Beverly Hills is bordered by Bel-Air, Santa Monica Mountains, West Hollywood and Beverlywood. The affluent neighborhood known as the "Platinum Triangle" is formed by Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Holmby Hills. Most residents live in the "flats" of Beverly Hills. The houses situated in the hills north of Sunset Boulevard have a much higher value then the average house price for the rest of the city. Santa Monica Boulevard divides the "flats" into two areas, "North or South of the tracks". Houses south of Wilshire have more urban square and rectangular lots and are generally smaller than those to the north. There are also more apartment buildings south of Wilshire Blvd than anywhere else in Beverly Hills. The average house value south of Wilshire is the lowest in Beverly Hills.
Nearly all businesses and government offices in Beverly Hills are located south of Santa Monica Boulevard, two notable exceptions being the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The Golden Triangle with Rodeo Drive at its center was built and marketed to the rest of the world as the shopping destination of a lifetime. The Beverly Hills Farmers' Market is a weekly outdoor certified market. The market is located along Civic Center Drive between Third Street and Santa Monica and is open Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine.
Beverly Hills is served by Beverly Hills Unified School District, which includes four K-8 schools (Hawthorne, El Rodeo, Beverly Vista, and Horace Mann), Moreno High School, and the Beverly Hills High School.
BRENTWOOD
Brentwood is bordered by Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, Westwood, Bel Air and Encino. Most Brentwood residents reside in single-family homes, though there are some multi-family homes. Large apartment complexes and condominiums in the area house young professionals and students attending UCLA and USC.
Popular destinations include Brentwood Country Mart, Brentwood Village and the farmers' market. The Getty Museum is located in the hills high above Brentwood, near the 405 freeway and the Sepulveda pass.
Brentwood is served by Los Angeles Unified School District, which includes four elementary schools (Brentwood Science Magnet, Kenter Canyon, Brockton Avenue, and Pacific Palisades), Paul Revere Charter Middle School, University High School and Palisades Charter High School.
CENTURY CITY
Century City is bordered by Westwood, Rancho Park, Cheviot Hills, Beverlywood and Beverly Hills. Century City is a commercial and residential district and is an important business center and many firms and executives in the film, television, and music industries have their corporate offices there.
Century City is served by Los Angeles Unified School District, which includes Westwood Charter Elementary School, 2 middle schools (Ralph Waldo Emerson Middle School and Webster Middle School) and University High School.
CULVER CITY
Culver City is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. In the 1990s, Culver City launched a successful revitalization program in which it renovated its downtown as well as several shopping centers in the Sepulveda Boulevard corridor near Westfield Culver City. The influx of many art galleries and restaurants to the eastern part of the city designated the area as the Culver City Art District.
Construction began in 2006 on the first phase of the Expo line, a light rail line from Downtown Los Angeles to a terminal station at the Culver Junction which opened on June 20, 2012. The line is currently being extended westward to Santa Monica with a projected opening date in 2016.
Culver City is served by Culver City Unified School District, which includes five elementary schools (El Marino Language, El Rincon, La Ballona, Linwood E. Howe and Farragut), Culver City Middle School and Culver City High School. In addition, there is an Independent Study Program where elementary, middle school, or high school students can drop off and pick up homework on a weekly basis. At STAR Prep Academy, a private middle and high school that shares its campus with the STAR ECO Station, an exotic wildlife rescue center, students have the unique opportunity to work with exotic and endangered animals as part of their school-day curriculum on a daily basis.
MARINA DEL REY
Marina del Rey is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles and shares a border with Venice and Playa del Rey. It is an affluent unincorporated seaside community. Fisherman's Village offers a view of the Marina with the world's largest man-made small craft harbor with 19 marinas and is home port to approximately 6,500 boats.
Marina del Rey's location near LAX makes air travel convenient for residents and visitors. Additionally, you can walk, bike or skate over to neighboring Venice Beach. During summer months, free weekend shuttle service runs to and from Venice Beach.
There are no schools located within Marina del Rey and is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Students attend nearing Coeur d'Alene Avenue Elementary School, Marina del Rey Middle School, and Venice High School.
PACIFIC PALISADES
Pacific Palisades is bordered by Brentwood, Malibu, Topanga, Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Bay and the Santa Monica Mountains.
It is primarily a residential area, with a mixture of large private homes, small (usually older) houses, condominiums, and apartments. The district also includes some large parklands and many hiking trails. The Pacific Palisades is known as "Where The Mountains Meet the Sea".
Pacific Palisades is served by the Los Angeles Unified School District with 3 elementary schools (Pacific Palisades, Canyon and Marquez), Revere Charter Middle School and Palisades Charter High School.
SANTA MONICA
Santa Monica is bordered by Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, West Los Angeles, Mar Vista and Venice. Santa Monica is home to executives and Hollywood celebrities amongst others and it is a mixture of affluent, single-family neighborhoods, renters, surfers, young professionals, and students. From the beaches of the Santa Monica Bay to award-winning restaurants and accommodations, to cutting-edge California culture with world-renowned designers, name brands and independent boutiques which line the streets of Santa Monica. Santa Monica's cultural offerings run the gamut, with over 75 museums and art galleries within the walkable 8.3 square mile city limits.
By 2016, the EXPO Line will offer a great option for Santa Monicans to move around town gridlock-free, and get from Santa Monica to Downtown LA. When complete, it should take 46 minutes to travel from Downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Santa Monica.
Santa Monica is served by Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District which includes eight elementary schools (Edison, Franklin, Grant, John Muir, McKinley, Roosevelt and WIll Rogers Learning Community), two middle schools (John Adams and Lincoln) and two high schools (Olympic and Santa Monica). In addition to the traditional education model, SMASH (Santa Monica Alternative School House) is "a K-8 public school of choice with team teachers and multi-aged classrooms."
VENICE
Venice is bordered by Santa Monica, Mar Vista and Marina del Rey. Venice is known for its canals, beaches and Ocean Front Walk, 2 1/2 mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors. Abbot Kinney Boulevard is one of the main attractions of the area, with retail stores, restaurants, bars and galleries lining the street.
Venice Beach includes the beach, Ocean Front Walk, Muscle Beach, the handball courts, the paddle tennis courts, Skate Dancing Plaza, beach volleyball courts, the bike trail and the businesses and residences that have their addresses on Ocean Front Walk. The basketball courts in Venice are renowned across the country for their high level of street ball and numerous NBA players were developed or recruited from these courts. The Venice Breakwater is an acclaimed local surf spot in Venice, located north of the Venice Fishing Pier. Along the southern portion of the beach, at the end of Washington Boulevard, is the Venice Fishing Pier. The Oakwood portion of Venice, also known as Ghost Town and the "Oakwood Pentagon," lies inland from the tourist areas and was known for it's gang activity. By 2003, many Los Angeles Westside gang members resettled in the city of Inglewood. By the end of the 20th century, gentrification had altered Oakwood.
East Venice is separated from Oakwood and Milwood by Lincoln Boulevard near the Mar Vista border. The area mostly consists of small homes and apartments as well as Penmar Park and Penmar Golf Course. The existing population is being supplemented by new arrivals who have moved in with gentrification.
Venice is served by Los Angeles Unified School District schools, which has four elementary schools (Coeur d'Alene Avenue, Westminster Avenue, Short Avenue and Broadway), Mark Twain Middle School and Venice High School.
WESTWOODWestwood is bordered by Brentwood, Bel-Air, Century City, Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Rancho Park and Sawtelle.
A center of movie-going on the Westside and the site of many movie premieres, Westwood is home to several vintage movie theaters, including the Art Deco Crest, the Mann Village (once called the Fox Theater) and the Bruin Theatre. Westwood is also home to the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, the final resting place of many of Hollywood's biggest stars. The Hammer particularly notable for its collection of Impressionist art and cutting-edge modern art exhibitions is also located here. Westwood Village is within walking distance of the UCLA campus. There is a multitude of culturally-based restaurants condensed into this small area, so that students and Westwood visitors can choose from a variety of food options.
Many of the residents are generally affluent, living in high-rise apartment buildings and in Holmby Hills, there are some of the most luxurious single-family houses in Los Angeles. Single-family homes tend to be east and southeast of UCLA. Housing in the portion of the district bounded by Sepulveda, Santa Monica, Westwood, and Wilshire Boulevards is mostly low- or medium-rise apartment buildings catering to upscale young professionals, as well as some UCLA students. Most UCLA students in Westwood, however, live in the hilly area of low-rise apartments between Veteran Avenue and the campus's western boundary or South of Wilshire. Because of consistently high demand and the district's proximity to so many Westside attractions and businesses, rental housing in Westwood is very expensive relative to most areas of Los Angeles.
Westwood is serviced by the Los Angeles Unified School District which includes three elementary schools (Fairburn Avenue, Westwood Charter and Warner Avenue), two middle schools (Emerson and Webster) and University High School.