Bel Air, Los Angeles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California)
Jump to: navigation, search
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2010)
Bel Air
—  Neighborhood of Los Angeles  —
The Bel Air west gate at Sunset and Bellagio
Bel Air, Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles
Bel Air
Location within Western Los Angeles
Coordinates: 34°05′00″N 118°26′52″W / 34.08333°N 118.44778°W / 34.08333; -118.44778
Country United States
State California
County Los Angeles
City Los Angeles
Area
 • Total 6.37 sq mi (16.5 km2)
Time zone Pacific

Bel Air (sometimes incorrectly hyphenated as Bel-Air) is a small, affluent residential community in the hills of the Westside of the city of Los Angeles, California.[1] Together with Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills it forms the Platinum Triangle of Los Angeles neighborhoods.[2]

Bel Air is situated about 12 miles (19 km) west of downtown Los Angeles[3] and includes some of the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. It borders the north side of UCLA along Sunset Boulevard. At the heart of the community sits the Bel-Air Country Club and the Hotel Bel-Air. The community was founded in 1923 by Alphonzo E. Bell, Sr.[4]

It is bordered by Brentwood on the west and southwest, Westwood on the south, Beverly Hills Post Office on the east, and Sherman Oaks on the north. The Bel Air Association has been operational since 1942, dedicated to preserving the aesthetic appearance of the residential community. The Bel Air Association is located at the entrance of the East Gate of Bel Air at 100 Bel Air Road.[5]

Contents

Residences[edit]

Residences in Bel Air tend to be hidden from the winding roads of the community. Residences range from relatively modest ranch-style houses, to large mansions. In general, the higher up the mountain, the smaller the building lots, and more modest the houses. Multi-family housing is not permitted and ordinances regarding architectural styles and lot sizes help to preserve the area.

Neighborhoods[edit]

Of several entrances, there are two main ones: the East Gate at Beverly Glen and Sunset Boulevards, and the West Gate at Bellagio Road and Sunset Boulevard, opposite an entrance to UCLA. Bel Air is generally subdivided into three distinct neighborhoods: East Gate Old Bel Air, West Gate Bel Air and Upper Bel Air.

Attractions[edit]

The Hannah Carter Japanese Garden is located in Bel Air . It was inspired by the gardens of Kyoto. Many structures in the garden - the main gate, garden house, bridges, and shrine - were built in Japan and reassembled here. Antique stone carvings, water basins and lanterns, as well as the five-tiered pagoda, and key symbolic rocks are also from Japan. Several hundred tons of local stones came from the quarries in Ventura County and the foot of Mt. Baldy, northeast of Los Angeles.

Television and film[edit]

Television shows and movies have been filmed in Bel Air, or are said to take place in the community. Exterior shots for the Beverly Hillbillies were shot in and around 750 Bel Air Road,[6] built by Lynn Atkinson (and later sold to hotelier Arnold Kirkeby after Atkinson's wife refused to move into a house she thought too ostentatious) After the exterior shooting was completed, the residents of that address forbade any more filming, as passers-by would wander onto the property and ask to see 'Granny'.[7] Exterior scenes from movies such as Get Shorty have also been filmed in the area.[citation needed] Several television films of The Rockford Files were filmed in Bel Air.Google Maps display of estate used in several episodes The television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was set in the neighborhood although the exterior shots used were filmed in nearby Brentwood.[8] The Bel Air Film Festival, first held in 2008,[9] is an annual international film festival held in Bel Air and the Los Angeles area.

Brentwood–Bel Air fire[edit]

Question book-new.svg
 This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

On November 6, 1961, 60 mph (97 km/h) Santa Ana winds blew burning brush into the affluent Bel Air and Brentwood communities. The fire originated in the hills to the north of the community, when a bulldozer working at a construction site struck a rock. This caused a spark that ignited the dry brush.

Life magazine called it "A Tragedy Trimmed in Mink," and residents scrambled to do battle with the blaze that swept through Bel Air and Brentwood that day. Flaming embers danced from roof to wood-shingled roof, spreading the fire across the Santa Monica Mountains to the south and into the Westside.[citation needed]

Maureen O'Hara risked her life to remain at her home and hose down her wooden roof. Fred MacMurray battled the flames and contained damage to just a portion of his home.[citation needed] Comedian Joe E. Brown saw his home burn to the ground. Burt Lancaster and Zsa Zsa Gabor also lost their homes.[citation needed]

More than 300 police officers helped evacuate 3,500 residents during the 12-hour fire, and more than 2,500 firefighters battled the blaze, pumping water from neighborhood swimming pools to douse flames in some areas. Pockets of the fire smoldered for several days. Even as firefighters battled what was to become the Bel Air disaster, a separate fire had erupted simultaneously in Santa Ynez Canyon to the west, further straining local firefighting resources. That blaze was contained the next day after consuming nearly 10,000 acres (40 km2) and nine structures and burning to within a mile of the inferno raging in Bel Air and Brentwood.[citation needed]

At least 200 firefighters were injured, many by the tar from the roofs of the homes[citation needed]. Still, the fires were the fifth worst conflagration in the nation's history at the time, burning 16,090 acres (65.1 km2), destroying more than 484 homes and 190 other structures and causing an estimated $30 million in damage.[citation needed]

Demographics[edit]

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,928 people in the neighborhood. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 86.24% White, 6.84% Asian, 4.65% Hispanic, 1.93% Black, 0.06% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 3.59% from two or more races.

In 2009, the Los Angeles Times's "Mapping L.A." project supplied these Bel Air statistics: population: 7,928; median household income: $207,938[10]

Government and infrastructure[edit]

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services SPA 5 West Area Health Office serves Bel Air.[11]

It lies within the 5th city council district, represented by Paul Koretz. It is located in the 90077 (Bel Air Estates & Beverly Glen) ZIP code, which is part of the city of Los Angeles.

Stone Canyon Reservoir lies in the northeastern part of Bel Air. Established in 1994, it serves around 500,000 people.

Emergency services[edit]

Fire services[edit]

Los Angeles Fire Department Station 71 is in the area.[12]

Police services[edit]

The Los Angeles Police Department operates the West Los Angeles Community Police Station at 1663 Butler Avenue, 90025, serving the neighborhood.[13]

Education[edit]

The American Jewish University, located in the Bel Air Casiano neighborhood

Primary and secondary schools[edit]

Primary schools[edit]

The community is within the Los Angeles Unified School District. The area is within Board District 4.[14] As of 2009 Steve Zimmer represents the district.[15]

Two elementary schools, Roscomare Road Elementary School in Bel Air and Warner Avenue Elementary School in Westwood serve Bel Air .[16][17] Emerson Middle School in Westwood and University High School in West Los Angeles serve Bel Air .[17]

In addition, an LAUSD magnet school named Community Magnet Charter School is in Bel-Air. Because the school's point-based admissions system does not favor area residents, children living in Bel-Air generally do not attend the school.[18] It is located in the former Bellagio Road School campus.[19]

In April 1983 an advisory committee of the LAUSD recommended closing eight LAUSD schools, including Bellagio Road School. The committee did not target Fairburn Avenue School in Westwood, as a way of allowing it to preserve its ethnic balance, and so it can take children from Bellagio Road in the event that it closed.[20] In August 1983 the board publicly considered closing Bellagio, which had 240 students at the time.[21] The school's enrollment had been decreasing. In May 1983 the board voted to keep the school open. In February 1984, after the composition of the board had changed, the board voted to close the Bellagio Road School.[22]

Bel-Air previously housed the Bellagio Road Newcomer School, a 3rd-8th grade school for newly arrived immigrants. In 2002 it had 390 students from Armenia, China, El Salvador, Guatemala, Korea, Russia, and other countries.[23] This program was housed in the former Bellagio Road school.[24]

Private schools[edit]

Private schools in the Bel Air area include:

Colleges and universities[edit]

Colleges and universities in Bel Air include:

Notable people[edit]

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Citations needed. Shorten descriptors to bare necessity. Keep one blue link per line . (April 2013)
Portal icon Greater Los Angeles portal

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Bel Air CA Real Estate Agents from West Los Angeles Realty California". Westlosangelesrealty.com. Retrieved 2013-01-14. 
  2. ^ "No housing slump for super-rich - Sales and prices have never been better in the Platinum Triangle" By Annette Haddad, July 07, 2007, Los Angeles Times
  3. ^ "Driving Directions from Los Angeles, CA to Bel Air, CA". Mapquest.com. Retrieved 2013-01-14. 
  4. ^ Real Estate By Nili - Los Angeles History
  5. ^ [1][dead link]
  6. ^ "Real Estate > TV Show Buildings At A Glance". Tv Acres. Retrieved 2013-01-14. 
  7. ^ http://westsidetoday.com/article.php?articleid=164 westsidetoday.com
  8. ^ "Fresh Prince House – For Real This Time!". Iamnotastalker.com. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2013-01-14. 
  9. ^ Michael Jones (October 21, 2008). "Bel Air gets a fest". Variety (blog). Retrieved July 23, 2010. 
  10. ^ "Air "Bel Air" entry on the ''Los Angeles Times'' "Mapping L.A." website". Projects.latimes.com. Retrieved 2013-01-14. 
  11. ^ "About Us." Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Retrieved on March 18, 2010.
  12. ^ "Fire Station 71," Los Angeles Fire Department
  13. ^ "West LA Community Police Station," Los Angeles Police Department
  14. ^ Board District 4 Map. Los Angeles Unified School District. Retrieved on November 24, 2008.
  15. ^ "Board Members." Los Angeles Unified School District. Retrieved on September 16, 2009.
  16. ^ Savage, David G. "Many Minority Students Back in Their Old Schools." Los Angeles Times. April 11, 1982. San Diego County SD1. Retrieved on March 23, 2010. "... and talkative black girl, rode a school bus from her home west of down- town Los Angeles to Roscomare Road Elementary School in the hills of Bel Air ."
  17. ^ a b Lesel, Helene. "A Part of the City, Yet Apart from it Too." Los Angeles Times. March 6, 2005. 2. Retrieved on March 23, 2010.
  18. ^ Guzman, Stephanie. "A Look Into L.A. Unified: Community Magnet." Neon Tommy (Annenberg Digital News). University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. August 15, 2010. Retrieved on January 15, 2012.
  19. ^ "Community School Proposed Relocation to Bellagio Road School Community Meeting." Community Magnet School. July 8, 2002. Retrieved on January 15, 2012.
  20. ^ Faris, Gerald. "Closing of 8 Schools Recommended, One Near Airport." Los Angeles Times. April 17, 1983. South Bay SB2. Retrieved on January 16, 2012.
  21. ^ Pool. Bob. "Board to Consider Closing 4 More Valley Schools." August 7, 1983. Valley V2. Retrieved on January 16, 2012.
  22. ^ Savage, David G. "L.A. Board to Close 5 More Schools." Los Angeles Times. February 7, 1984. Part II C2. Retrieved on January 16, 2012.
  23. ^ Helfand, Duke and Erika Hayasaki. "$459 Million in Cuts Are Considered for Fiscally Strapped L.A. Schools." Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2002. 2. Retrieved on January 16, 2012.
  24. ^ Shuster, Beth. "PILOT PROGRAM URGED FOR 8 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS." Los Angeles Daily News. Friday May 13, 1988. Valley News N1. Retrieved on January 16, 2012.
  25. ^ "The John Thomas Dye School," Bel Air Association
  26. ^ "Marymount High School," Bel Air Association
  27. ^ Sanchez, HRH The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air Rene. "Presidential library, Bel Air streets become centers for grieving." Washington Post at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sunday June 6, 2004. 13A. Retrieved on January 16, 2012.
  28. ^ Brenoff, Ann (2011-05-20). "Liz Taylor's Bel-Air Home Hits Market at $8.6 Million | AOL Real Estate". Realestate.aol.com. Retrieved 2013-01-14. 

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bel Air
Compass rose pale.svg Encino, California & Santa Monica Mountains Sherman Oaks Studio City
 
Compass rose pale.svg
 
North
Brentwood, Los Angeles - I405 West   Bel Air    East Beverly Glen, Los Angeles
South
Santa Monica, California UCLA - Westwood, Los Angeles Los Angeles Country Club -Beverly Hills

Coordinates: 34°05′00″N 118°26′52″W / 34.08333°N 118.44778°W / 34.08333; -118.44778
Districts and
neighborhoods
A beach in Venice
Points of
interest
Neighboring cities
and communities
Topics
Seal of the City of Los Angeles
Government
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bel_Air,_Los_Angeles&oldid=560221814"