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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NEIGHBORHOOD PAGES
Click on the cities and neighborhoods below for descriptions of life in these Los Angeles areas.
Studio City, the original "company town," is a vibrant district in the San Fernando Valley on the north slope of the Santa Monica Mountains.
In the 1920s, before Mack Sennett built soundstages here, the rural area was unnamed, and Ventura Boulevard was a country road that only offered a few hamburger stands and basic grocery-and-drugstore services. After 1927, when construction on the new film center complex -- originally called Studio City -- began, the town that sprang up around it took on the same name.
Mack Sennett Studios changed hands and names several times. It's now called CBS Radford Studios and still operates at the same location. Although some local residents work either at the studios or other entertainment-related businesses in the area, Studio City is also convenient to many Los Angeles business districts via the 101 and the 405 freeways.
Ventura Boulevard, Studio City's main commercial thoroughfare, is a bustling road that offers an interesting mix of trendy shops, local office buildings and landmark establishments, such as Du-par's coffee shop and Art's Deli.
Because of its relatively central location and the convenience of Ventura Boulevard, real estate prices in Studio City have risen steadily over the last few years. The median price for a single-family home went from $480,000 in 2002 to $840,000 in March 2007, according to DataQuick Information Systems.
Some of the more desirable areas include Colfax Meadows, one of Studio City's original neighborhoods. Many of the 3,000- to 4,000-square-foot homes built in the 1920s now sell in the range of $1.7 million to $2.5 million. Smaller homes, from 1,500 to 2,500 square feet, list closer to the $1.2 million to $1.5 million range.
The Golden Triangle area south of Ventura Boulevard offers 1,500- to 1,800-square-foot homes near Carpenter Avenue School, a highly rated elementary school, and near Ventura Boulevard. In the areas north of Moorpark Road, it's still possible to find a home for less than $1 million, but some of the areas border the freeway, and many are either major fixer-uppers or teardowns. Studio City also offers a range of condominiums. Smaller condos in older buildings are available in the $500,000-to-$600,000 range, while new luxury condos springing up near the CBS Studios are commanding up to $1 million.
