Town, City of Los Angeles
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 90028, 90038, 90068
Fabled movie capital of the world, still a media-entertainment center. Favorite spot for tourists. Estimated population 222,694. A “town” of the City of L.A., governed and policed by the City of L.A. www.mccormacks.com
In housing, divided between the plain and the upscale with plain giving way these days to high-rise condos, apartment complexes built atop stores and offices, and trendy restaurants. Over three-fourths of the residential units are apartments. Many of the single homes are located in the hills.
Melrose Avenue marks the southern boundary, the famous Hollywood sign, letters 50 by 30 feet, in the hills the northern boundary, La Brea Avenue the western boundary and just beyond Vermont Avenue the eastern boundary.
Moving north from Melrose Avenue, Hollywood rises gently until it reaches the hills and then ascends sharply.
South of Hollywood Boulevard, the housing consists mainly of apartment complexes. Many of them were built in the 1950s and 1960s and show their age. As you move west towards Beverly Hills, the apartments become a little cleaner, the streets a little spiffier, the landscaping a little more imaginative.
The single homes found in the hills above Sunset and Hollywood boulevards command views of the countryside and on some streets the ocean. These are considered choice neighborhoods, home to many who work in the entertainment industries. Great variety of shapes and size in homes — some mansions, most homes for professionals. www.mccormacks.com
Served by the L.A. Unified School District. Sample rankings: Cheremoya Elementary, 20th to 50th percentile; Melrose Elementary, 30th to 60th percentile; Hollywood High, 40th percentile. Large community college on Vermont Avenue. See Schools.
Crime stats not available but prudence indicates extra care in run-down sections. Renewal efforts are under way to return town to its glory days. Local firms and the transit district have hired more security and this combined with other efforts reduced crime, newspaper reports. See Crime.
Hollywood has too many attractions to list but among them are the Chinese Theater, the Walk of Fame with the names of over 2,000 stars, Hollywood Bowl, and Griffith Park where James Dean and Sal Mineo played out the planetarium scene from “Rebel Without a Cause.” Libraries, parks. Several recent projects including, Hollywood and Highland (hotel, shops, ballroom, movies, Kodak Theater, home of the Academy Awards ceremony).
Highway 101 divides the town and leads directly to downtown L.A., seven miles to east. Many local jobs. Subway (three stations along Hollywood Boulevard) to downtown and to Valley. Buses.
The subway is nurturing what is called “smart growth,” a mix of retail and apartments condos near the stations (and at other stations along the line.) Hollywood and Vine, the nostalgic heart of town, is being overhauled with new stores and housing.www.mccormacks.com
On its south, Hollywood is bordered by Hancock Park, one of L.A.'s original opulent neighborhoods and still considered high class. Lovely estate homes. Golf course.
With affluent neighborhoods both north and south and with a good jobs base, Hollywood will probably continue to spruce itself up. The locals are pressuring the city government to pay more attention to the town. New housing projects are offering a percentage of units at below-market prices but there is some concern that low-income residents will not be able to afford the revived Hollywood.
For orientation on cities, towns and neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, see County Overview.
Chamber of commerce: (323) 469-8311.
