Beverly Hills
Gucci, Prada, Versace, and many other names that stand for opulence and wealth line the shops of Rodeo Drive and the Golden Triangle. The playground of heiresses and the social elite, Beverly Hills is a bastion of material excess and solid gold style. Houses in the area range from the extravagant in size and splendor to the divinely elegant. Outstretched palm leaves extend their shadows over stately manors situated on some of the city's most sought after addresses. Apartments and condos are also highly fought over as seekers look to move and mingle among high society ravenously pursue available vacancies.
The famous Beverly Hills Hotel is a Hollywood landmark of sorts that has been seen on film, television, and thousands of postcards distributed throughout the world. Home to movie stars and eccentric entrepreneurs, it is definitely a sight worth checking out if one happens to be in town. Other accommodations in the area offer more affordable, yet still memorable lodging.
High-end car dealerships are also not an uncommon find in the city. If names like Rolls Royce, Jaguar and Ferrari are to your liking then you'll find yourself in the ideal location to take hold of those million dollar keys.
As far as dining is concerned, Beverly Hills offers many options to sate any budget. Medium range venues can be located side-by-side with their upscale brethren. There are many scrumptious dishes awaiting you regardless of budget or social status.
Explore Beverly Hills: Attractions | Restaurants | Hotels
History of Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, in Los Angeles, was founded and named by Burton Green in 1906. Green and his wife named it after Beverly Farms, Massachusetts. Green wanted to create wide curving streets that hugged the hills and honored the beautiful scenery instead of defacing it. The city's first streets were Rodeo, Canon, Crescent, Carmelita, Elevado and Lomitas, which were constructed in 1907 by landscape architect Wilbur D. Cook. Cook also created Santa Monica Park.
To stimulate more development, the Beverly Hills Hotel was constructed in 1912. The hotel became the center of community life, serving as a theater, meeting place and church. The elegant lifestyle made possible by the hotel prompted movie stars to build their Hollywood homes here. Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were the among first to relocate to Beverly Hills in 1919. They were soon followed by stars such as Gloria Swanson, Will Rogers, Thomas Ince, Charlie Chaplin, Tom Mix, Carl Laemmle, Ronald Coleman, King Vidor, John Barrymore, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Jack Warner, Clara Bow, Marion Davies, Harry Cohn and Rudolph Valentino.
After the World War II years, Beverly Hills continued to develop into one of the most popular and glamorous places to eat, live, frolic and shop. High-end shopping districts like Rodeo Drive, were marketed as a once-in-a-lifetime shopping experience. Glamorous hotels like the Beverly Wilshire and the Beverly Hilton opened their doors, accomodating even more visitors. As the film and television industry took off, the city's global reputation proliferated as images of sets from shows like The Jack Benny Show and The Beverly Hillbillies were beamed to living rooms around the world.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census of Population and Housing, the population of the city is 33,784. The development and population growth of the city has slowed down, due to wanting to preserve what remains of the past and keeping its history alive, but the mystique of Beverly Hills as a place of wealth and beauty will never stop growing.
