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History of Beverly Hills Although its wide, tree-lined boulevards and legendary mansions have been popular backdrops in movies and on television, the real charm of Beverly Hills is subtler and more alluring. Since the 1920s, Beverly Hills has housed the stars. Beverly Hills Post Office is still home to top stars and the richest of the rich. Residents enjoy the best that Southern California has to offer. The entire Beverly Hills area is celebrated throughout the world as a destination offering five-star hotels, shopping, dining and service. From the steps of the Italian-style 2 Rodeo Drive, to the open-air Rodeo Collection, to the restaurants of Brighton, Camden, Canon and Robertson, Beverly Hills is the ultimate walking village. It remains the foremost address for luxury and exceptional living and maintains a welcoming style and easy attitude that attracts residents and visitors alike.
Beverly Hills has a strong sense of community as well as strong commitment to
excellence in education. Beverly Hills Beverly Hills enjoys a dry, sub-tropical Mediterranean-like climate. Very little rain, low humidity and lots of sunshine make the weather ideal. There is virtually no rain between May and October, and an average of 15 inches of rain each year. Beverly Hills offers an extraordinary blend of California cuisine alongside traditional European restaurants, small bistros and trendy sidewalk cafes. Take a stroll around the famed Golden Triangle of Beverly Hills and savor the delicate aromas ranging from freshly brewed espressos to Peking duck to a host of other culinary delights-all within a few paces of each other. Ride the classic Beverly Hills Trolley which operates seasonally from the corner of Dayton Way and Rodeo Drive. The 40 minute tour drives by celebrity homes and points out significant architectural highlights of the city while imparting informative and interesting historical facts about this famous area. The history of Beverly Hills is the history of California itself. Spanish explorers invaded the quiet countryside populated by peaceful Indians. Families came in, land grants were made, and the Rancho became a way of life. Open grazing land became plowed fields; land booms came and went; oil fields were replaced by homes, and the cities grew, including Beverly Hills. Settlement was slow at first, and in 1914, it was necessary for P.E. Benedict to allow his land in Benedict, Franklin and Higgins Canyons to be added to the community so that its population could meet the 500 figure required for incorporation as a city. In 1919, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford launched the migration of motion picture people into Beverly Hills when they purchased land and built their famous home known as "Pickfair." Will Rogers became the first and only designated Mayor of the City in 1925, and in 1931 City Hall was built. The period since World War II has seen the growth of an outstanding business and financial section which joins with beautiful homes to create a complete city. Imposing banks, exclusive shops, superlative hotels and brokerage houses neighbor each other. Today, Beverly Hills is known around the world by five numerals - 90210.
Information from the 2000 U.S. Census of Population & Housing
Number of Households by Household Type
Information from the 1990 U.S. Census of Population & Housing
Assessed Valuation of Beverly Hills P.O.
History of Beverly Hills
More than one hundred years ago, a grant, with limits almost identical with the limits of Beverly Hills, was assigned under the name of El Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas--"The Ranch of the Gathering of the Water." Streams cascading down Coldwater and Benedict Canyons (then known as Canada de las Aguas Frias and Canada de los Encinos), gathered near the southern boundary where clear springs bubbled and a "Cienega", or swamp, formed in the rainy season. These streams have subsided and the Cienega is gone but the beauty of the primitive area has a modern counterpart today. A short one hundred and thirty-seven years separated the first known white man's vision of the site of the City-to-be and the opening of the subdivision of Beverly Hills in January, 1907. In August of 1769 a contingent of men under the leadership of Captain Gasper De Portola, Spanish Governor of the Californias, left their camping place, now known as Los Angeles, on the Rio De Nuestra Senora De Los Angeles De Porciuncula and traveled an Indian Trail, now Wilshire Boulevard to press their exploration of the province of Alta California for the King of Spain. Father Junipero Serra, destined to become one of the most famous men in California history, was a member of this expedition, but he had remained behind at San Diego to proceed northward by boat at a later date. For almost forty years thereafter, the only happenings in the area were the passage of Indians, explorers, and missionaries. Even the cession of California to the United States by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in 1848, and its admission to the Union as a State, in 1850, went relatively unnoticed. In 1852 Maria Rita Valdez De Villa petitioned for confirmation of patent granted in 1838 for one league (4539 acres) of the area. The house Maria had built stood somewhere near the present northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Alpine Drive. Maria had been widowed over twenty-five years before that time and had been left with a large family, the progeny of her soldier husband, Vincente Ferrer Villa. The name of Villa passes from the history of the immediate area in 1854 when Maria sold the Rancho for about $4,000, of which $3,000 was promised for payment in the future. However, the family maintained its "city" home in the pueblo of Los Angeles for some years thereafter on the present site of the federal building at Temple and Main Streets.
The land next passed into the hands of Charles Denker and Henry Hammel, proprietors of the United States Hotel at Main and Market Streets in Los Angeles, and became "one vast field of lima beans," supplying the culinary needs of the owners' Hotel. Many of the present residents of the city can remember the bean fields, cut through with a train tack to Santa Monica which passed a station called "Morocco" located in what is now Beverly Hills. The steam train was replaced by an electric trolley in 1896, but the era of peaceful bean fields survived until the turn of the century when the land was sold for oil development.
In
1906, after the oil drilling ventures of the Amalgamated Oil Company proved
unprofitable, the Rodeo Land and Water Company was formed under the guidance of
Burton E. Green for the development of the property as a subdivision. A city was
planned with wide streets of easy sweeping curves lined with Palm, Acacia,
Eucalyptus, and Pepper trees. It was named Beverly Hills by Green and his
associates, after
In 1919, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford launched the migration of motion picture people into Beverly Hills when they purchased land and built their famous home known as "Pickfair." In 1925, the citizens voted a $100,000 bond issue to join with Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Venice in purchasing a 385 acre campus site for UCLA. Will Rogers became the first and only honorary Mayor of the City in 1925, and in 1931 City Hall was built. It is worthy of note that the property tax rate in the City was $1.00 per $100.00 of value for the first seven years of its life. The 1961-1962 rate was $0.95 per $100.00 for a $7,500,000 City Budget. From a population of 29 at the time of the first census in 1836, 550 at time of incorporation in 1914, and 18,000 in 1930, the City has grown to over 32,000 at the time of the 1960 census. According to the United States Census Department, the 1990 population was 31,971. The period since World War II has seen the growth of an outstanding business and financial section which joins with beautiful homes to create a complete city. Imposing banks, exclusive shops, superlative hotels and brokerage houses stand side by side. Over 200,000 people work in the City. More than 1500 business licenses have been issued for doctors, lawyers and accountants. A full complement of service clubs and professional organizations serve the needs of these people. However, the growth of the commercial area has not lessened the beauty and desirability of the residential area. A high level of municipal services, parks, library, recreation programs, schools and churches all contribute to make Beverly Hills the "Garden Spot of the World."
 1928 -
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remains the foremost address for luxury
and exceptional living. With a population of 32,000 people living in 5.7 square
miles, Beverly Hills is considered one of the safest cities in California. In
addition, residents have access to the very best libraries, health care, public
schools and recreational activities. Residents enjoy a dry, Mediterranean-like
climate with little rain, low humidity and a lot of sunshine. The Beverly Hills
Unified District provides the skills and concepts necessary for students to gain
the mastery and confidence that will enable them to perform effectively in
society. The curriculum is designed to motivate all students to stretch and
reach their full potential. The emphasis is on individualization. Through the
growth of the commercial area, Beverly Hills has maintained its beauty and
desirability. A high level of municipal services, parks, library, recreation
programs, schools and churches all contribute to make Beverly Hills the "Garden
Spot of the World." 
The history of Beverly Hills is the history of California itself. Quiet
countryside populated by peaceful Indians was invaded by Spanish explorers.
Families came in, land grants were made, and the Rancho became a way of life.
Open grazing land became tilled fields; land booms came and went; oil fields
were replaced by homes, and cities grew--among them, Beverly Hills. 
Rancho Rodeo De Las Aguas was purchased from Maria by Major Henry Hancock, a New
Hampshire attorney, who came to California in the gold rush of '49, and Benjamin
Davis Wilson, a native of Nashville, Tennessee. "Don Benito" Wilson subsequently
loaned his name to Mount Wilson and his talents, first to the City of Los
Angeles as Mayor, and then to the State of California as a State Senator. Major
Hancock donated his name to the present-day Hancock Park, served as the first
Los Angeles County Surveyor and, later, as a State Assemblyman. Wheat, cattle,
oil and wool, in that order, were the products of the Rancho until 1868 when Dr.
Edward Preusss, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, purchased over 3600 acres of
it at a price of $10,775 for the development of a city to be known as the "Town
of Santa Maria." Lots were platted of about five acres each and placed on the
market at $10 each, but dry weather came and the land reverted to the sheep.
