increasingly hip and well heeled residents.” Because of the downtown area’s office market’s migration west to Bunker Hill and the Financial District, many historic office buildings have been left intact, simply used for storage or remaining empty during recent decades. But developers have now started to convert outmoded, vacant office and commercial buildings into renovated lofts and luxury apartment and condo complexes. The Arts District, occupies the eastern side of Downtown Los Angeles, east of Little Tokyo and west of the LA River. The area of formerly abandoned industrial buildings has become a thriving mecca for young professionals in creative industries, including L.A.’s huge TV and film industry. The city community planning boundaries are Alameda Street on the west, First Street on the north, the LA River to the east, and Violet Street on the south.