Beverly Hills

The Rodeo Land and Water Company laid out Beverly Hills in 1906 after oil exploration on the former Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas failed, and the city incorporated in 1914. The Beverly Hills Hotel opened in 1912, the film colony arrived in the 1920s, and the city has kept its own government and services through more than a century of growth around it.

The city is divided by its two main boulevards. North of Santa Monica Boulevard are the flats and the hills, with the widest lots and the largest homes; between Santa Monica and Wilshire is the business district around Rodeo Drive and the civic center; and south of Wilshire are the smaller residential lots and the condo blocks toward Olympic and Pico.

North of Santa Monica Boulevard, the flats hold estates on deep lots along streets such as Roxbury, Bedford and Beverly Drive, and above Sunset the Trousdale Estates mid-century homes, the Beverly Hills Post Office area and the canyon roads carry hillside and view properties. These streets set the top of the Westside market. Note that the “Beverly Hills Post Office” area with the 90210 ZIP code north of the city limits is actually in the City of Los Angeles and is served by its schools.

South of Wilshire, the streets between Wilshire and Olympic have Spanish, Tudor and traditional homes on lots of 5,000 to 7,000 square feet, along with many duplexes and small condo buildings. The condo market runs from Doheny Drive and the Wilshire corridor to the blocks near Olympic and Robertson, and prices vary with building age and services.

The Beverly Hills Unified School District serves the city, with Beverly Hills High School and its K-8 schools. The district covers only the incorporated city; addresses in the Beverly Hills Post Office area or with a Beverly Hills mailing address but outside the city limits are in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Check a specific address with the district.

Wilshire, Santa Monica and Sunset boulevards run east–west through the city to Hollywood, Century City and the beach, and the 405 and 10 are each about ten minutes away. The Purple Line subway extension adds a Wilshire/Rodeo station in the business district. Beverly Gardens Park, Greystone Mansion and the Franklin Canyon trails are inside or at the edge of the city.