The Neighborhoods of Los Angeles

Surf, sun, sand. Los Angeles has seventy miles worth of beaches. If you dream of living on the beach, then one of L.A.'s beach communities is a solid bet. You'll have to share your spot on the sand with the tourists who come to relive their favorite moments from Baywatch, but that's the price you have to pay if you want your own personal piece of the Pacific.

Beach Communities Districts

• Hermosa Beach
• Long Beach
• Manhattan Beach
• Redondo Beach

Beverly Hills and the Wilshire District are home to some of the city's priciest real estate, and the most famous zip code in the world - 90210. If you're looking for luxurious mansions or lofts to die for, this is the place.

Beverly Hills and Wilshire Districts

• Beverly Hills
• Fairfax District
• Park La Brea
• Koreatown

Welcome the the cement and steel heart of the City of Angels. It was a boom town of business and success during the 1940s and 50s. Then came the suburbs, traffic, white flight, crime, poverty, and infrastructure disintegration. Various efforts to revive Downtown during the '80s and '90s met with limited success at best. However the new millennium has brought a wave of business, construction, and cash into Downtown. New luxury lofts are popping up all over in formerly run-down buildings. Ralph's has opened a new location, giving Downtown residents a full-service local grocery store for the first time in 50 years.

Downtown Districts

• Bunker Hill
• Chinatown
• Little Tokyo
• Skid Row
• MacArthur Park

Welcome to the San Fernando Valley. You could drop the five boroughs of New York City into the Valley and not touch a freeway. Movies like Valley Girl and Fast Times at Ridgemont High have added a touch of questionable glamor to the neighborhoods north of the Mulholland divide. It's suburbia meets Hollywood. The Walk of Fame may be on the south side of the hill, but you're a thousand times more likely to spot a TV star in a Studio City coffee shop than you are at Hollywood and Highland.

East Valley Districts

• Arleta
• Burbank
• Lake View Terrace
• North Hollywood
• Pacoima
• Panorama City
• San Fernando
• Shadow Hills
• Sherman Oaks
• Studio City
• Sun Valley
• Sunland
• Sylmar
• Toluca Lake
• Van Nuys

Head East young man. Then keep going a little farther east. You're almost there. Glendale and Pasadena lie on the eastern border of Los Angeles. They are communities rich in history and local pride. To Westside residents, Pasandena seems about as far away as Las Vegas, but it's worth the trip to explore a beautiful and historic part of L.A.

Glendale and Pasadena Districts

• Altadena
• Atwater Village
• Eagle Rock
• La Caņada Flintridge
• La Crescenta
• Old Pasadena
• South Pasadena
• Tujunga

Hollywood is one of the most famous neighborhoods in the world, but many new arrivals don't know what to expect when they actually arrive in the city. The neighborhood's historical slide from glamorous center of the film industry to seedy, crime-ridden den of iniquity is part of the story of L.A. past. Today's Hollywood is getting closer and closer to Disneyland every day. The neighborhood's revival is great for tourism and business, but some locals miss its rough underbelly.

Greater Hollywood Districts

• Echo Park
• Los Feliz
• Melrose
• Silver Lake
• West Hollywood

L.A. Harbor is home to the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest port in the nation. The heavy industry of Terminal Island and the beaches of San Pedro mix it up in a uniquely Los Angeles stew.

L.A. Harbor Districts

• San Pedro
• Terminal Island
• Wilmington

Due south of L.A. County is Orange County. The spread out nature of Southern California means that many residents are living in one county and working the other. It's home to beautiful beaches and industry parks, and a wide mix of second and third generation Californians and new arrivals from all parts of the world.

Orange County Districts

• Anaheim
• Huntington Beach
• Irvine

L.A.'s northernmost neighborhoods are found in Santa Clarita. Take the 405 north and you'll get there. It is home to a massive construction boom as hordes of Angelenos head north to find more affordable housing, good schools, and safe neighborhoods.

Santa Clarita Districts

• Canyon Country
• Castaic
• Newhall
• Saugus
• Valencia

South L.A. is also known as South Central. It's been fodder for the Hollywood movie mill for years. Colors and Boyz N the Hood were both set here. The gang violence and crime that plagues this section of Los Angeles is well known. The beautiful architecture, the historical landmarks, and the thriving communities don't get as much play in the press. But they make up an integral part of the Los Angeles tapestry.

South L.A. Districts

• Baldwin Hills
• Compton
• Crenshaw
• Watts

If you're north of Mulholland and west of the 405 you're in the West Valley. This family-friendly area of the city is a suburban sprawl of Angelenos. It's been the butt of pop culture jokes for years, see Encino Man for more, but it's also dotted with beautiful neighborhoods and cool places to visit.

West Valley Districts

• Chatsworth
• Encino
• Granada Hills
• North Hills
• Northridge
• Mission Hills
• Tarzana
• Thousand Oaks
• Topanga Canyon
• Woodland Hills

The exact boundaries of the region of L.A. known as the Westside are open to a bit of debate, but it's safe to say, if you're south of Mulholland and west of the 405, you're in the Westside. It encompasses the wealthy oceanside enclave of Malibu, artistic, free-spirited Venice, the shops of Santa Monica and the office towers of Century City.

Westside Districts

• Bel-Air
• Century City
• Malibu
• Pacific Palisades
• Playa del Rey
• Santa Monica
• Venice
• Westwood