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Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Beverly Hills Information
Welcome > Local Info > Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Beverly Hills Information ...

About the Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Beverly Hills, California Area 

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Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  Sherman Oaks is an 8.1-square-mile district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. In contrast to much of the Valley, the area is relatively urbanized, with commercial skyscrapers along Ventura Blvd. as well as scattered throughout. In addition, residential densities are highly mixed, with apartment and condominium neighborhoods alongside single-story residential ones. The area is a hub for regional transportation, business, and shopping.
 

Geography

The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Studio City to the east, Van Nuys to the north, Encino to the west, Bel Air and Beverly Hills to the south.

Sherman Oaks is situated along the Los Angeles River, Ventura Freeway, San Diego Freeway, Beverly Glen Boulevard, and Sepulveda Boulevard.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, and according to the San Fernando Valley Almanac, Sherman Oaks has a population of 52,677 people and 25,255 households. The racial makeup of the neighborhood is 3% African American, 5% Asian American, 11% Latino, and 82% Caucasian. Other races make up less than 1%. The median single family housing value as of August 2007 is $975,000.

History

Sherman Oaks was one of the first Valley communities to experience intensive real estate development. Anticipating the development of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, Los Angeles Suburban Homes Co. purchased 47,500 acres (192 km²) of the southeast Valley in 1910. In 1911, a subdivision map called Tract 1000 was filed with Los Angeles County. From that parcel, one of the partners in the company, General Moses Hazeltine Sherman, bought 1,000 acres (4 km²) for himself. In 1927, Sherman subdivided the property and sold the land for $780 an acre ($0.19/m²).

Government

Sherman Oaks is part of the city of Los Angeles and is represented in the Los Angeles City Council by Second District City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel and Fifth District City Councilman Jack Weiss. The local neighborhood council is the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council. For county, Sherman Oaks is represented by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Third District county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. For state, representatives of Sherman Oaks are California State Assembly 40th District state Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, 42nd District state Assemblyman Michael Feuer, 21st District state Senator Jack Scott, and 23rd District state Senator Sheila Kuehl. For the Federal level, Sherman Oaks is represented by United State House of Representatives 27th District U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman and United State House of Representatives 28th District U.S. Rep. Howard Berman.

Economy

Many financial corporations, including banks and brokerage houses, are located in the area. Sunkist Growers, one of the country's oldest and largest agricultural cooperatives, has been rooted in Sherman Oaks for almost 30 years.

Emergency services

Fire service

Los Angeles Fire Department operates Station 88 (Sherman Oaks), Station 78 (Studio City), and Station 102 (South Van Nuys/Valley Glen), serving Sherman Oaks.

Police service

The Los Angeles Police Department operates the nearby Van Nuys Community Police Station at 6420 Sylmar Avenue, 91401, serving the neighborhood.

Education

Sherman Oaks' primary and secondary public schools are part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Public schools

Public elementary schools in the area are:

Public secondary schools in the area are:

Private schools

Private and parochial schools in the area are:

Colleges and universities

Also located in Sherman Oaks is a learning center campus for the National University. Devry University has a campus in the Sherman Oaks Galleria

Libraries

Los Angeles Public Library operates the Sherman Oaks Branch.

Culture

Sherman Oaks is an affluent neighborhood, with several high-end fashion boutiques, and features many upscale houses and restaurants. One of the city's main claims to fame is the presence of the Sherman Oaks Galleria, a shopping mall identified as a meet-up place for the Valley girls, a 1980s cultural label which became widely known because of the 1983 movie Valley Girl and a song of the same name by Frank Zappa. In addition, a portion of the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High was filmed there. After being damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Galleria eventually was torn down and replaced by an open-air retail and office complex that bears little resemblance to the original mall. Other local shopping options include the Westfield Fashion Square (formerly known as Sherman Oaks Fashion Square), and an assortment of boutiques and restaurants located along Ventura Boulevard. Aerobics and Fitness Association of America operates in Sherman Oaks.

Annually in October, the Chamber of Commerce produces a popular Street Fair, closing down a half-mile stretch of busy Ventura Boulevard for booths, food, and entertainment (including rides for the kids). Upwards of 100,000 visitors stop by each year. Grand Marshals have included Coach John Wooden and actor/child-safety advocate Bryan Cranston (KidSmartz).

Media

Sherman Oaks has significant references in television.

  • The short-lived 1990s sitcom, Sherman Oaks, centered around a wealthy plastic surgeon living with his family in Sherman Oaks.
  • Parts of the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer were filmed at the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
  • Scenes from the popular show Desperate Housewives are periodically filmed in Sherman Oaks, most often at Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park and Maxson's Drug Store.
  • The final scenes of the film Escape from New York were filmed in Sherman Oaks.
  • The Internet website Comics101.com operates out of Sherman Oaks.
  • Video game developer Spark Unlimited is based in Sherman Oaks.
  • Premiere Radio is based out of Sherman Oaks.
  • Sherman Oaks is also the home of Fox Sports Radio.
  • A flower shop on Ventura Blvd. was filmed at frequently for the HBO hit Six Feet Under.
  • Sherman Oaks is where Alan Harper's ex-wife Judith and son Jake live in the sitcom Two and a Half Men.
  • Virtual Instruments Magazine is published and edited in Sherman Oaks.
  • The mall scenes from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" were filmed at the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
  • The short-lived Showtime softcore-porn series, "Sherman Oaks" was supposed to take place in Sherman Oaks.
  • Scenes from Crash were filmed in Sherman Oaks
  • Richard Pryor stayed at the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks in 1980, after lighting himself on fire when he was freebasing cocaine

Notable residents

Over the years, many notable people have lived in Sherman Oaks, including:

Actress Lisa Rinna and her husband, actor Harry Hamlin, own a clothing boutique on Ventura Boulevard called Belle Gray and are also residents of the neighborhood.

Ken Davitian, who played Borat's producer Azamat Bagatov in the 2006 film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, owns and operates a sandwich shop called "The Dip" at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Beverly Glen Boulevard.

Martial artist and Tae Bo creator Billy Blanks's original fitness center "Billy Blanks World Training Center" was located Ventura Boulevard until it closed in 2007.

Trivia

  • Sherman Oaks is home to Fire Station #88, the first out of town Urban Search and Rescue Task Force to respond following the September 11, 2001 attacks
  • Marilyn Monroe's first home as a 16-year-old newly-wed was on Vista del Monte
  • Liberace lived on Valley Vista Boulevard and had a piano-shaped pool complete with black keys
  • One of the shortest streets in Los Angeles (Fiume Walk) is in Sherman Oaks
  • Britney Spears got a tattoo in Body and Soul, a Sherman Oaks Tattoo parlor, after shaving her head in Tarzana on February 17, 2007.
  • The FOX network is currently developing a serial drama entitled "The Sherm". It will be patterned after "The OC" in an attempt to reclaim viewers that were lost due to the show's early demise.


Studio City, Los Angeles, California

 

Studio City is a four-square-mile district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. It is bounded roughly by Ethel Avenue to the west, Highway 101 to the north and east, and Mulholland Drive and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south.

 

Origin of Name

Studio City earned its name in the 1920s when Mack Sennett moved his studios from a neighborhood known as Edendale (near Echo Park) to a property near Colfax Avenue and Ventura Boulevard. His soundstages, Mack Sennett Studios, were later renamed Mascot Pictures Studios, Republic Pictures Studios, MTM Enterprises Studios and today are known as the CBS Radford Studios.

Geography

Studio City is located in the south east part of the San Fernando Valley. It is connected to Los Angeles' vast network of freeways by Highway 101. Access to other parts of the city is also provided by Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Coldwater Canyon Avenue, and Ventura/Cahuenga Boulevards. Its main thoroughfare is Ventura Boulevard, where the bulk of its commercial activity resides.

The area, like many parts of L.A., has seen a great deal of tear-down building, with large condominiums replacing single family homes, and a surge in retail. A local golf and tennis facility is in danger of being displaced by a senior residential complex. Nearby, the historic Sportsman Lodge hotel/restaurant is also threatened with eventual redevelopment; however, negotiations among the Los Angeles Conservancy, Studio City Residents Association, and the facility's owner have led to the suggestion of public review before any planned alterations to this site. Traffic and parking problems have recently worsened, and the construction of parking structures has not made a visible improvement.

Population

According to the 2000 San Fernando Valley Almanac, Studio City has a population of 25,841 people and 13,086 households. The median home price is $811,000. The population demography is 81.6% Caucasian, 8.1% Latino, 5.8% Asian, and 8.6% African American. True to the city's name, many residents work in film, television and media.

Like its neighbor Sherman Oaks, Studio City has seen a surge in restaurants of note in past decades, including a number of high quality sushi bars, two top delis and many restaurants known for fine dining (such as Firefly, Spark, La Loggia and Outtake Cafe). There are relatively few fast-food restaurants.

The area is served by two publications with local content. The Studio City Sun (part of a regional chain) covers issues such as development and traffic, and keeps up with local celebrities. Studio City Lifestyle, an advertiser-friendly glossy magazine, is partial to profiles and pieces on merchants.

Landmarks

  • Home of Will & Grace (NBC TV series)
  • CBS Studio Center
  • Ventura/Laurel Canyon shopping districts
  • Fryman Canyon Park
  • Los Angeles River walk
  • Exterior of Brady Bunch house
  • Exterior of the Wilkersons' House (Malcolm in the Middle) - 12334 Cantura Street
  • Exterior of the "Gidget" house (SE corner Hortense St. and Beeman Ave.)
  • Sacred Heart set from Scrubs


Local Government Officials

Studio City is part of the 2nd City Council District of Los Angeles, represented by Councilwoman Wendy Greuel. The area is also represented by Los Angeles County District 3 Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, District 23 California state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, California state Assemblyman Mike Feuer and US Congressman Howard Berman.The district is also represented by the Studio City Neighborhood Council.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Studio City is zoned to Los Angeles USD schools.

Carpenter Avenue Elementary School (located within the neighborhood), Walter Reed Middle School (in North Hollywood), and North Hollywood High School (in North Hollywood) serve the community.

Private schools

Studio City is also home to the following private schools: Campbell Hall Episcopal School, Oakwood Elementary School, Harvard-Westlake School's Upper School as well Bridges Academy, a private middle and high school for gifted students with learning disabilities.

Public libraries

Los Angeles Public Library operates the Studio City Branch.

Notable Studio City Residents

Trivia

A farmers market is held each Sunday on Ventura Place.

In September 2004, Britney Spears married Kevin Federline in a private house in Studio City.

Bonnie Lee Bakley, wife of actor Robert Blake, was found murdered near Vitello's Restaurant on Tujunga Avenue in Studio City in May 2001.

On March 4, 1952, actor Ronald Reagan married Nancy Davis at the Little Brown Church in Studio City.

External links

Beverly Hills, California

City of Beverly Hills, California
Picture of Beverly Hills taken at Wilshire Boulevard
Picture of Beverly Hills taken at Wilshire Boulevard
Nickname: "Garden Spot of the World"
Location of Beverly Hills in Los Angeles County, California
Country United States
State California
County Los Angeles
Government
 - Mayor Jimmy Delshad
 - Vice Mayor Barry Brucker
 - City Manager Roderick J. Wood
Area
 - Total 5.7 sq mi (14.7 km²)
 - Land 5.7 sq mi (14.7 km²)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)  0%
Elevation 259 ft (79 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 33,784
 - Density 5,927/sq mi (2,298/km²)
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 - Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code 90210, 90211, 90212
Area code(s) 310, 424, 323
FIPS code 06-06308
GNIS feature ID 1652672
Website: http://www.beverlyhills.org

Beverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The area's "Platinum Triangle" of wealthy neighborhoods is formed by Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Bel-Air and Holmby Hills. The population was 33,784 at the 2000 census.

Beverly Hills is bordered on the north by 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, on the south by the Los Angeles neighborhood of Beverlywood, and on the west by Holmby Hills as well as Westwood Village and Century City, which are also Los Angeles districts.

Beverly Hills is not as uniformly wealthy as Hollywood portrays it. Although some of the largest homes in Los Angeles County lie within its city limits, these homes make up just 10% of the city. The remaining homes include small duplex rental units and detached homes with less than 3,000 square feet (278.7 m²). There are areas within Los Angeles County that are more uniformly wealthy and have a higher household median income than Beverly Hills. The city's average household income, just over $71,000, is $18,000 higher than the county average.

In 2007, Coldwell Banker lists Beverly Hills as the most expensive housing market (second year in a row) in the United States, with a median home price of $2.21 million dollars.[2]. According to the more accurate measure[citation needed], Forbes ranks Beverly Hills in the top 100.

 

History

Early years

The land on which Beverly Hills is now located was historically fertile because of the streams that met there in the rainy months. Water cascaded down from the canyons that became known as Coldwater and Benedict, creating a ciénaga (or swamp) at the location of present day Sunset Boulevard and Beverly Drive. The foothill site had flocks of geese and ducks, bands of wild horses and herds of antelope. Native American inhabitants, the Tongva (called the Gabrielino by the Spanish) tribe, considered it a holy site and named it "The Gathering of the Waters," which in the Spanish language is El Rodeo de las Aguas.

Gaspar de Portolà's land expedition arrived in the area on August 3, 1769. The group, composed of Portolà (the first governor of the province of California), some Franciscan priests and a cavalcade of leather-jacket soldiers and horses, traveled over the Indian trail, which would one day be Wilshire Boulevard, across the plain toward the foothills gouged with deep canyons, and made camp in the cool of the sycamore trees at the present site of La Cienega Park, near the large swamp. On September 27, 1821, New Spain became Mexico and the province of California quietly changed flags.

That same decade, retired Spanish soldier Vicente Ferrer Valdez and his wife, Maria Rita Villa de Valdez, settled on the 4,500 acres (1,821.1 ha) Rancho El Rodeo de las Aguas. Rita did not care for the name, however, and chose to call it San Antonio. The Valdez adobe home was built near what is the present day intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Alpine Drive. Valdez died in 1828, leaving Rita and eleven children.

In 1831, Los Angeles mayor Vicente Sanchez granted to Rita, jointly with her kinsman Luciano Valdez, a tract of land he named San Antonio. She began having trouble with Luciano Valdez, however, and decided that the rancho was not big enough for the two of them. In 1834, she testified before the Los Angeles City Council, bringing up a number of charges against Luciano. The council agreed and ordered him to vacate the premises. In 1840, the land grant was confirmed by the governor of California, Juan Bautista Alvarado. By 1844, Rita had built a second home, this one on Main Street in Los Angeles, where she kept her title papers and grant. She fled prior to the arrival of U.S. forces into the city in 1846. When she returned, she found her papers had been stolen.

Benedict Canyon circa 1910
Benedict Canyon circa 1910

California was admitted as a U.S. state on September 9, 1850. The United States Board of Land Commissioners later confirmed her title. However, prior to this, Rita sold the rancho in 1854 to Benjamin D. Wilson and Major Henry Hancock. Hancock sold out to William Workman, who planned to grow wheat. But after one successful season, the drought of 1863–1864 put a temporary end to farming in the area. The legendary waters dried up, crops withered and cattle died.

A brief oil boom brought a flourish of interest in the land in 1865 when the Pioneer Oil Company bought the rights to drill wells. But the wildcatting ended when the land proved as dry underneath as on top. Then newcomers arrived and herds of sheep appeared on the land, with portions being sold. James Whitworth bought a 125-acre (50.6 ha) parcel between what became Robertson and La Cienega Boulevards, north of what became Pico Boulevard, and Edison A. Benedict built a home in 1868 at the mouth of the canyon that bears his name. Benedict and his son, Pierce, bought adjoining land, planted walnut trees, beans and other vegetables and raised bees.

The De Las Aguas Land Association was formed with headquarters in San Francisco. Nearly the whole ranch was divided into 75 acres (30.4 ha) farming lots with the center reserved for the "Town of Santa Maria," which was to be split into five acre lots (2.0 ha) to be sold at $10 each. The proposed main street of the town was Los Angeles Avenue, now Wilshire Boulevard. The plans were dropped followed another drought, and the land reverted to sheep ranching.

Henry Hammel and Charles Denker, owners of the United States Hotel in Los Angeles, then purchased the land. Lima beans were the only crop to flourish, along with the sheep, but their ultimate dream was to establish a subdivision called Morocco. During their ownership in the 1880s, there was a land boom and a steam train brought buyers from Los Angeles to Santa Monica, passing through the Hammel and Denker Ranch. A station named Morocco, with a town of the same name was shown on the map of 1888, but the station and the town existed only on paper. The land boom collapsed, taking their plans along with it.

Creation of Beverly Hills

Middle years

Aerial view of Pickfair, 1920
Aerial view of Pickfair, 1920

In 1906, the community of Beverly Hills was developed with winding roads and tree-lined streets. The community was designed to allow the buyers to build a custom house on the land they purchased in the new development, so Beverly Hills was never designed as a tract housing development. During its construction, Beverly Hills was never intended to be a haven for the affluent but rather a rural community with homes on large lots. The Rodeo Land and Water Company(Burton Green)decided to name it Beverly Hills after Beverly Farms, Massachusetts. Developers wanted to create a west coast replica of this town-although it transformed over the years to be quite different.

In 1919, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford bought land on Summit Drive and built Pickfair, the house that would remain Pickford's home after she and Fairbanks divorced and for the rest of her life. Other wealthy movie people followed them and settled in Beverly Hills. Will Rogers, a wisecracking political humorist, wrote of the land boom in 1923, "Lots are sold so quickly and often out here that they put through escrow made out to the 12th owner... They couldn't possibly make out a separate deed for each purchaser; besides, he wouldn't have time to read it in the 10 minutes' time he owned the land." The movie colony was well entrenched by 1928 when Harold Lloyd built his mansion in Benedict Canyon, followed by John Barrymore, Robert Montgomery and Miriam Hopkins. Thus, Beverly Hills became famous for being home to the rich and for the large, stylish mansions of famous movie stars.

The population in 1920 was 672; in 1924, it was 5,000; by 1930, it was 17,429. The issuance of building permits in 1918 totaled $35,200; in 1919, $304,900; in 1921, $787,729; 1922, $1,838,994.

The track that would become the Beverly Hills Speedway, 1912
The track that would become the Beverly Hills Speedway, 1912

In early 1920, the Beverly Hills Speedway, a 1.25 miles (2.0 km) wood oval track with turns banked 35 degrees, which was built at a cost of $500,000 on the south side of Wilshire Boulevard between Beverly Drive on the east and Lasky Drive on the west in Beverly Hills, was opened. Joe Boyer ran his race car 110 miles per hour (177.0 km/h) during the exhibition run. The races drew huge crowds and radio broadcasts were on a par with today's Indianapolis 500. There were also some aviation shows, another national craze. The speedway was closed in 1924 and the site was later subdivided for housing and businesses.

In 1923, annexation to the city of Los Angeles was proposed, but faced opposition. Residents Mary Pickford, Will Rogers and others mobilized local voters against the plan. Those for annexation argued that Los Angeles would provide an adequate supply of better quality water for growth. Workers left bottles of sulfur-smelling water on the doorsteps of every home in Beverly Hills with a label that read: "Warning. Drink sparingly of this water as it has laxative qualities." Despite the campaign tactics, annexation was defeated 507 to 337. The following year, the city voted $400,000 in bonds to purchase the water system from the Beverly Hills Utilities Company and drill additional wells.

This fight for an independent city was arguably the first union of show business and politics in the United States. When Will Rogers became involved in local city government the community received international advertising. In 1925, Rogers was given the title "Honorary Mayor of Beverly Hills," becoming the first and (to date) only person so honored. The same year, the citizens of the city voted a $100,000 bond issue to purchase with Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Venice 385 acres (155.8 ha) for the building of UCLA. There were 96 miles (154.5 km) of paved streets in the city limits by 1927. In 1928, the Beverly-Wilshire Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard between El Camino and Rodeo Drives, part of the old Beverly Hills Speedway, was completed. That same year, Greystone Mansion was completed by Edward L. Doheny, Jr., the only son and heir of wealthy oil man Edward L. Doheny. And in 1930, horses were banned in the City of Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills continued to grow. Promotional materials from the period touted the young metropolis as the "center of the next million." Fortunately, human-scale public improvements helped soften the effects of growth. In the early 1930s, Santa Monica Park was renamed Beverly Gardens and was extended to span the entire two mile length of Santa Monica Boulevard through the city. At its Santa Monica and Wilshire corner, the Electric Fountain, a constant symphony of form and color at night, was installed, with a small sculpture at the top of a Tongva kneeling in prayer, homage to the heritage of Beverly Hills as a wellspring of fertility and abundance.

Will Rogers standing with a model of plans for constructing City Hall
Will Rogers standing with a model of plans for constructing City Hall

The following year, 1932, a new Italian Renaissance-style City Hall was opened. By 1933, however, the Depression hit Beverly Hills. The city and school board cut salaries to save funds. In February, some 161 parcels of land were advertised for sale for delinquent lighting assessments. The Chamber of Commerce established an employment bureau and the mayor requested a branch welfare office from the County of Los Angeles.

Despite these problems, in April 1934 there was a huge celebration over the dedication of the city's new United States Post Office. The civic festival that followed was called Beverly Hills on Parade. By 1937, the city had weathered the storm of the Depression and was riding the crest of a wave of retail sales that reached more than $20,000,000 and bank deposits topped the $25,000,000 figure. Property values of that year showed a 30% increase over the previous year and new buildings were being opened regularly.

In the years after World War II, energies were again turned toward the building of the city; businesses and residential areas began to flourish.

Via Rodeo Drive
Via Rodeo Drive

Contemporary Beverly Hills

By the 1950s, small vacant lots remained and developers cropped whole mountains to ease the housing shortage. The stables and trails of the unussually large Doheny family estate, Greystone Mansion was bought by Paul Trousdale. The Trousdale Estates area was eventually annexed and an expensive housing development began to take shape in the hills above the city. Beverly Hills marketed itself as one of the most glamorous places in the world to shop. The Golden Triangle, with Rodeo Drive at its center, was marketed as the apex of chic shopping and fashion.

The Via Rodeo, the first new street in Beverly Hills in seventy-six years, was completed in 1990. The Spanish cobblestone street leads to 2 Rodeo Drive, a "mini-mall" with upscale shops and restaurants. In 1992, the Beverly Hills Civic Center was opened. Designed by architect Charles Moore, it links the new public library, fire and police departments with the historic City Hall. The exterior of the old public library, which had featured a mosaic resembling books on a shelf, appeared in stock shots in The Brady Bunch as Mike Brady's office building.

Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive

It's a little-known fact that the center divider that runs in the middle of Rodeo Drive from North Santa Monica to Sunset is built in place of a old trolley track (that once ran from downtown Beverly Hills to the Beverly Hills Hotel along that route).

While the city derives its unique personality from being favored by show business people; and it is true that many actors, writers, directors and producers live in the city and take part in civic life; many professionals, doctors and lawyers, have homes and offices in the city also. The Beverly Hills Unified School District, with its four K-8 schools and the Beverly Hills High School, boasts particularly high academic achievement.

The city's image has been enhanced by being featured in television shows and movies set in Beverly Hills, including the The Jack Benny Program (1950 to 1954), The Beverly Hillbillies (1962 to 1971), the Beverly Hills Cop movies, and Beverly Hills 90210 (1990 to 2000). There's a worldwide hit animation series Totally Spies based in Beverly Hills, as three teen girls attend fictional Beverly High School are part-time undercover spies.

Rodeo Drive, Beverly and Canon Drives all recently underwent construction to widen the sidewalks and beautify the streets. New construction has also just been completed that added more parking for visitors to the famed shopping area.

Rodeo Drive at night
Rodeo Drive at night
2 Rodeo Drive and its "Spanish Steps" is at the heart of the exclusive shopping district on Rodeo Drive.
2 Rodeo Drive and its "Spanish Steps" is at the heart of the exclusive shopping district on Rodeo Drive.

90210

90210 is a ZIP code in Beverly Hills, made the most famous postal code in the world by the television series Beverly Hills 90210 and because of the celebrity residents that reside in the area. (West Beverly Hills High School is a fictional high school.) The real Beverly Hills High School is actually located in 90212. Beverly Hills also has two additional ZIP codes based on the general area. These ZIP codes are 90211 and 90212. In 1983, the local weekly magazine "Beverly Hills 213" debuted as the city's first color ultra-luxury magazine. The population of 90210 is 21,396.

Geography

 

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.8 km²), all land.

Beverly Hills is surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, albeit the small Northeast corner shares the boundary along Doheny Boulevard with West Hollywood, another city known for the Sunset strip that includes Beverly Hills on the famous Sunset Boulevard.

Main thoroughfares include Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, and Sunset Boulevard. Shopping streets include Beverly Drive and Rodeo Drive. Coldwater Canyon Drive is the main road through Beverly Hills into the San Fernando Valley.

In spite of the city's name, most residents live in the "flats" of Beverly Hills, a relatively flat land that includes all of Beverly Hills south of Sunset Blvd. The homes in the hills north of Sunset Boulevard have a much higher value than average homes in the rest of Beverly Hills, and the most expensive homes in Beverly Hills are all in the hills. Wilshire Boulevard divides the "flats" into two areas, locally know as "North or South of the tracks," referring to the train tracks that were once used by the old Redline stockcar that traversed Beverly Hills along Wilshire Blvd. Homes south of Wilshire have more urban square and retangular lots, generally smaller than those to the north. There are also more apartment buildings south of Wilshire Blvd than anywhere else in Beverly Hills, and the average home value south of Wilshire is the lowest in Beverly Hills.

Beverly Hills Post Office or BHPO, is a part of Los Angeles that lies in the hills just north of the City of Beverly Hills. This area, as the name might indicate, shares the 90210 zip code with Beverly Hills proper. The very hilly terrain makes BHPO seem more like the Hollywood Hills in character, with many homes overlooking dramatic views of the city.

Except for the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Hilton Hotel, all businesses and government offices in Beverly Hills are located south of Santa Monica Blvd. Nearby the Beverly Hills city limits is the famous Los Angeles Country Club, with its two golf courses, where golfers tee up beside celebrities.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 33,784 people, 15,035 households, and 8,269 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,954 square miles (15,420.8 km²). There were 15,856 housing units at an average density of 2,794 square miles (7,236.4 km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.06% White, 1.77% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 7.05% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races, and 4.46% from two or more races. 4.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,035 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $70,945, which is typical for an upper-middle class suburb and close to the median household income of San Jose, California. Yet, the median price for an owner-occupied house exceeds $1,000,000. This is because of an unusually large proportion of renters in the city. There are so many renters in Beverly Hills that homeowners are not the majority. Renter-occupied housing units comprise 56.6 percent of the city's housing stock and the median household income for renter-occupied housing units in the city is $48,179, which is just slightly above average for the entire United States.

The median household income for an owner-occupied housing unit is $125,707.

The median income for a family is $102,611. Males had a median income of $72,004 versus $46,217 for females. The per capita income for the city was $65,507. 9.1% of the population and 7.9% of families were below the poverty line. 9.5% of those under the age of 18 and 7.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Despite its reputation, 90210 is not the wealthiest ZIP Code in the United States or even California (the wealthiest ZIP Code in California is 94027, generally located in Atherton, California; the wealthiest ZIP Code in the United States is 33139, which is located in Miami Beach, Florida). In fact, Beverly Hills has the lowest median household income of any city with both a population over 10,000 and a median housing price over $1,000,000. Other places in the area that are generally considered to be very wealthy, such as Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, display the same characteristics.

Government and politics

The Beverly Hills City Hall, built in 1932, was featured prominently in the Beverly Hills Cop films
The Beverly Hills City Hall, built in 1932, was featured prominently in the Beverly Hills Cop films
Beverly Hills Police being inspected by Sir Harry Lauder's brother-in-law, Matt Vallance, late 1930s
Beverly Hills Police being inspected by Sir Harry Lauder's brother-in-law, Matt Vallance, late 1930s

See also: Mayor of Beverly Hills

Local

Of the 21,426 registered voters in Beverly Hills; approximately 50.3% are Democrats and 25.9% are Republicans. The remaining 23.8% are Independents or are registered with one of the many smaller political parties, like the Green Party and the Libertarian Party.

The heavy Democratic advantage makes Beverly Hills one of the more liberal cities in Southern California. In 2004, John Kerry won 62% of the vote compared to 37% for George W. Bush. In the 2006 state governor election, Arnold Schwarzenegger got nearly 40% of the vote but won a second term by a state-wide majority, while Democratic opponent Phil Angelides had just over 60%.[citation needed]

Beverly Hills is a general law city governed by a five-member City Council including the mayor and vice mayor. City Council hires a city manager to carry out policies and serve as executive officer. Every odd-numbered year either two or three members are elected by the people to serve a four-year term. Each March the City Council meets and chooses one of its mem