California’s small towns – Beverly Hills: part 4 – basic facts

Geography
Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are both completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. In particular, Beverly Hills borders northwest with the Bel-Air district of Los Angeles and the Santa Monica Mountains, east with West Hollywood, the Carthay district with Los Angeles and the Fairfax district with Los Angeles, and the Beverly district with Los Angeles in the south. The “Platinum Triangle” area is made up of the cities of Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Holmby Hills neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

Despite the city’s name Beverly Hills is a relatively flat land leaning towards the hills. Houses located on the hillside north of Sunset Boulevard have a much higher value than the average price of apartments in the rest of the city. Santa Monica Boulevard divides “dwellings” into two areas, known locally as “north or south of the tracks”, referring to rail tracks that were once used by the old Pacific Electric streetcar line that traversed Beverly Hills along Santa Monica Blvd. Houses south of Wilshire Boulevard have more urban square and rectangular plots, generally smaller than those in the north. There are also more residential buildings south of Wilshire Boulevard than anywhere else in Beverly Hills and the average home value south of Wilshire is the lowest in Beverly Hills. Almost all Beverly Hills businesses and government offices are located south of Santa Monica Boulevard. Two notable exceptions are the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Just outside the city to the west is the Los Angeles Country Club. Other locations commonly associated with Beverly Hills are Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Beverly Center, just outside the city limits in the east.

Climate
Beverly Hills has a warm Mediterranean climate with an average of 85F (29.4 degrees Celsius) in August and an average of 67F (19.5 degrees Celsius) in January (source Weather.com). Beverly Hills also receives an average of 18 inches (460 mm) of rain per year. The summers are characterized by warm and hot temperatures with very little wind, and the winters are warm to moderate, with occasional rainfall alternating with periods of Santa Ana winds. Measurable snowfall was not recorded until 1882, 1922, 1932, 1949 and 1958.

Some curiosities from the modern history of Beverly Hills

• In mid-drought in 2015, Beverly Hills was recognized as one of the largest water consumers in all of California. As a result, the state asked for a reduction of consumption by 36%, which prompted many residents to replace the lawns with native plants. In the meantime, the town hall replaced the grass in front of the town hall with the so-called “Mexican sage.”
• In September 2015, the city of Beverly Hills signed an agreement with Israel on cooperation in the field of water consumption, as well as “cyber security, public health, emergency services, disaster preparedness, public security, counteracting terrorism, and art and culture.”
• In April 2016, the Beverly Hills city council adopted a resolution on the creation of autonomous public transport vehicles over the next decade. Mayor John Mirisch said that this was one of his main priorities during his term as mayor. “This changes the rules of the game for Beverly Hills and, we hope, for the region,” said Mirisch in a press release. “Beverly Hills is the perfect community to take the initiative to make this technology a reality. Now autonomous cars are both feasible and safe.”
• In July 2016, the City of Beverly Hills received the Livability Award from the Conference of Mayors of the United States for its ambassador program that looks after the city’s homeless population.
• Community Dog Park in Beverly Hills was opened on September 6, 2016.
• In November 2016, Beverly Hills City Council adopted a resolution condemning UNESCO’s decision to deny the Jewish history of the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.

Rodeo Drive 
The most famous place in Beverly Hills is Rodeo Drive. It’s a place where you can feel the real climate of California and also meet face to face with luxury and glamour. We definitely recommend having your camera ready at all times, as you never know who you can see while strolling thru Rodeo Drive. Many celebrities come around, looking for an outfit for their next performance. However, if the celebratory world is not close to you, pay attention to the architecture of this place – the whole street was arranged to remind of streets straight from the south of Europe. You get the momentary impression that you are in Italy or the shores of France, not in the heart of distant America.

Most expensive store in the world

The House of Bijan, the most expensive store in the world, is located on Rodeo Drive and requires a reservation to shop. Socks cost $50 and suits start at $25,000. Upon entering, take note of the amber colored crystal chandelier, made from over 1,000 authentic Bijan perfume bottles. The front window is engraved with the names of well-known clients such as President Barack Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Jordan, Tom Ford, Jay Leno, and many others.

The richest street in Beverly Hills 
Beverly Park Circle, deep in Beverly Park, which is known to luxury real estate agents as the most exclusive closed community in Los Angeles, has an average home value of $16,489,565, while Beverly Park Terrace – which connects to the Beverly Park Circle loop – boasts the value of houses to $15,813,337, according to Zillow.

The world’s first 24-hour cupcake ATM

It takes debit card just like the ATM at the bank, but instead of cash, it dispenses fresh-baked cupcakes. Not only are they delicious, they taste even better because it’s so much fun. You’ll find the ATM next to the bakery at 9635 S Santa Monica Blvd, two blocks west of Rodeo Drive.

The Beverly Hills Hotel is the cities first historic landmark

Known as “The Pink Palace”, this luxury hotel on Sunset Boulevard offers a spa center with a full-service La Prairie and beautiful outdoor pool. It is only 1.6 km from the center of Beverly Hills. 12 tropical gardens are shield to bungalows in hotel, invoking an air of privacy on the hotel and the comings and goings of its guests. Hotel’s list of former guests has a few of the star names like Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich. Elizabeth Taylor’s father once had an art gallery here. People who stayed at Beverly Hills Hotel describe this place as a pleasant, comfortable, and also beautiful with best restaurant and staff.

Many famous films have been shot at the Greystone Mansion

Greystone Mansion is an official park in Beverly Hills. With an advance tour reservation you can enter and explore the first floor of the mansion. Movies are being shot here frequently – scenes from popular films such as The Bodyguard, Spider Man 1-3, Rush Hour, The Big Lebowski and There Will Be Blood. As for TV, Murder, She Wrote and The Mentalist used the home for filming.

Beverly Hills is home to the world’s first Cheesecake Factory

Just one block off Rodeo Drive on North Beverly Drive, lies the world’s first Cheesecake Factory.  This factory opened in 1978 and today they have over 150 restaurants.

The Beverly Wilshire is where “Pretty Woman” was filmed

The famous Beverly Wilshire Hotel was constructed in 1928 on part of the site of what used to be the Beverly Hills Speedway. The famous Beverly Hills High School is on land that was also once a part of the Beverly Hills Speedway.  Beverly Hills High School attended famous people like Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, David Schwimmer, Tori Spelling, and Betty White, Lenny Kravitz, Monica Lewinsky, etc.

This is the most filmed city in the world

The Paley Ceneter For Media is a museum of television and radio. The museum combines an extensive tape library with several public galleries, education and listening rooms, and a 150-seat theater. The museum’s entire library of 100,000 programs covers more than 75 years of TV and radio broadcasts. Radio buffs can avail themselves of the listening room and studio on the ground floor.

Walk of Style
In 2003, Rodeo Drive underwent a renovation at a cost of $18 million. The renovation included widening the streets, adding pedestrian diagonal crossings, and fig trees were cut down and replaced with palm trees. In September of the same year, the Rodeo Drive Committee developed the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style. Walk of Style contains of boards placed on sidewalks along the street. Fashion icons are honored with an award for their work in style and fashion. At the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way there is a majestic, naked sculpture titled “Torso”. This statue was created by the world-famous sculptor Robert Graham and is a symbol of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style. Recipients of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style award receive the “Torso” model also designed by artist Bob Graham.

Events
Every year on Father’s Day, the annual Concours d’Elegance takes place at Rodeo Drive, presenting some of the most expensive cars in the world. The publisher of the Travel Frommer magazine called it “one of 300 events and festivals not to be missed around the world”. Fashion’s Night Out is an event that originated in 2009 in New York in the hope of reviving the economy during the recession. Its goal was to “celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence and boost the industry’s economy.” In 2012, 500 cities in the United States (including Los Angeles), as well as 30 cities around the world adopted the event which now takes place every September on the same night around the world. The carnival has a 60-meter Ferris wheel and other attractions on three blocks of the Rodeo Drive business district. The district also hosts the annual watch and jewelry festival.