Westside Communities

Widely imagined in films, books, and television, the neighborhoods of Los Angeles are unique in character and rich in beauty. There are thousands of communities, each with a vibrant personality and an attractive range of features.

Here is a brief introduction to some of the region's most distinguished and desirable areas, listed in alphabetical order order.

Bel Air

When Alphonso E. Bell acquired his first 600 (of an eventual 4500) green canyon acres along the southern slope of the Santa Monica Mountains in 1922, he envisioned an upscale, exclusive neighborhood of grand estate properties, which he named “Bel-Air.” Subdividing the land into one-acre-or-larger parcels, he added impressive iron gates, roads, and utilities and established his planning office in what is today the main building of the Hotel Bel-Air. He added lush tropical vegetation to the native California chaparral, the Bel-Air Country Club was built in 1927 as part of Bell’s original development, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Bel Air, like neighboring Beverly Hills and Brentwood, is made up of both hillside and flat properties and is home to a wide assortment of architectural styles. Many homes have spectacular city, canyon and even ocean views, and some are surprisingly spacious, concealing expanses of interior and exterior space behind narrow frontage perched right on the street.

Located about 12 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, Bel Air sits just above the UCLA campus, minutes from Westwood, Beverly Hills, and Brentwood. The J. Paul Getty Museum of Art at the Getty Center and the gated residential development Bel Air Crest are located on the western edge of Bel Air.

Beverly Hills

An incorporated city surrounded on all sides by Los Angeles, Beverly Hills is widely recognized for its lavish stores and palm-lined boulevards. From the flats adjacent to the city's commercial hub, up into its lush winding hillsides, Beverly Hills offers palatial estates in a remarkable variety of architectural styles. Fringed by immaculately maintained gardens, many of these homes sit behind gates and offer a unique degree of seclusion within minutes of every conceivable amenity.

Beverly Hills has an outstanding school system, beautiful library, and lovely parks, and is home to the Museum of Television and Radio [www.mtr.org]. For more information on Beverly Hills, visit the city's official website at www.ci.beverly-hills.ca.us.

Beverly Hills Post Office (BHPO)

Tucked into the canyons and hillsides above Beverly Hills, the area known as BHPO has all the flair of that fair city, including a Beverly Hills zip code, but is actually part of the city of Los Angeles. Here you'll find a wide range of properties, from canyon bungalows to palatial gated estates. Many have canyon or city views and all are strategically located for convenient access to both sides of the hill: the Westside and Downtown in one direction and the studios of North Hollywood and Studio City in the other.

Brentwood

Bisected by San Vicente Boulevard with its huge, gnarled coral trees and lovely shops and restaurants, Brentwood has a dual character. On one side, you'll find streets tightly packed with condominium and apartment buildings highly desirable among nearby UCLA's students and faculty. On the other, you'll find streets of beautiful, large traditional and architectural homes reaching clear up into the hills. Brentwood’s homes are convenient to nearby San Vicente Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard or the attractive shopping enclave at Sunset and Barrington. The cafes and boutiques of Montana Avenue are just a few minutes west. Home to the famous Getty Museum, Brentwood is one of the Westside's most appealing communities.

Malibu

The quintessential beach community, Malibu offers seclusion and privacy, even in its busy shopping centers, where famous stars rub shoulders with barefoot surfers and respectful neighbors. Beach-side or land-side, Malibu's homes are replete with character and many offer spectacular coastline views. Luxury estates sit behind gates on sycamore-lined roads where horses are nearly as common as cars. Home to Pepperdine University and an incorporated city, Malibu is a tight-knit and appealing community whose residents appreciate their geographic distance from the hubbub of city life.

Pacific Palisades

Located on the western bluffs of Los Angeles overlooking the broad sweep of the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Palisades is a beautiful residential community with a small-town feel. Many of its large and gracious homes have coast or canyon views and behind gates sit some of the region’s truly outstanding architectural masterpieces. Bisected by wide Sunset Boulevard, Palisades “village” is home to charming restaurants, alfresco cafes and stores and is within minutes of the beach and hillside parks and riding, biking and hiking trails.

Santa Monica

From humble beginnings, Santa Monica has turned into one of the Westside's most coveted addresses. Cooled by ocean breezes even on the Southland's most blistering summer days, Santa Monica's neat grid of streets gives way to winding canyons and precipitous coastal bluffs. An incorporated city, Santa Monica has its own municipal services and schools and notable shopping along the Third Street Promenade, Main Street, and Montana Avenue. Its streets are lined with stately trees, including some of the tallest palms in the region, and renovations inspired by increasing property values have introduced an impressive variety of architectural styles to the city's enormous appeal.

Sunset Strip

A catch-all name that embraces a sweep of California history from Hollywood to Bel Air, Sunset Strip's residential neighborhoods are carved into a series of deep canyons above the famous boulevard. Here almost every house tells a story that includes movie stars and many offer views across canyons and over the sparkling cityscape below. Just minutes from the luxury boutiques of Sunset Plaza and the commercial buzz of West Hollywood, these neighborhoods are also convenient to Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles. The mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that connects Hollywood to Beverly Hills is densely populated with famous nightclubs, such as the House of Blues, the Whiskey and the Viper Room, ultra-lavish hotels, restaurants, and enormous colorful – and sometimes animated – billboards that can make just about anything look sexy.

To learn more about these or other Los Angeles areas or to view properties in these communities, call Coco at 310-278-6033 or e-mail Coco@WestsideLifestyles.com.

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