area guide & school information
Bel Air
Bel Air is an affluent, exclusive residential community in the Westside of Los Angeles. It includes some of the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains and borders on the north side of UCLA. Residences in Bel Air tend to be private and hidden from the winding roads of the community. Most homes are not visible to the naked eye, as they are hidden by well manicured hedges and gates. Residences range from modest ranch style homes to the multi-story configurations to grand mansions. While some homes in Bel Air seem quite modest from the outside, often lying only six feet from the street they however, have larger grounds. In general, the higher up the mountain, the smaller the building lot and more modest the homes.
Schools for the Bel Air Area
Warner Avenue Elementary School
Roscomare Road Elementary School
Emerson Middle School
University High School
Other useful sites
Bel Air Association
Find out which school district a specific address is in
Beverly Hills
In spite of the city's name, most residents live in the "flats" of Beverly Hills, a relatively flat land that includes all of Beverly Hills south of Sunset Blvd. The homes in the hills north of Sunset Boulevard have a much higher value than average homes in the rest of Beverly Hills, and the most expensive homes in Beverly Hills are all in the hills. Wilshire Boulevard divides the "flats" into two areas, locally know as "North or South of the tracks," referring to the train tracks that were once used by the old Redline stockcar that traversed Beverly Hills along Wilshire Blvd. Homes south of Wilshire have more urban square and rectangular lots, generally smaller than those to the north. There are also more apartment buildings south of Wilshire Blvd than anywhere else in Beverly Hills, and the average home value south of Wilshire is the lowest in Beverly Hills.
Beverly Hills Post Office (BHPO) is a part of Los Angeles that lies in the hills just north of the City of Beverly Hills. This area, as the name might indicate, shares the 90210 zip code with Beverly Hills proper. The very hilly terrain makes BHPO seem like the Hollywood hills in character, with many homes overlooking dramatic views of the city.
Except for the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Hilton Hotel, all businesses and government offices in Beverly Hills are located south of Santa Monica Blvd.
Schools for the Beverly Hills Area
Hawthorne Elementary/Middle School
El Rodeo Elementary/Middle School
Horace Mann Elementary/Middle School
Beverly Vista Elementary/Middle School
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills School Districts
Other useful sites
City of Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills Farmers Market
Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce
Beverlywood
Beverlywood is bordered by Century City on the northwest, Cheviot Hills on the west, Culver City on the south and Crestview on the east. The district boundaries are roughly Robertson Blvd on the east, the Culver City limits on the south, Beverwil Drive on the west and Monte Mar on the north.
Almost all of the Beverlywood's inhabitants live in single-family homes built between the 1920's and the 1950's. Contained within the district's area is the Beverlywood Homes Association, considered one of the most powerful in Los Angeles, having successfully fought off the 1960's up-zoning that occurred in areas such as Palms and West LA.
Schools for the Beverlywood Area
Canfield Elementary School
Palms Middle School
Hamilton High School
Other useful sites
Beverlywood Homes Association
Find out which school district a specific address is in
Brentwood
Brentwood is known as being one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Los Angeles and one of the prominent districts of the Westside. The topography of the areas is generally split into two area - north of Sunset & south of Sunset. The areas north of Sunset is defined by ridges and canyons, while the areas south of Sunset is relatively flat. There are a number of residential subdistricts, including Brentwood Circle, Brentwood Glen, Brentwood Park, and canyons such as Bundy Canyon, Kenter Canyon and Mandeville Canyon.
Schools for the Brentwood Area
Kenter Canyon Elementary
Brockton Avenue Elementary
Pacific Palisades Elementary
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
University High School
Palisades Charter High School
Other useful sites
Brentwood Homeowners Association
Library - Donald Bruce Kaufman Brentwood Branch
Find out which school district a specific address is in
Cheviot Hills/Rancho Park
Cheviot Hills & Rancho Park are bordered on the south by Interstate 10, on the north by Century City & Westwood, on the east by Beverly Hills, and on the west by the 405 freeway. This area features 2 golf courses (Hillcrest Country Club and Rancho Park Golf Course), a large public park as well as a private tennis & social club (Beverly Hills Country Club). It is in close proximity to the office towers of Century City and two upscale shopping malls (Westfield Century City Mall and the Westside Pavilion).
Schools for the Cheviot Hill/Rancho Park Area
Castle Heights Elementary
Overland Avenue Elementary
Westwood Charter Elementary
Emerson Middle School
Palms Middle School
Hamilton High School
Other useful sites
Cheviot Hills Homeowners Association
Rancho Park Golf Course
Hillcrest Country Club
Beverly Hills Country Club
Westside Neighborhood Council
Find out which school district a specific address is in
Culver City
Culver City is surrounded by the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Mar Vista, West Los Angeles and Palms to the north; Westchester to the south, the Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights areas to the east and Venice to the west. The major geographic feature of Culver City is Ballona Creek, which runs northeast to southwest through most of the city before it drains into Santa Monica Bay.
Culver City offers a revitalized & remodeled downtown area, numerous art galleries, a central location and it's own school district, Culver City Unified School District.
Schools for the Culver City Area
El Marino Language Elementary
El Rincon Elementary
La Ballona Elementary
Linwood Howe Elementary
Farragut Elementary
Culver City Middle School
Culver City High School
Culver City School District
Other useful sites
Culver City Arts District Guide
City of Culver City
Things to Do in downtown Culvery City
Chamber of Commerce
Palms/Mar Vista
The Palms/Mar Vista neighborhoods are know for their central location and affordability. Santa Monica lies to the northwest, West Los Angeles to the north and Culver City to the east.
Schools for the Palms/Mar Vista Area
Beethoven Elementary
Mar Vista Elementary
Walgrove Elementary
Mark Twain Middle School
Daniel Webster Middle School
Culver City Middle School
Venice High School
Santa Monica
Santa Monica enjoys an average of 325 days of sunshine a year. Because of its location, nestled on the vast and open Santa Monica Bay, morning fog and haze are a common phenomenon in May, June and early July (caused by ocean temperature variations and currents). Locals have a particular terminology for this phenomenon: the "May Gray" and the "June Gloom". Overcast skies are common for June mornings, but usually the strong sun burns the fog off by noon.[citation needed] Nonetheless, it will sometimes stay cloudy and cool all day during June, even as other parts of the Los Angeles area will enjoy sunny skies and warmer temperatures.
Santa Monica is also the home of the Third Street Promenade, a major outdoor pedestrian-oriented shopping district that stretches for three blocks between Wilshire Blvd. and Broadway Blvd. Third Street has been closed for those three blocks and converted to a pedestrians-only stretch to allow people to congregate, shop and enjoy street performers.
Schools for the Santa Monica Area
Edison Language Academy
Grant Elementary
Franklin Elementary
John Muir Elementary
McKinley Elementary
Roosevelt Elementary
John Adams Middle
Lincoln Middle
Olympic High School
Santa Monica High School
Other useful sites
District Map
City of Santa Monica
Santa Monica Pier
Venice
Venice is known for its canals, beaches and circus-like ocean front walk which features performers, fortune-tellers and vendors. It is an important tourist attraction and has retained its popularity in part because it is an easy place to walk and bike around. Venice is a pedestrian-oriented area for Los Angeles - many of is houses actually have their principal entries from pedestrian-only streets.
Schools for the Venice Area
Coeur d'Alene Avenue Elementary
Westminster Avenue Elementary
Mark Twain Middle School
Venice High School
Other useful sites
Venice Farmers Market
LAUSD School Finder
Westwood
While Westwood is most widely recognized as being the home of UCLA, Westwood is also the known as one of the most desirable residential areas in Los Angeles. Westwood features a central location, excellent schools, desirable shopping locations, museums and cultural events. Westwood is bordered by Brentwood on the west, Bel-Air on the north, Century City and Beverly Hills on the east, and Rancho Park on the south.
The Wilshire Corridor features elegant penthouses and condominiums that are part time homes for some the top celebrities of Hollywood. Holmby Hills is a quiet retreat from the hussle & bussle of everyday city life.
Schools for the Westwood Area
Fairborn Avenue Elementary
Westwood Charter Elementary
Warner Avenue Elementary
Venice High School
