West Hollywood |
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History of West HollywoodThe City of West Hollywood was originally home to the Gabrielino Indians. In 1828 much of the area was granted to Antonio Jose Rocha . It was named Rancho La Brea. Notorious bandit Tiburcio Vásquez, for whom Vasquez Rocks are named, tried to hide from the law at the adobe home of "Greek George" Caralambo in Rancho La Brea about 200 yards south of the present-day Sunset Strip. In 1874 he was captured there. West Hollywood became a farming community growing fruits and vegetables for LA markets. Moses H. Sherman, one of the founders of LA’s electric red car system, put in a station at the corner of Venice and San Vicente in 1898. The workers who settled there dubbed the hamlet Sherman which spread into what is now West Hollywood. In the 1920’s, the world discovered movies, putting Hollywood on the map. With the advent of Prohibition, a number of establishments opened just outside the city limits in the unincorporated county area known as West Hollywood. Back then gambling was illegal in the city, but not in the county so casinos flourished along with speakeasies. The nightlight center of West Hollywood became known as the Sunset Strip. The 30s and 40s were the heyday of the legendary clubs the Mocambo, Ciro's, and the Trocadero West Hollywood was known for its Garden of Allah apartments, home of Hollywood transplants Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. By the early 1960s, the Strip fell out of fashion with the movie crowd, but soon attracted the counter culture and its music scene. Bands like The Doors The Byrds, and, Frank Zappa, played at clubs like the Whisky a Go Go, and the Roxy. The Strip continued to be hot spot for punk rock and New Wave during the 1970s. In the 80s bands shifted to glam and heavy metal with groups like Van Halen, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot and Guns N' Roses making the scene. Aging apartment houses with low rents attracted young singles, who came to dominate the political life in the are with liberal ideals. Finding welcome, many gays moved in, buying an renovating older houses. Local rents increased in the 1980s so aspiring musicians moved elsewhere although the Sunset Strip remains a major center of LA’s music life. In an effort to cap rents, in November 1984, West Hollywood voters passed a ballot proposal to incorporate as an independent city. Description of West Hollywood Today West Hollywood is a self governing city of 2 square miles about 8 miles north of downtown LA. |
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