Beverly Crest

Beverly Crest is the hillside neighborhood that sprawls along the Santa Monica mountains around Coldwater Canyon Blvd., just north of Beverly Hills. Coldwater is a major north south artery from the Valley to LA and many people use it as an alternative to the crowded 405. The road itself is thus often congested and even when there are not too many motorists, the ones that do take it, drive at dangerous speeds.

The homes here are unusual in that many of them jut out precariously from the hillside, their porches held up by tall wooden stilts, as if daring the Big One to take them down. Many of the winding lanes along the hills do not have manicured lawns and the area often has the feel of a high end South American hillside neighborhood, with Mediterranean style stone homes with that slightly unfinished look to them. Many newer gated communities and mansions are moving into the area, making it more like its even more upscale eastern neighbor, but so far the community still retains its same feel.

For those that are outdoorsy types this is also a great area, with Franklin Canyon Park being a great place to hike. Of course, the hilly area does mean that you must worry about fires in the summer and mudslides during the rainy season, so be aware of the hidden costs of living in such an area.

Demographically, the population is older and whiter, for the most part, with about one in ten being veterans and the vast majority of these from WWII and Korea. Ninety percent are white, and the same amount own their homes—not a renters community.

Beverly Crest is about as safe as it gets, with only one death that could possibly be ruled a murder, since 2007. That death, however, is notable, as it was Michael Jackson, whose Holmby Hills home was in the area. The Holmby Hills area, is, in fact, one of the overlooked areas in Los Angeles. It is considered part of the Platinum Triangle, along with Brentwood and Bel Air—all considered prime destinations for the rich and famous. The Holmby Hills area is (or was) home to two other theme park like residences. In the 50’s it was home to Walt Disney, and on his sprawling property he kept a fully running steam train. A very different sort of theme park marks the southern border of the community—Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion West is located there—a beautiful Gothic Tudor mansion known for its hot tubs and bunny ears.

In many ways, however, Beverly Crest could be thought of as Beverly Hills North, since it is the location for the Beverly Hills Post Office and since it is where many of the stars now live, in the numbers they used to live in the fifties in its southern neighbor.