Overview
Weather
Pasadena Area
Santa Monica and Malibu
Theme Parks
Downtown Los Angeles
Hollywood and Beverly Hills<
LA and the Movies
Map of the Area

Hollywood and Beverly Hills

Hollywood started life as a temperance colony in 1887, intended to provide a sober, God-fearing alternative to raunchy downtown LA, eight miles away by rough country road. The film industry was drawn here from the East Coast by the guaranteed sunshine, low taxes, cheap labor and diverse assortment of natural locations, and as a way of dodging restrictive patent laws. Although nearby Silverlake was the first – temporary – location for the movie business, the first permanent studio opened in Hollywood in 1911, and within three years the place was packed with filmmakers – such as Cecil B DeMille, who shared his barn-converted office space with a horse.

Glitzy Wilshire Boulevard, in Beverly Hills, is internationally known as Department Store Row. Legendary Rodeo Drive and neighboring streets offer famous designer shops and posh galleries that attract serious shoppers from around the world.