Geography and Population
More than the world’s most famous ZIP code – in fact, there are three local ZIP codes – Beverly Hills is a community recognized internationally as synonymous with luxury, celebrity and the good life. An incorporated city since 1904, the City of Beverly Hills includes Rodeo Drive’s famous shopping district, renowned hotels and restaurants along Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards, and tree-lined residential streets. The city is adjacent to West Hollywood, Bel Air and Century City. The main thoroughfares are east-to-west-running Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards -- two "parallel streets that intersect." Most commercial and apartment buildings are found south of Santa Monica Boulevard.
The population of Beverly Hills is nearly 34,000; and there are about 15,900 residences. About 62% of the total residences are high-end apartments and luxury condominiums, with the remaining 38% being single-family homes. In the Flats of Beverly Hills, many legendary former homes of movie stars and entertainers are visible from the street. However, most of today’s celebrities have chosen to live North of Sunset, where winding roads, security gates and walled estates afford greater privacy.
Despite its glitz-and-glamour image, the residential areas of Beverly Hills and "Beverly Hills Post Office" (ZIP codes 90211 and 90212) are quiet tree-lined neighborhoods, with equal amounts of growing families, young professionals and retirees. Eight parks, a large library and three country clubs lie within the city limits, and the Beverly Hills police and private security firms have helped insure that the crime rate in Beverly Hills is one of the lowest in the greater Los Angeles area.
Beverly Hills Homes and Neighborhoods
A melange of styles – from opulent to understated, from 1920’s Spanish to Mid-century contemporary – can all be found within Beverly Hills. No matter what the style of residence, a pride of ownership is constant and insures that Beverly Hills real estate remains a highly-desired commodity and a good investment over time. In Lower Beverly Hills, Spanish-style homes from the 1920’s and 1930’s have been well-maintained or lovingly restored. Both single-family dwellings and multi-unit residences can be found on the quiet streets just off of Santa Monica, Wilshire and Robertson Boulevards.
Beverly Hills Flats is populated with more Traditional home styles, many of which have been designed by well-known architects such as Robert Byrd, Paul Williams, Richard Landry and Gus Duffy North of Sunset, the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains lead north to Mulholland Boulevard. Benedict, Coldwater and Beverly Canyon Drives are the main roads, with winding side streets lined with contemporary and architectural homes – many of which are cantilevered over the hillside to take advantage of canyon views.
The City of Beverly Hills offers homebuyers a plethora of styles to choose from. From opulent new Mediterranean-influenced construction designed to dazzle and impress, the quiet stability of a more traditional style of architecture in a tree-lined neighborhood, quaint Jazz-era Spanish homes with original tiles and moldings, or fantastic architectural and contemporary homes – it’s all found within the environs of Beverly Hills.
Community and Culture
Much more than shop-’til-you-drop, Beverly Hills is home to significant architecture, world-class cuisine, delightful public spaces and community events year ‘round.
The Cactus Garden, on Santa Monica Boulevard between Camden and Bedford, is home to one of the world’s largest collection of cacti and succulents – and one of the few such gardens in an open-air public setting. The 14-acre Beverly Gardens were established in 1911, and remain a favorite charitable cause of local gardeners and nature enthusiasts.
On Beverly Drive, The Museum of Television and Radio pays homage to the entertainment industry that drives much of the local economy. Designed by Richard Meier, of Getty Center Museum fame, the museum houses a library of over 75,000 television and radio shows. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is headquartered 12 blocks away on Wilshire Boulevard.
Beverly Hills residents have myriad family-oriented events throughout the year, many of which are held at the local Farmer’s Market on Canon. The annual pie-baking (June), chili-cooking (August) and strawberry pancake (March) festivals bring out local food lovers each year. The world-renowned Playboy Jazz Festival goes local each May with a community concert in the Civic Center Plaza – a locale that is an outstanding example of Spanish Renaissance architecture.
