Beverly Hills

About Beverly Hills California

Facts, Trivia and useful information

Elevation: 259 ft (79 m). Population 34,109 (2010).
Time zone: Pacific (MST): UTC minus 8 hours. Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7).

Beverly Hills, also known as "Garden Spot of the World" and "Bev Hills" is famous for being the home to many rich people and Hollywood celebrities. Its coveted 90210 zip code is a symbol of success for those who live here. (Map of Beverly Hills).

The history of Beverly Hills

This area has been inhabited for over 10,000 years. Spanish explorers reached the region in 1542 and encountere, the Cahuilla, Tongva and Chumash natives.

Los Angeles was settled in 1781, and ranches were established close to the town. Sunset Strip was the trail built to link L.A. with the coastal area and along it, in what is now Beverly Hills, Quinteros de Valdéz established their 4,500 acre (1820 ha) ranch in 1828, the "Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas".

At that time, Mexico had already been six years independent from Spain, and California was part of its territory. However, it lost it to the U.S. after the 1846 War. The former province became a U.S. state in 1850.

Benjamin Wilson and Henry Hancock purchased the ranch in 1854 and subdivided it, selling the land to new settlers who arrived from the east. Andrew Denker and Henry Hammel bought part of the land and grew crops of lima beans on it. They planned a town which would be named Morocco, but never platted it.

After oil was discovered in L.A., the Amalgamated Oil Co. was formed in 1900 to find oil in what would become Beverly Hills, but the wells did not produce enough oil so they changed their company's name to "Rodeo Land and Water Co.", and in 1907, developed the land into a town: "Beverly Hills".

Beverly Hills Plaque on Sunset Blvd. Traveljunction

Though sales were slow at first, the Beverly Hills Hotel opened in 1912. Hotel guests liked the area and acquired land there. The city began to grow and incorporated in 1914.

When Hollywood stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford bought land in Beverly Hills in 1919, other movie stars (Rudolph Valentino and Will rogers) followed suite and built their mansions in the new town.

The 1939 "Guide to the Golden State" written by the WPA described Beverly Hills like this:

"... the home of many luminaries of the cinema world. Standing like a small island almost surrounded by the irregular boundaries of Los Angeles, it is an independent city ..... Many of the earlier motion picture stars built homes here because the then undeveloped rolling foothills offered ample space for large estates near Hollywood studios and ocean beaches. Today it has become almost traditional for the principal screen stars to be represented in the community by large homes, partly because of their publicity value; and Beverly Hills residential architecture has achieved a new note of splendor. Most of the mansions are in the foothills; in the level lowland area south of Sunset Blvd. are smaller bungalows, bungalow courts, apartment houses, and hotels. Many privately owned concerns conduct tours through the city, and up-to-date guide books listing the names and the constantly changing addresses of the well-known residents are available"
...
"Many actors and extras still live in Hollywood, but most of the stars prefer Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, and ranches in the San Fernando Valley."

Route 66 in Beverly Hills

Route 66 was created 1926 but it originally ended in downtown Los Angeles. In 1936 it was extended along Santa Monica Blvd. (Then State Highway 2) all the way to Santa Monica. It passed right through Beverly Hills and remaind so until it was decommissioned in 1964 as a U.S. Highway in this area.

Where to Lodge in Beverly Hills

Lodging in Beverly Hills

More Lodging near Beverly Hills along Route 66

Motels and Hotels close to Beverly Hills, California

Heading West... Hotels & Motels in California...

• 6 miles Santa Monica

Weather in Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills has its own micro-climate: which is warm and hot, averaging. Summer is hot and dry, with hardly any wind and winter is not terribly cool due to the moderating effect of the sea.

However January nights can be quite cool. Spring is warm and Fall is short swinging from hot to cool. Beverly Hills has some 296 sunny days each year.

The average high during summer (Jul) is 85°F (29.4°C); the summer average low is 62°F (17°C). The winter (Jan) average high is 67°F (19.5 °C) with an average low of 46°F (8°C). Snow is very rare and has only fallen five times since 1882.

Rainfall averages 18 in. (460 mm) yearly concentraded between December and April. During the rest of the year less than 0.5 in. falls monthly.

Tornado risk

Beverly Hills is located barely 7 miles from the Pacific Ocean and well beyond the Rocky Montains (which are the western limit for tornados) so there is no risk of tornados in the city.

Tornado Risk: read more about Tornado Risk along Route66.
 

Getting to Beverly Hills

You can reach Beverly Hills along old Route 66 or via Interstate 10, 15, 5, 215, 610, 405, US 101 or state higways 110 and 134, all of them freeways.

Tourist sights in Beverly Hills

What to Do, Places to See

• In Beverly Hills
• Tours & Itineraries

Great Tours in Beverly Hills

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Beverly Hill attractions

Beverly Hills is well known for being the city of the famous and wealthy who shop on Rodeo Drive. It has some classic hotels: the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills (Carlton) and The Beverly Hills Hotel. The Union 76 Service Station and the Site of the Beverly Theatre. Don't miss the City Hall and the Electric Fountain, both in Art Deco style.

City Tour

Below we describe a short (just over 5 miles long) tour around Beverly Hills (Map with directions).

City Hall

Beverly Hills Historical building

455 North Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills

Our tour starts here. this building was designed by William J. Gage and Harry G. Koerner. It was built in Spanish Revival Style and it opened in 1932. It was designated as part of the city's list of historical preservations in 2013.

See its Street view.

Union 76 Service Station

Crescent Drive and South Santa Monica Blvd.

This is classic example of Googie Architecture. Architect Gin Wong designed it as part of Los Angeles International Airport, but the design was used here, and the service station was built in 1965.

Its curved triangular canopy supported by two columns is like a spacecraft lifting off. The canopy's contour is decorated with squares.

Googie architeture was born in California in the 1950s, and was very popular in the 1960s. Its bold geometric shapes proclaimed the coming of both Space and Atomic Ages. Boomerang shaped roofs, glassed structures and angled buildings were very popular and many cafes, gas stations and fast food outlets sported them.

Keep west and take a left along Rodeo Drive

Rodeo Drive

Rodeo Drive south of Santa Monica Blvd.

Rodeo Drive is to Beverly Hills what Fifth Ave. is to New York: an avenue with expensive high end chic brands.

Though the avenue runs for 2 miles, the commercial section is a short three blocks between Santa Monica Blvd. on the north and Wilshire Boulevard on the south.

The rich and famous shop here at the best boutiques: Bucci, Dior, Chanel, Armani, Valentino, Ralph Lauren, YSL, Cartier and Tiffany.

North of Santa Monica Boulevard, are the homes of many Hollywood Stars.

Site of the Beverly Theatre

206 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills

Demolished in 2005, the theatre opened in 1925. It was designed to resemble a Chinese Temple with a domed roof. It could seat 1,270 spectators. It closed in 1977. (Further Reading).

Sterling Plaza

9429 Wilshire Boulevard

To the right of the former theatre (see image above), is the historic Art Deco styled Sterling Plaza. It was built in 1929 and was the California National Bank building in Beverly Hills. It is a seven story structure completed just before the Crash of 1929. It was acquired by Donald Sterliing in the 1990s and renamed after him.

Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills former Carlton

9400 W Olympic Blvd,. Beverly Hills

The former Beverly Hills Carlton was built in 1949. It was Marilyn Monroe's home for 3 years. Refurbished recently it still maintains its 50's facade but is now a 4-star boutique hotel.

You can Book a Room in the Avalon Hotel

Now head north to visit a classic:

The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows

Historic Landmark

9641 Sunset Boulevard

The hotel opened in 1912, two years before Beverly Hills incorporated. Designed by Elmer Grey, it was built in Mediterranean Revival Style.

During the 1940s its restaurant, the "Polo Lounge" opened, and in 1948 it was painted pink. The Crescent Wing was built in 1949.

Its 208 rooms and suites plus 23 bungalows have seen many Hollywood stars and celebrities.

It was named the first historic landmark in Beverly Hills in 2012.

Now head back to Route 66 and go west along Santa Monica Boulevard to visit the Electric Fountain:

Electric Fountain

Corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Wilshire Blvd.

When Santa Monica Park was renamed Beverly Gardens in 1930, the fountain which had been planned inthe late 1920s was erected at the busy intersection.

Designed by artist Robert Merrell Gage (1892 - 1981) and built by Ralph Carliin Flewelling.

The small sculpture at the top is a Tongva native in prayer, the fountain includes terracotta tiles in Art Deco style and a frieze depicting the history of California.

It gets its name from the changing lights that illuminate it (see it above).

Tours & Itineraries

Visit neighboring West Hollywood or head west to Santa Monica, the western terminus of Route 66.

Old Route 66 in Beverly Hills, California

The map above shows the different alignments of Route 66 through Greater Los Angeles over the years:

All colors mentioned below are shown in the Map above.

The 1926 to 1931 Alignment into Los Angeles is shown in Blue in the map. The 1931 to 1934 Variant is shown in the map in Orange as is the 1935 Alignment through Eagle Rock shown in Green line.

There was also the 1936-1939 Alignment (Later US 66 Alt.), shown in Red in the map.

The later alinments include the 1940 to 1964 Arroyo Seco Parkway to L.A. (Pale Blue).

1936: Route 66 extended from Los Angeles to to Santa Monica

This is the US 66 that passed through West Hollywood. It is also shown in Pale Blue, west of Los Angeles in the map above for the Hollywood Freeway and Santa Monica Blvd. segments and Brown for the 1936 - 1949 alignment along Sunset Blvd.

Santa Monica Blvd. 1936 - 1964

US 66 heads west, until the "End of the Road" in Santa Monica and crosses West Hollywood and Beverly Hills as well as the Western part of L.A..

Beverly Hills

To its east is West Hollywood, and Los Angeles is to its west, south and north (City map). US 66 starts at N. Doheny Dr. on the border with West Hollywood and ends on Heath Ave. in the west; total length: 1.8 miles. This is Map of US 66 in Beverly Hills.

Sources

A Guide to the Golden State Federal Writers' Project of the WPA Hastings House, N. York, 1939.

Banner image: Dead Man's Curve, Laguna New Mexico by Perla Eichenblat.