Setting the Standard

A City Founded on Excellence

Incorporated on January 14, 1914, Beverly Hills is a full-service municipality with outstanding police and fire departments, award-winning schools, sound infrastructure and extensive recreational opportunities.

City policy is set by a five-member City Council who each serve four-year terms. The Mayor is elected within the Council membership each year and the City Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of city government.

Inspired Urban Planning

Despite failed efforts to strike oil beneath the lima bean fields of the Rodeo Land and Water Company, the site that would eventually become Beverly Hills, the group’s investors were oilmen at heart and not land developers. But a local and successful real estate agent, Percy H. Clark, had an inspired vision of the area's potential.

Intrigued by Clark, the company allowed him to draw up a master plan. Getting straight to work, he hired Myron Hunt, a Prairie School architect from Chicago, to provide design services. In turn, Hunt retained landscape architect Wilbur D. Cook to assist with planning and landscaping.

It is during this time where the moniker “Beverly Hills” was born. The idea for the name originated from Beverly Farms, Massachusetts where President Taft vacationed at the time. The name was modified as a nod to the local foothills.

Clark desired to make Beverly Hills an attractive and well-planned community that would remain fashionable well into the future - little did he know how successful he would be! To protect the community’s real estate values, the plan carefully separated commercial activity from residential districts and moderate-income families from more affluent families. Residential lot sizes differed greatly with Santa Monica Boulevard serving as the demarcation line. Property in the picturesque foothills above Sunset Boulevard were much more desirable - and expensive - than the land to the south.

Of special note was Clark’s plan to lay out the streets in long, winding curves and to line them with fully mature trees vs. saplings. Beyond the aesthetic value, his vision would break up the flat, never-ending vistas of an undeveloped landscape by creating meandering street views. Clark understood if the city was to be special, then its design had to offer much more than a standard grid system; the master plan had to be perfect if "Beverly Hills" was to succeed.

Finally, the company hired horticulturalist John J. Reeves to develop and implement a master tree-planting scheme. Reeves specified that a different tree species be planted the full length of every street, at specific intervals. A three-block long green space was also created along Santa Monica Boulevard to act as a buffer between commercial, what became known as the Golden Triangle, and residential districts. That space is now home to Beverly Gardens Park and the Beverly Hills Sign & Lily Pond.

To learn more about Beverly Hills' history, read Beverly Hills: The First 100 Years by Robert S. Anderson.

Verdant Landscapes

The city maintains a total of 15 public parks with more than 87 acres of green space, including Beverly Gardens Park, Beverly Cañon Gardens, Coldwater Canyon Park, Roxbury Memorial Park, Will Rogers Memorial Park and Greystone Mansion and Gardens: The Doheny Estate for all to enjoy. 

A favorite destination for both locals and tourists, Virginia Robinson Gardens is a hidden gem that attracts visitors interested in the history of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, as well as to those who appreciate beautiful gardens and architecture. There are several gardens on the six-acre estate, including the Australian King Palm Forest, Rose Garden and Italian Terrace Garden.

In addition to the city's parks, 2024 marked Beverly Hills' 40th year being named Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. With 25,000 trees, Beverly Hills understands urban trees are critical to the city as they provide numerous benefits such as improved air quality, water quality, biodiversity and energy savings.

Arts & Culture Appreciation

Though a small community, Beverly Hill delivers a rich arts and cultural scene. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national, and international artists share their artistry through music, dance, theater, comedy and film. Additionally, the Saban Theatre delivers live events, speakers, concerts and performances in an Art Deco historic venue, formerly known as the Fox Wilshire Theater.

In addition to many of Hollywood's elite, Beverly Hills is also home to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, as well as the Academy Library, also known as the Margaret Herrick Library, one of the world’s preeminent research facilities dedicated to preserving the artform and industry of motion pictures.

Designed by noted architect Richard Meier for the former Paley Center for Media, the Mr Brainwash Art Museum is a bold and immersive, one-of-a-kind experience that explores the artist’s output and evolution since first coming to prominence in the award-winning Banksy documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop. Vibrant multi-medium works and installations draw viewer’s into the artist’s unique worldview, a vision created via mash-ups of historical and pop iconography.

With some of the most acclaimed public artworks on display, Beverly Hills is the destination for art lovers. To enrich the cultural lives of its residents and visitors, the city continually collects a wealth of world-class art by way of the Arts and Culture Commission. More than 80 pieces of art adorn public spaces throughout the city. 

The Stars Align

There is no place like Beverly Hills. For over a century, since studio moguls, film stars, directors and producers made the city their home and created the celebrity mystique that remains today, Beverly Hills has been a haven for those who seek exceptional personalized service, attention to detail, flagship shopping, innovative dining and abundant wellness offerings. This reality is evident when you see grand homes and amazing architecture throughout the city, the world's best designer stores on Rodeo Drive, celebrity chef restaurants, five-star hotels and a lifestyle that embraces a unique and casual Southern California sophistication.

Future Focused

The City of Beverly Hills is focused on the future with a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), 9021zero Emissions, by developing a roadmap to meet its climate goals and harden resilience to potential environmental hazards.

Although global warming is of worldwide concern, Beverly Hills is taking the lead to drive the local level reforms needed to do its part to enact effective solutions. Actions taken to minimize negative impacts have benefits for the community as well, such as improving public health, saving taxpayer dollars and protecting the environment.