Hollywood, CA Real Estate

One may not think of Hollywood as a place to live. After all, it is home to the famous Graumann’s Chinese Theatre, with its famous forecourt with many famous Hollywood characters’s footprints and handprints forever immortalized in cement, Rodeo Drive, with its unique, upscale, shops, and, of course, the Walk of Fame.

Hollywood is actually considered a portion of the City of Los Angeles. It has never actually been an incorporated city in and of itself, having first gotten its start as the community of Cahuenga. The actual name “Hollywood” has been reported as having come from the abundance of natural holly bushes found in and around the area. Alternatively, as a name coined by H. J. Whitley, “the father of Hollywood”; or, as one story goes, by Henry Wilcox placing the name “Hollywood” on development maps after his wife had heard the name from a woman whom she met on a train who mentioned that Hollywood was the name of her family home.

While no one knows exactly where Hollywood got its name, the fact still remains that one can, indeed, live in Hollywood. More specifically, one can live in any one of the nineteen neighborhoods and communities which surround the Hollywood/Downtown civic area.

There are actually dwellings available in, or at least very near, downtown Hollywood. These include a number of luxury apartment homes and penthouses, as well as several single-family residences. The majority of private homes (as opposed to multi-family—condos, townhouses), are located in the slightly more outlying areas.

One particular area in Hollywood, Little Armenia is so named for the large number of Armenian-Americans which live there. The name "Little Armenia" was officially designated by the City in October 2000, to reflect the large Armenian population and hundreds of highly visible Armenian businesses within this area. This area boasts its own church and private school, serving grades K-12.

“Thai Town” is a neighborhood of Los Angeles centered along Hollywood Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Western Avenue in Hollywood. The half-mile long neighborhood was designated by the City Council in October 1999. This half-mile long area can be considered the central meeting place for Thai residents of Los Angeles who make up the largest Thai population outside the actual country of Thailand.

Those who live in and around Hollywood, CA, and have children of school age can choose from five public elementary schools, three public middle schools, and one public high school, all served by the Los Angeles Unified School District. In addition, there is one private elementary school in Hollywood.