West Hollywood, California

Nickname: WeHo
Website: www.weho.org

West Hollywood, an incorporated city in Los Angeles County, California, was founded on 29 November 1984. The total residential population is just over 37,000; however, the nighttime and weekend population swells to between 80,000 and 100,000, with a high of up to 500,000 during major events such as Halloween or the Gay & Lesbian Pride Parade, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department which provides police services for West Hollywood. The city is one of the most notable gay villages in the United States. This area is occasionally referred to as WeHo and BoysTown.

West Hollywood is bordered on the north by the Santa Monica Mountains, on the east by the Hollywood District of Los Angeles, on the west by the city of Beverly Hills and on the south by the Fairfax District of Los Angeles.
Contents

    * The Abbey Food & Bar
    * Barney's Beanery
    * Chateau Marmont
    * Comedy Store
    * Formosa Cafe
    * House of Blues
    * Here Lounge
    * Hyatt West Hollywood
    * The Schindler House by mid-century architect Rudolf Schindler
    * Pacific Design Center
    * Plummer Park
    * Rainbow Bar and Grill
    * The Roxy Theatre
    * Samuel Goldwyn Studios
    * San Vicente Inn
    * Tail O' the Pup
    * Troubadour
    * Sierra Towers
    * Sunset Strip
    * Viper Room
    * Whisky a Go Go
    * Whisky Bar

West Hollywood has a distinctive street design scheme, with postmodern street signs featuring a blue map of the city. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department vehicles that patrol West Hollywood feature the same map of the city, but in the rainbow colors of the gay community.

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 Boulevard to Robertson Boulevard, known as "boys' town," is among the most popular gay neighborhoods in the world, with numerous well-known spots such as the nightclubs Rage and Mickys.

Today, West Hollywood contains some of the most exclusive condominium complexes on the West Coast with "name" buildings such as Shorham Towers and Sierra Towers. On the exclusive cul-de sac Alta Loma Road are the popular buildings known as The Empire West and The Park Wellington.

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. Actor Sal Mineo lived on this street in the 1970s; he was murdered in his carport just around the corner from Alta Loma Road on Holloway Drive.

The western stretch of Melrose Avenue, between Fairfax Avenue and Doheny Drive, is notable for its trendy clothing boutiques, interior design shops, restaurants and antique stores. The west end of Melrose, near the Pacific Design Center, is especially known for its exclusive furniture.

The area around Fountain Avenue, Harper Avenue and Havenhurst Drive contains a high concentration of landmark 1920s Spanish Revival and Art Deco apartment buildings by such noted architects as Leland Bryant. This historic district has been home to many celebrities and at one time the Sunset Tower at 8358 Sunset Boulevard was home to Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn, the Gabor Sisters, John Wayne and Howard Hughes.

The Robertson/West 3rd Street area is another area in West Hollywood with hip shops and cafes.

Events

West Hollywood Halloween Carnival

The West Hollywood Halloween Carnival is an event that takes place annually on October 31. The largest Halloween street party in the United States (spanning over one mile of Santa Monica Boulevard from La Cienega Boulevard on the East to Doheny and the Beverly Hills border on the West), the 2005 Carnival was reported to have more than 350,000 people in attendance, with some traveling from other countries specifically for this event and has already been estimated to have peaked over 500,000 this year where pop diva Tiffany performed and was named honorary mayor of the city.

Christopher Street West ("CSW")

Christopher Street West is a Gay Pride parade and festival that was first held in June 1970 in Hollywood to commemorate the first anniversary of Stonewall riots in New York. After incorporation, the event moved to West Hollywood and is typically held the second weekend in June so as not to conflict with the celebrations in San Francisco and New York City, and with Father's Day (because many deputies request that day off and do not want to work overtime on that day).