| Westside | |
|---|---|
| — Regions of Los Angeles County — | |
| The Westside as seen from a plane departing Los Angeles International Airport | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Los Angeles |
| Area | |
| • Total | 101.28 sq mi (262.3 km2) |
| Population (2000)[1] | |
| • Total | 529,427 |
| • Density | 5,227/sq mi (2,018.2/km2) |
| Demographics (2000)[2] | |
| • White | 63.3% |
| • Latino | 15.7% |
| • Asian | 11.5% |
| • Black | 5.1% |
| • Other | 4.4% |
| Area code(s) | 310, 424 |
| Consists of | |
| Los Angeles Neighborhoods | Bel Air Beverly Crest Beverlywood Brentwood Century City Cheviot Hills Del Rey Ladera Heights Mar Vista Pacific Palisades Palms Pico-Robertson Playa Vista Rancho Park Sawtelle Venice West Los Angeles Westwood |
| Other cities | Beverly Hills Culver City Santa Monica |
| Unincorporated areas | Marina del Rey Veterans Administration |
| Regions of Los Angeles County have no official government definition. Figures above according to the definition by the Los Angeles Times | |
The Los Angeles Westside is an urban region in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. It has no official definition, but, according to the Los Angeles Times, it comprises 101.28 square miles (262 km2), encompassing 18 districts in the city of Los Angeles and two unincorporated neighborhoods, plus the cities of Beverly Hills, Culver City, and Santa Monica.[3]
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Many of the major educational, retail, cultural, and recreational attractions of Greater Los Angeles are located in this area, as is a large portion of the entertainment industry. Century City is a major business hub of the Westside, containing many major production corporations, talent agencies, and entertainment law firms. Culver City houses several film studios and commercial effects houses. Santa Monica, Venice, Beverly Hills, and new developments near LAX are also important entertainment industry centers.
The Westside rivals downtown Los Angeles for the number of people commuting to it from other areas, in particular the San Fernando Valley to the north and the South Bay to the south.
The proposed Pacific Coast, Beverly Hills, and Laurel Canyon freeways went unbuilt in the face of massive community opposition. A great deal of development took place in anticipation of these roadways' construction, resulting in significant congestion on the area's surface streets during peak rush hour. Proposals to widen existing freeways have been explored, and, more recently, a previous proposal to turn Pico and Olympic boulevards into one-way streets has been revived.[4] The area is well covered by several Metro Rapid bus lines that traverse most major thoroughfares. Construction has commenced on the light rail Expo Line (Los Angeles Metro) that will connect Santa Monica to Downtown Los Angeles by 2013.
In the 2000 census, the Westside (as defined by the Los Angeles Times) had a population of 529,427. The areas within the city of Los Angeles that L.A. Almanac recognize as part of the Westside had a population of 413,351.[5] Originally, the Westside was overwhelmingly white, but it has grown more ethnically diverse. In 2000, non-Hispanic whites made up 63% of the population. Economic levels vary from middle class to upper class, and a majority of the wealthiest communities in Los Angeles County are located on the Westside.[6]
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