West Hollywood (abbreviated WeHo) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, bordered on the north by the Santa Monica Mountains, on the north and east by the Hollywood District of Los Angeles, on the west by the city of Beverly Hills and on south by the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. West Hollywood is the first city in the USA to enact a law banning cat declawing. Council member John Heilman is the city's longest serving council member and has served continuously since 1984. The current mayor is Abbe Land.
West Hollywood is located at 34°5'16" North, 118°22'20" West (34.087909, -118.372160).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 km2 (1.9 mi2). 4.9 km2 (1.9 mi2) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 35,716 people, 23,120 households, and 5,202 families residing in the city. The population density is 7,335.1/km2 (18,992.7/mi2). There are 24,110 housing units at an average density of 4,951.6/km2 (12,821.0/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 86.43% White, 3.09% African American, 0.36% Native American, 3.78% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 2.87% from other races, and 3.35% from two or more races. 8.80% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 23,120 households out of which 5.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 16.4% are married couples living together, 4.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 77.5% are non-families. 60.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 1.53 and the average family size is 2.50.
In the city the population is spread out with 5.7% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 48.6% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 123.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 125.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $38,914, and the median income for a family is $41,463. Males have a median income of $45,598 versus $35,750 for females. The per capita income for the city is $38,302. 11.5% of the population and 7.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.0% of those under the age of 18 and 10.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
For many years, the area that is now the City of West Hollywood was an unincorporated area in the midst of the City of Los Angeles that was under the jurisdiction of "the county." It was illegal to gamble in the city of Los Angeles, but legal in the county, and in the 1920s many nightclubs and casinos went in along the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood for this reason, specifically to avoid the heavy-handed policing of the LAPD, that had no jurisdiction in WeHo. Being that at the time the area was not a part of the city of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were in charge of policing the area, which they continue to do to this day.
Movie people were attracted to this less restricted "county" area and a number of architecturally fine apartment houses and apartment hotels were built. Movie fans throughout the world knew that Ciro's, the Mocambo, the Trocadero, the Garden of Allah, the Chateau Marmont, and movie stars could be seen on the Sunset Strip.
Eventually, the area and its extravagant night spots lost favor with movie people. But the Strip and its restaurants, bars and clubs, continued to be an attraction for locals and out-of-town tourists. In the late 1960s, the Strip was transformed again during the hippie movement. Young people from all over the country flocked to West Hollywood clubs such as the Whisky A Go-Go and the Troubadour.
In the 1960s as Ciro's was on the decline it the held the first gay dance nights on Sunday nights. Men dancing together was illegal in those days but like the casinos and speakeasies that had gone before, the laws were not strictly enforced. This tolerance lead to more gay clubs after Ciro's closed and the end of the anti-gay laws that prohibited dancing between two persons of the same gender in Los Angeles County.
In the early 1970s, there was a large influx of Russian Jews from the Fairfax District and gays.
Those gay nights at Ciro's were commonly called "Tea Dances" . Eventually Ciro's closed and the building is now the home of The Comedy Store.
In November 1984, voters passed a proposal on the ballot to incorporate and the area became the City of West Hollywood because of a threat that united all the tenants in the area. That uniting factor was rent control. The county was in the process of abolishing rent control in all unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. That factor however galvinized the residents of the area to band together and form the city and impose rent control on all rental units built before 1979.
Because of the large gay population and the large numbers of gay-oriented businesses, West Hollywood became prominently known as a gay village. The section of Santa Monica Boulevard from La Cienega Blvd to Robertson Blvd, known as "boys town," is among the most important gay neighborhoods in the world, with numerous well-known spots such as the nightclubs Rage and Mickys. West Hollywood was the first city in the country to have a majority-gay city council, and in 1985 it was the first city to have same gender domestic partnership registration for its residents, and same gender domestic partner benefits for its employees.
West Hollywood has a distinctive street design scheme, with postmodern street signs featuring a blue map of the city that resembles a hand gun. L.A. County Sheriffs Dept. vehicles that patrol West Hollywood feature the same map of the city, but in the rainbow colors of the gay community.
Today it contains some of the most exclusive condominium complexes on the West Coast with "name" buildings such as Shorham Towers, Sierra Towers, and on the exclusive cul-de sac, Alta Loma Road, the popular buildings known as The Empire West and The Park Wellington. These four buildings, where the cheapest one bed room units never sell for under $500,000, often containing pools, gyms, tennis courts, & hot tubs, are ofter referred to in the media as the "Sunset Strip Condos" that are the security guarded homes of the Hollywood elite.
Former Friends star Matthew Perry purchased one of the exclusive units in one of the buildings for $2.5 Million. Author and journalist Susan Berman lived at The Park Wellington for years prior to her move to Benedict Canyon. Shortly after the move however, Susan Berman was mysteriously murdered on Christmas Eve, 2000. More recently, Cher purchased a one-bedroom, 2,400-square foot condo from producer/actor/musician Vincent Gallo for $4.5 million dollars.
Alta Loma Road is also home to the exclusive hotel "The Sunset Marquis" with its famous 45 person Whisky Bar and a recording studio that has been the home to many hits. Alta Loma Road was one of the main locations for the film Perfect but it was also the home a tragedy. In the 1970s it was the street on which Sal Mineo lived and died.
Source:
WestHollywoodCalifornia.com
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