Bel Air, Los Angeles

Bel Air
Neighborhood of Los Angeles
The Bel Air west gate at Sunset and Bellagio
Bel Air Location within West Los Angeles
Coordinates: 34°05′00″N 118°26′52″W / 34.08333°N 118.44778°W / 34.08333; -118.44778
Time zone	Pacific

Bel Air, Bel-Air or Bel Air Estates^[1] is an affluent neighborhood in Westside Los Angeles, California.

The neighborhood, which lies across Sunset Boulevard from the University of California, Los Angeles, is the site of four private and two public pre-collegiate schools, as well as of the American Jewish University.

Founded in 1923, the neighborhood has no multifamily dwellings and has been the filming location or setting for television shows. It has been the home of motion picture stars and of President Ronald Reagan.

Population

The 2000 U.S. census counted 7,691 residents in the 6.37-square-mile Bel Air neighborhood—or 1,207 people per square mile, among the lowest population densities for the city and the county. In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 8,253. In 2000 the median age for residents was 46, which was high for city and county neighborhoods. The percentages of residents aged 50 and older was among the county's highest.^[2]

The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $207,938, the highest figure for any neighborhood or city in Los Angeles County. Renters occupied 14.5% of the housing stock, and house- or apartment-owners held 85.5%. The average household size of 2.4 people was considered typical for Los Angeles.^[2]

The 4.1% of families headed by single parents was considered low for city and county neighborhoods. The percentages of married people in Bel Air were among the county's highest—66.0% for men and 65.7% for women. There were 808 veterans, or 12.9% of the population,^[2] the highest percentage of any neighborhood in the city.^[3]

The neighborhood was considered "not especially diverse" ethnically^[4] within Los Angeles, with a relatively high percentage of white people. The breakdown was whites, 83.0%; Asians, 8.2%; Latinos, 4.6%; blacks, 0.9%; and others, 3.2%. Iran (26.1%) and South Africa (8.2%) were the most common places of birth for the 24.1% of the residents who were born abroad—which was an average percentage for Los Angeles as a whole.^[2]

History

The community was founded in 1923 by Alphonzo E. Bell, Sr. He owned farm property in Santa Fe Springs, California where oil was discovered. He bought a large ranch with a home on what is now Bel Air Road. He subdivided and developed the property with large residential lots. He also built the Bel-Air Beach Club in Santa Monica and the Bel-Air Country Club. His wife chose Italian names for the streets. She also founded the Bel-Air Garden Club in 1931.^[5]

Together with Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills, Bel Air forms the Platinum Triangle of Los Angeles neighborhoods.^[6]

Geography

Bel Air is situated about 12 miles (19 km) west of downtown Los Angeles^[7] and includes some of the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. It lies across Sunset Boulevard from the northern edge of the main campus of the University of California, Los Angeles. At the heart of the community sits the Bel-Air Country Club and the Hotel Bel-Air.

Nearby places, not necessarily contiguous, include:

	Encino, California and Santa Monica Mountains	Sherman Oaks	Studio City
	Brentwood, Los Angeles and Interstate 405	Bel Air	Beverly Glen
	Santa Monica, California	UCLA and Westwood Village	Los Angeles Country Club and Beverly Hills

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bel Air has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.^[8]

Residences

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

Of several entrances, there are two main ones: (1) the East Gate at Beverly Glen and Sunset Boulevards and (2) 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

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

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,^[9] 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'.^[10] Exterior scenes from movies such as Get Shorty have also been filmed in the area.^{[citation needed]} Several episodes of the television show The Rockford Files were filmed in Bel Air.^[11] The television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was set in the neighborhood although the exterior shots used were filmed in nearby Brentwood.^[12] The Bel Air Film Festival, first held in 2008,^[13] is an annual international film festival held in Bel Air and the Los Angeles area.

Government and infrastructure

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services SPA 5 West Area Health Office serves Bel Air.^[14]

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.

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.^[15]

Emergency services

Fire services

Los Angeles Fire Department Station 71 is in the area.^[16]

Police services

The Los Angeles Police Department operates the West Los Angeles Community Police Station at 1663 Butler Avenue, 90025, serving the neighborhood.^[17]

Education

Almost two-thirds (66.1%) of Bel Air residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree by 2000, a high percentage for the city and the county. The percentages of residents in that age range with a bachelor's degree or greater were high for the county.^[2]

The community is within the Los Angeles Unified School District. The area is within Board District 4.^[18] As of 2009 Steve Zimmer represented the district.^[19]

Schools

The schools within Bel Air are as follows:^[20]

Public

• Roscomare Road Elementary School, 2325 Roscomare Road^[21]
• Community Magnet Charter Elementary School, 11301 Bellagio Road. Because the school's point-based admissions system does not favor area residents, children living in Bel Air generally do not attend the school.^[22] It is located in the former Bellagio Road School campus.^[23]

Roscomare Road and Warner Avenue Elementary School in Westwood are the zoned elementary schools serving Bel Air.^[24][25] Bel Air is within the attendance boundaries of Emerson Middle School in Westwood and University High School in West Los Angeles.^[25]

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.^[26] In August 1983 the board publicly considered closing Bellagio, which had 240 students at the time.^[27] 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.^[28]

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.^[29] This program was housed in the former Bellagio Road school.^[30]

Private

• Marymount High School, 10643 Sunset Boulevard
• Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School, K–12, 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive
• John Thomas Dye School, K–6,^[31] 11414 Chalon Road
• Westland School, 16200 Mulholland Drive, was founded in 1949. It moved to its current location in 1965, becoming the first school to locate in what has now developed into a major 'institutional corridor' in the area of the Sepulveda Pass.^[32]

University

Bel Air is the home to the American Jewish University.^[33]

Notable people

• President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan^[34]
• Elizabeth Taylor, actress^[35]
• Elon Musk, entrepreneur^[36]
• Alfred Hitchcock, film director^[37]

See also

• List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles

---

These were the ten Los Angeles city neighborhoods or Los Angeles County cities with the highest median household incomes, according to the 2000 census:^{[§ 1]}

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bel Air.

• Bel Air Association Official Website
• Los Angeles City Council District 5
• "Bel Air: A part of the city, yet apart from it too" (6 Mar 2005) Los Angeles Times, Real Estate section, Neighborly Advice column.

Coordinates: 34°05′00″N 118°26′52″W / 34.08333°N 118.44778°W / 34.08333; -118.44778

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