Live in the Center of The "Westside" in Brentwood (Brentwood)

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.

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 southwest, West Los Angeles on the south, Sawtelle on the southeast, Westwood on the east, Bel-Air on the northeast and Encino on the north.

Brentwood's ZIP code is 90049, which includes Brentwood and part of Bel-Air Estates (the other section of Bel-Air Estates is located in the 90077 zip code). It is addressed, Los Angeles, CA 90049 to avoid confusion with Brentwood in Northern California.

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 to Anglos after the Mexican-American War. The area now popularly known as Brentwood 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. The economic growth stimulated by this veterans facility led to immediate property development outside its west gate. The community of 'Westgate' was annexed on June 14, 1916. Westgate was the city's 17th annexation, and added another 127 km² (49 mi²) to the city of Los Angeles, including large parts of what is now the Pacific Palisades and a small portion of today's Bel-Air. (Note: There is a Westgate Avenue in West Los Angeles/Brentwood that remembers the original name of the district.)

Originally an agricultural district (soybeans, avocados, et al.), Brentwood is now one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and one of the prominent districts of the Westside. It has prosperous commercial districts along each of its major east-west thoroughfares, Wilshire Boulevard, San Vicente Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard. It is largely populated by professionals and executives.

The name Brentwood comes from Brentwood of Essex, England, a town on the outskirts of London dating back to Saxon times. Street names such as Barrington, Gorham, and Bristol, to name a few, are British-influenced.

Local traditions include the 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, and the annual decoration of the coral trees with holiday lights. 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 flotilla of classic cars and an elephant named Tiny; the tradition is now only sporadically practiced due to funding.

Courtesy of Westside Properties

Dom Naidoo & Josh Barre

310.459.8191

info@wsprops.com