There is probably no person in the world who does not know what Hollywood is. This is the place where for more than a century the most important world cinema hits have been created. This is the place where the most popular movie stars live. This is a place where millions of tourists come together every year hoping to get in the picture, meet a star or touch the glory of the great filmmakers of the past and present on the famous "Walk of Fame".
Where is Hollywood located?
Many people think this is a city in America. If you do not even know where Hollywood is among them, then keep in mind that this is not a city at all, but only an area of a large metropolis. It is located in the United States, in the state of California, northwest of downtown Los Angeles and is part of it. Hollywood itself is quite large and today all its environs are occupied with objects of the film industry.
Despite the fact that the city of Los Angeles does not have a tradition of dividing districts and quarters with some special boundaries, somehow separating them from each other, such an exception was made for Hollywood. This is the only district of the city that is isolated and has its own borders, as well as independence from the city. This was done in 2005. Despite independence, Hollywood is administratively subordinate to Los Angeles and does not have its own municipality, but it has its own Chamber of Commerce, whose representative is elected every year and represents the interests of the district as the "honorary mayor" of Hollywood.
Appearance story
The Wilcox couple owes their appearance to Hollywood. California became their new home, where they moved after the death of their only child in 1886. Here they bought a small piece of land. Nobody lived here at that time, but the family saw the potential of this place and wanted to create a small ideal town. The community began to develop, and by 1900 there was already a post office, a market, a hotel and even its own newspaper. And the population of the community, which previously bore the name of Kahuenga, was 500 people. Los Angeles was 16 kilometers from the settlement and citrus groves were located on the way to it. So that residents of the village could get into the city, a tram line was laid, but trains did not go along it often, the road took a lot of time. At the same time, the founders of the settlement came up with and registered the name Hollywood, which translates as "Holly forest".
In 1902, the construction of the first part of the Hollywood Hotel began among citrus groves. California and its capital, Los Angeles, joined Hollywood a year later, as it was necessary to supply the town with water and access to sewer systems.
The emergence and flowering of the film industry
Films in this region began to be filmed before the advent of Hollywood. In Los Angeles, the first film studio was founded in 1909. A year later, the Biograph company sent the crew of one of the films to the west coast of the city. In search of free territory for filming, they found a place (where Hollywood is now), whose inhabitants welcomed them warmly. It was here that the first Hollywood film "In Old California" was shot. A year later, the first film studio was founded here. The Centaur company was going to shoot westerns in these places. Soon, giants such as Paramount, Warner Brothers and Columbia opened their film studios here.
Modern hollywood
In the late 40s of the XX century in the United States, Hollywood was experiencing a boom of its development - the largest film companies located here? gave work to many people. Due to the movie stars living near the movie venues, real estate here cost a lot of money. In the early 1950s, a freeway was built, which has become the modern link between Hollywood and Los Angeles. Before Hollywood, the metro network expanded.
However, at the end of the 20th century, many film companies moved the production of films to other cities and states, and the country's television and radio companies, which were previously located here only, also moved.
The deserted production facilities, houses and other areas were on the verge of collapse, and the former gloss of Hollywood was lost. However, today there is a revival of this place. Old buildings are converted into lofts and residential apartments. New entertainment venues are opening up that return Hollywood to its former glory.
sights
No one can argue that the main attraction and hallmark of Hollywood is the Hollywood sign - the famous white letters that form the inscription "HOLLYWOOD" on the hill. The sign appeared in 1923 and was originally longer - the inscription read "Hollywoodland" and was just an advertising move for selling real estate in the area. It was planned that the inscription would last only a year and a half, but this period saw a boom in the development of the film industry, and the inscription on the Hollywood hills became a symbol of this place. Thanks to her, people all over the world found out in which city the inscription "Hollywood" on the hills indicates the center of the world film industry. Due to numerous acts of vandalism, the last four letters were dismantled.
The second most important attraction is the "Walk of Fame". It is located on Hollywood Boulevard on the sidewalks on both sides of the street and stretches for 15 kilometers. Throughout its length, about 2.5 thousand stars with the names of prominent figures of theater, cinema, television, radio and the music industry are placed. Here are the names of not only actors and directors, but also singers, producers, and even fictional characters, for example, Mickey Mouse.
Another sign of Hollywood and a landmark that the whole world knows about is the Kodak Theater, which annually presents the most significant film award in the world - the Oscars. The stage of this theater is one of the largest in the USA, and the capacity of the hall is 3400 people. In addition to the Oscars, for which the American Film Academy rents the theater for one week a year, various concerts, shows and other awards are held here.
How to get there
So, knowing where Hollywood is located, everyone understands that first you need to fly to the USA, namely to Los Angeles. There are direct flights from Moscow, and Aeroflot Airlines flies there. Travel time is 213 hours. You can also fly with a change in Europe or Asia.
From Los Angeles Airport, you can take a taxi to Hollywood, or you can take the shuttle, which stops right at the airport exit. Please note that travel time and comfort will be about the same, but the price of a taxi is two times more expensive - about $ 40 versus $ 20 on a shuttle.