BEVERLY HILLS

Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks at their estate, Pickfair, in Beverly Hills, Calif. city, western Los Angeles county, California, U.S., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The site originated in the 19th century as the Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas. In 1906 it was organized as a residential area called Beverly; in 1912 the Beverly Hills Hotel was erected, and in 1914, with a population of about 500, the town was incorporated. In 1919 the film stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks built their estate, Pickfair, which began the fashion among Hollywood celebrities and executives to build lavish homes in Beverly Hills. The city is transected east-west by three main boulevards: north of Sunset Boulevard are foothills containing the Beverly Hills Hotel (with its famous Polo Lounge and pink bungalows) and luxurious mansions among the winding drives; south of Sunset Boulevard are the flatlands, containing other expensive homes and, between Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard, many chic shops, boutiques, and department stores; the most exclusive of these are on the old Rodeo Drive and the newer Two Rodeo Drive, a multilevel shopping street in mock Mediterranean style. There is also some light manufacturing south of Wilshire. The area of Beverly Hills5.7 square miles (14.8 square km) overallcontains seven parks and is profusely planted in trees, shrubbery, and lawns. The city is bordered to the southwest by the studios of Twentieth Century-Fox, whose lots, however, have now been largely converted into Century City, a shopping mall, office-building centre, and theatre complex. Pop. (1992 est.) 33,159.