Brentwood, Los Angeles

This article is about the neighborhood in Los Angeles. For the city in Contra Costa County, see Brentwood, California.

A view of Wilshire Boulevard westbound, towards the ocean. Brentwood begins on the right-hand (north) side of the street.

Brentwood is an affluent district in western Los Angeles, California, United States; it is not to be confused with Brentwood, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California nor the Brentwood area of Victorville, California.

Brentwood is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, bounded by the San Diego Freeway on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, the Santa Monica city limits on the southwest, the border of Topanga State Park on the west and Mulholland Drive along the ridgeline of the mountains on the north.

Nearby neighborhoods and cities include Pacific Palisades on the west, Santa Monica on the south, West Los Angeles and Sawtelle on the southeast, Westwood on the east, Bel-Air on the northeast and Encino on the north.

Mail to the Brentwood district is addressed, Los Angeles, CA 90049 to avoid confusion with the Bay Area municipality of Brentwood in Northern California.

History

The area that is now Brentwood was part of the Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica, a Spanish land-grant ranch sold off in pieces by the Sepulveda family after the Mexican-American War. Development began following the establishment of the large 600-acre (2.4 km²) Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Soldiers and Sailors in the 1880s. A small community sprung up outside that facility's west gate, taking on the name 'Westgate'. Annexed by the City of Los Angelese on June 14, 1916, Westgate's 127 km² (49 mi²) included large parts of what is now the Pacific Palisades and a small portion of today's Bel-Air. Westgate Avenue is one of the last reminders of the area's former namesake.

Originally planted with soybeans and avocados, Brentwood is now one of the prominent districts of the Westside and among the wealthiest neighborhoods in all of Los Angeles. It has prosperous commercial districts along each of its major east-west thoroughfares, Wilshire Boulevard, San Vicente Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard, and is largely populated by professionals and executives.

Though there is no direct connection, the name Brentwood harks to Brentwood of Essex, England, a town on the outskirts of London dating back to Saxon times. Many local streets reflect this ersatz British heritage, including Barrington, Gorham, and Bristol.

Local traditions include the annual decoration of San Vicente Boulevard's historic coral trees with holiday lights and a Maypole erected each year on the lawn of the Archer School for Girls, carrying on the tradition set by the Eastern Star Home that it replaced. Inspired by the community of veterans resident at the former Soldiers and Sailors Home, now a United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Brentwood once regularly hosted a Memorial Day parade, complete with a string of classic cars and an elephant named Tiny; the tradition is now only sporadically practiced due to funding.

1961 Brentwood-Bel Air fire

On November 6, 1961, a construction crew working in Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley north of Brentwood on the far side of the Santa Monica Mountains noticed smoke and flames in a nearby pile of rubbish. Within minutes, Santa Ana winds gusting up to 60 mph (100 km/h) sent burning brush aloft and over the ridge into Brentwood.

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. 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.

At least 200 firefighters were injured but no one was killed and 78 percent of the homes were saved. Still, the fires were the fifth worst conflagration in the nation's history at the time, burning 16,090 acres (65 km²), destroying more than 484 homes and 190 other structures and causing an estimated $30 million in damage.

Environment

Brentwood, like nearby Santa Monica, has a temperate climate influenced by marine breezes off the Pacific Ocean. Residents frequently wake to a "marine layer," a cover of clouds brought in at night which burns off by mid-morning. The topography is generally split into two characters, broadly divided by Sunset Boulevard: the area north of Sunset is defined by ridges and canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains; south of Sunset the area is relatively flat. The southern district features underground springs which bubble up into a small creek along "the Gully" near the Brentwood Country Club, and in the "Indian Springs" portion of the University High School campus, formerly the site of a Native American Tongva village.

San Vicente Boulevard is considered the "Main Street" of Brentwood and is divided by a wide median on which stand many large and attractively sculpted coral trees. This green belt replaced a derelict Pacific Electric trolly track, its trees evolving into a City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. Brentwood boosters have adopted a coral tree silhouette as a de facto community logo. Intersecting Bundy Drive is lined with extremely tall date palms.

Neighborhoods

Brentwood features a number of residential subdistricts, some as small as a few blocks, others ranging over acres of hills:

• Brentwood Circle: Gated community east of Barrington and north of Sunset.
• Brentwood Country Estates
• Brentwood Flats
• Brentwood Glen: Part of Brentwood that is bounded by Sunset, the 405 Freeway and the Veterans Administration
• Brentwood Heights
• Brentwood Highlands
• Brentwood Hills: Home to Mount St. Mary's College and the Getty Center.
• Brentwood Park: Notable for its layout, having been designed around several large traffic circles, a handful of which remain; the area between Sunset and San Vicente west of Kenter/Bundy.
• Brentwood Sunset: Gated community north of San Vicente Blvd.
• Brentwood Terrace: Southwest edge of Brentwood, bounded by San Vicente Blvd, Montana Ave, the Brentwood Country Club, and Santa Monica's 26th Street. Walking distance to the Brentwood Country Mart.
• Bundy Canyon
• Crestwood Hills: Includes a cluster of architecturally significant mid-century modern residences; located in the northern part of Kenter Canyon.
• Kenter Canyon
• Mandeville Canyon: Westernmost part of Brentwood.
• Mountaingate
• Museum Heights: Contemporary condominiums, located off Sunset Blvd.
• South Brentwood: Between San Vicente and Wilshire Boulevards and the eastern boundary of Santa Monica.
• Sullivan Canyon: A small equestrian community north of Sunset, west of Mandeville Canyon Rd. and east of Pacific Palisades. Most properties are one-story ranch houses, and most houses have horse stables.
• Westgate: Directly to the east of Brentwood Park
• Westridge Hills
• Westridge Heights: Western portions of Mandeville Canyon

Transportation

Major thoroughfares include Sunset, San Vicente and Wilshire Boulevards; Barrington and Montana Avenues; and Bundy Drive. Brentwood is also situated close to the Wilshire, Montana and Sunset exits of the 405 freeway.

Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus serves Brentwood with its 2, 3, 4, 11, 13, and 14 bus lines. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) buses serve Brentwood include the 20 and 720 lines on Wilshire Blvd. (the latter of which is L.A.'s most successful bus rapid transit line), and several lines along Sunset Blvd.

Once linked to Los Angeles by a Pacific Electric Railway track on San Vicente, Brentwood is now part of a dispute over the future of public transportation in Los Angeles. In a controversial move protested by business owners, but which substantially increased bus speed through the Westside, the Metro has reserved the outermost lane of Wilshire Boulevard through Brentwood in each direction as a bus-only lane during rush hour, in a possible precursor to the adoption of bus rapid transit service with a dedicated lane along the entire length of Wilshire.

The difficulty of getting into and out of Brentwood by any means but private automobile (aggravated by the Metro's cancellation of several "nanny bus" lines connecting the district to poorer areas of Los Angeles) has led to widespread calls for an extension of the Wilshire Boulevard leg of Metro's Purple Line subway, which currently ends at Western Avenue in Koreatown, through Brentwood to Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica; a Brentwood stop would presumably be sited in the business district near Barrington Avenue. There has been little forward progress by local authorities on making this concept a reality.

Politics

In general, the area strongly tends toward a liberal, Democratic character. Celebrities and wealthy Angelenos north of Sunset often sponsor fundraising dinners for local and national candidates.

Brentwood's representatives in the California State Assembly (Karen Bass, Michael Feuer and Fran Pavley) and U.S. House of Representatives (Henry Waxman) are noted for their socially liberal views. (Waxman scores 80 of 100 on the Americans for Democratic Action scorecard and 95 of 100 by the ACLU.)

Demographics

According to the Los Angeles Almanac, the 2000 census-year population was just under 42,000, with a population density of about 2,700 people per square mile. The population is about 80 percent white, 9 percent Asian-American, 6 percent Hispanic or Latino, and 1 percent black. Brentwood has a significant Iranian community that is classified as white by the U.S. Census.

After English, the principal secondary household languages are Spanish and Persian, with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French and Hebrew spoken at home in statistically significant numbers.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Brentwood's (ZCTA 90049) median household income was $84,342; its median family income was $137,945; and its median per capita income was $75,965 in 1999.

Almost 70 percent of area residents over 25 have college degrees, nearly half that total graduate and professional education. As of the 2000 census, approximately 16 percent of the population over 25 had either a doctorate or a professional degree, 15 percent a master's degree, 37 percent a bachelor's degree, 15 percent some college education but no degree, 8 percent a high school diploma alone, and only 5 percent lacked a high school degree.

Housing

As of 2000, there were just over 22,000 housing units in Brentwood. Most Brentwood residents reside in single-family homes, the median price of which was $1.4 million in 2004 according to the Los Angeles Almanac. Above Sunset many mansions and multi-million-dollar nest among the hills. Large, modern apartment complexes and condominiums are found along some of district's thoroughfares, many home to young professionals and students attending nearby University of California Los Angeles.

Recreation

Popular recreational spots include the Brentwood Country Mart, an early farmer's market complex built in 1947 (and recently remodeled and expanded); the Brentwood Village, a small shopping district near the intersection of Sunset and Barrington; and more recently, Brentwood Green, a "village commons" created from the playground at Brentwood Science Magnet Elementary School. There is also a tented farmer's market held each Sunday on a strip of Gretna Green Way between Brentwood Science Magnet and the Brentwood Country Club. The 2.7-mile (4.3 km)-long (4.3 km) boundary of the private Brentwood Country Club is a popular local jogging route. The internationally renowned Getty Museum is located in the hills high above Brentwood, near the 405 freeway and the Sepulveda Pass.

Public open space is limited in the area, but green space with occasional or partial free public use can be found at the VA and on Brentwood Common. Local public parks are Crestwood Hills Park and Barrington Recreation Center, the latter featuring a community center, tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball diamonds and a dog park. Fire roads in the Santa Monica Mountains, good for mountain biking and hiking, can be accessed at the top of Sullivan Canyon and Westridge.

Economy and businesses

Vicente Foods is an independently owned and operated grocery market—a rarity in Los Angeles—that has served Brentwood for decades.

Brent-Air Pharmacy has served Brentwood for more than 50 years.

A popular area for dining and coffee for local residents is located in Brentwood Village at the intersection of Barrington and San Vicente. More than a dozen restaurants and coffee shops are located within a two-block stretch offering a wide variety of cuisine.

Dutton's Brentwood Books, a local landmark called by Sunset magazine "the last of the truly independent bookstores," closed its doors in April of 2008.

Emergency services

Fire service

Los Angeles Fire Department Station 19 is in Brentwood.

Police service

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

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Palisades Charter High School serves the western half of Brentwood

University High School serves the eastern half of Brentwood

The old Eastern Star Home (built 1933), in 1956

In addition to Brentwood Science Magnet Elementary School (which only zones some residents for kindergarten), the area is served by Kenter Canyon Elementary School, Brockton Avenue Elementary School, and Pacific Palisades Elementary School (some areas are zoned jointly to Kenter Canyon and Pacific Palisades), all of which are part of Los Angeles Unified School District. The area is within Board District 4. As of 2008 Marlene Canter represents the district. Canter announced that she will not seek re-election after her term expires in June 2009.

Locals attending public school usually go to Paul Revere Charter Middle School, Brentwood's zoned middle school.

The local public high schools are University High School (named for nearby UCLA, formerly Warren G. Harding High School), just outside the neighborhood's boundaries in West Los Angeles, and Palisades Charter High School, in the nearby neighborhood of Pacific Palisades.

Private schools

Brentwood is also home to several private schools, including Brentwood School, St. Martin of Tours Catholic School, and the Archer School for Girls, which is located in what was once the historic Eastern Star Home. The old Eastern Star Home can be seen as the setting of the "Mar Vista Rest Home" in the movie Chinatown (1974).

Colleges and universities

A campus of Mount St. Mary's College, a Roman Catholic liberal arts college for women, is located in the hills above Brentwood.

Public libraries

Los Angeles Public Library operates the Donald Bruce Kaufman Brentwood Branch. The current building was constructed in the 1990s, but has been sited at the same location since the mid-20th century..

Postal service

The United States Postal Service operates the Barrington Post Office at 200 South Barrington Avenue, 90049-9998.

External links

• Brentwood Homeowners Association
• History of Brentwood Park
• History of Brentwood 90049
• LA City Brentwood/Palisades area map