Beverly Hills is an incorporated city in Los Angeles County, California covering about six square miles. It's surrounded by the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood. It had a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census and an estimated population of 33,792 in 2019.
Originally the area belong to the Tongva Indians. The Spanish claimed the land from the Indians starting around 1500. The Mexican Revolution made the land part of Mexico in 1821. The area which is now Beverly Hills used to be Mexican Ranchos and farm land which is why so many streets such as Rodeo, Canon, Carmelita, Elevado, Lomitas and El Camino have Spanish names. The land was sold to American investors around 1850 when California became a state. Beverly Hills was incorporated as a city in 1914 and developers began to sell lots.
Beverly Hills is home to many celebrities, luxury hotels, and the Rodeo Drive shopping district. Beverly Hills is also home to some of the most expensive real estate in the United States. There are a few sub neighborhoods that make up the city of Beverly Hills. They are broken down by some obvious physical boundaries such as major streets and the old train tracks. Each of these sub neighborhoods has different characteristics such as lot size, home size and of course home values.
I grew up in Beverly Hills and have been a broker, appraiser working in Beverly Hills since 1983. Below I share the different areas starting at the northern and most expensive area of Beverly Hills going south to the least expensive areas of Beverly Hills proper.
Trousdale Estates
"Just northeast of the Greystone Mansion sits Trousdale Estates, an enclave known for its high concentration of Modern and Mid Century Modern luxury homes. The natural setting (plenty of trees and lush landscaping) creates a relaxed vibe. When residents aren’t admiring the vegetation and architecture, they can gaze across the L.A. Basin; the neighborhood is positioned for gorgeous city views. Trousdale Estates sits within the City of Beverly Hills."
Beverly Hills Post Office
"North of the Beverly Hills Gateway and west of Trousdale Estates, you’ll find several residential neighborhood, enclaves, and gated communities nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains. The remaining subdivisions are part of what is called the “Beverly Hills Post Office” area; it refers to home with 90210 addresses but are part of the City of Los Angeles, not Beverly Hills." For this reason this area is less expensive than legal Beverly Hills.
"The Beverly Glen and Benedict Canyon neighborhoods stretch north and south following the ravines and tines of the hills between Trousdale Estates and Bel Air. People thinking of moving to Beverly Hills that require extra security and privacy will want to check out the gated communities of Beverly Park, Mulholland Estates, and The Summit."
Beverly Hills Gateway
The Gateway is a gateway from the flats of Beverly Hills into the Santa Monica mountains via Benedict and Coldwater Canyons. This area is mainly larger custom residential homes except for the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel (A.K.A. the Pink Palace). The hotel sits just off Sunset across from Will Rogers Memorial Park. Another famous landmark is the Greystone Mansion. The mansion is a Tudor Revival estate and notable filming location (Batman & Robin, The Big Lebowski, The Dirty Dozen to name a few). Homes in Beverly Hills Gateway are among the most expensive in Los Angeles County.
Beverly Hills Flats
The Flats section of town sits between the southern and northern boundaries of Santa Monica and Sunset Boulevards and between the eastern and western boundaries of Doheny Dr and Whittier. Topographically, the neighborhood is fairly level and the large lot sizes are conducive to building estates and luxury homes, which explains why so many Beverly Hills mansions can be found along its tree-lined streets. This area is part of the "Tree streets." The streets aren't just named after different trees but generally each street is lined with that species of trees. The names starting east of Rodeo are Alpine, Elm, Maple and Palm. West of Rodeo the streets are named after east coast cities Camden, Bedford and Roxbury. Other streets are named after the original Ranchos such as Rodeo, Canon or developers, owners such as Doheny, Beverly and Pico. Architecturally, homes in Beverly Hills Flats range from stately French Chateaus and Georgian Estates to Spanish Revival and Modern abodes.
South of the Tracks
Golden Triangle (Downtown Beverly Hills)
The Golden Triangle is the commercial core and shopping district of Beverly Hills. Rodeo Dr is its most famous and expensive shopping street. If you look at the map it is indeed a triangle bounded by Santa Monica Blvd to the north, Wilshire to the South and Crescent to the east. The "tracks" are the old railroad tracks should used to be on little and big Santa Monica Blvds.
The Smaller Flats South
This area is south of the old railroad tracks which is Santa Monica Blvd and west of Doheny Dr. It consists of apartments and condominiums. There are some office buildings and other business properties in this area.
South of this area is an area of smaller less expensive homes north of Wilshire Blvd. This was the first area to be mansionized ala McMansions because the properties were less expensive. People bought the cheaper properties and built huge two story mansions that covered the entire buildable part of the lot. This was the reason for the first mansion regulations in Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills was laid out and zoned to have larger mansions on larger lots north of this area in the Flats proper. The Mansionization changed the look of this area and not necessarily for the better. The original McMansions were square two story buildings with ornate columns and embellishment on the fronts.
The Cheap Seats
Everything south of Wilshire is considered "the cheap seats." Here you will find smaller homes on smaller lots along with duplexes, four plexes and apartment buildings. If you really must live in Beverly Hills just to say you do but can't afford much you can rent a small apartment in this area. Many people have done this so their children could go to the Beverly Hills Unified School District which is a superior school. I went to El Rodeo and Beverly Hills High School which was a great experience.
Beverly Hills is a city made up of quite a few different neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has its own school besides different home characteristics and price ranges. Below is a map of Beverly Hills zoning so you can more specifically see the different areas. Click to see larger.
Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.
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