8 Reasons Why Beverly Hills Continues to Define Luxury Living

Over the years, Los Angeles and Southern California have seen the rise of upscale communities where million dollar homes are the norm. But when it comes to prestige and allure, nothing tops Beverly Hills. Immortalized in countless films and TV shows, no other community says “You have arrived” more than this legendary enclave.

Why does Beverly Hills continue to define luxury living? We explore the many reasons below.

DISCOVER WHY PEOPLE LOVE TO LIVE IN BEVERLY HILLS

#1: In the heart of it all

Whether you want to explore the Westside, go down to the beach, or head to Griffith Park and points further east, you will find that living in Beverly Hills means having easy access to everything L.A. has to offer.

From Beverly Hills, you can get to Downtown LA in under an hour, taking W. Olympic Boulevard or the I-10. Hollywood is only around five miles northeast, and the Los Angeles International Airport is just a 40-minute drive southwest.

The Los Angeles Fashion and Arts districts are mere minutes away, as are the sprawling UCLA campus in Westwood, the Getty Center, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In half an hour or less, you could be catching a concert at the Hollywood Bowl or having a food adventure at Grand Central Market.

#2: World-class shopping and dining

Synonymous with Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive embodies the luxurious lifestyle the city is known for. It is home to some of Beverly Hills’ most historic and notable landmarks, such as Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, which was constructed in 1928, and Anderton Court Shops, a three story building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in the early 1950s.

Another iconic structure here is House of Bijan, a legendary, appointment-only men’s store housed in a Mediterranean style palazzo. Founder Bijan Pakzad’s custom Rolls Royce coupe parked at the store’s own parking space has also become a famous attraction in the area.

Rodeo Drive is, of course, best known for the upscale shops of the world’s most luxurious brands, including the flagship stores of Cartier, Hermès, Chanel, Harry Winston, and more. Right on the corner of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard is Two Rodeo Drive, a shopping center with a European design, complete with cobblestone streets and 19th century street lamps. Here, you’ll find luxury boutiques like Versace, Lanvin, Audemars Piguet, Carolina Herrera, Richard Mille, and Tiffany & Co.

Dining in Beverly Hills can mean an extravagant multi course affair, a casual outdoor brunch, or anything in between. The city’s long and impressive restaurant list is peppered with the flagship establishments of celebrated chefs, and the choices range from longtime destinations to the latest buzzmakers.

Here’s a sampling of the restaurants you won’t want to miss:

• Spago Beverly Hills

  No list of the best Beverly Hills restaurants is complete without this Los Angeles icon. Opened in 1997, Spago Beverly Hills continues to captivate patrons with Master Chef Wolfgang Puck’s pioneering California cuisine. The restaurant’s simple design is the perfect backdrop for its a la carte menu of seasonal farm to table creations, as well as its multi course California Tasting Menu.

• e. baldi

  Started in 2006, e. baldi is the eponymous restaurant of chef Edoardo Baldi who brings the true flavors of his native Tuscany – with a hint of Emilia-Rogana – to every dish on the menu.

• Mr. Chow

  Originally located in London, Mr. Chow opened its first US location in Beverly Hills back in 1974. The restaurant is famous for its authentic Beijing cuisine as well as original creations like Chicken Satay, Mr. Chow Noodles, and Ma Mignon. A Handmade Noodle Show is staged every night, making the dining experience even more extraordinary.

• Matsuhisa Beverly Hills

  Chef Nobu Matsuhisa – the culinary genius behind the world-famous Nobu restaurants – started his journey to international success in Beverly Hills where he opened his flagship restaurant in 1987. To this day, Matsuhisa Beverly Hills still bears its original low key design but the menu has grown into a staggering array of sushis, tempuras, donburis, noodles, and so much more.

#3: A holistic lifestyle

Living in Beverly Hills gives you the luxury of pursuing a healthy routine the stylish way. Everything you need to enhance your wellbeing is at your fingertips, from in-home gyms and swimming pools to five-star spas and leafy, meticulously maintained parks.

Craving some pampering and much needed alone time? Beverly Hills’ lavish spas lets you get away from it all without actually leaving home. The best ones include:

• The Beverly Hills Hotel Spa
• La Prairie Spa at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
• The Spa at The Maybourne Beverly Hills
• The Peninsula Beverly Hills Luxury Hotel Spa & Wellness
• The Spa at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel

Green spaces and exquisite gardens are as much a part of the cityscape as stunning mansions and landscaped streets, providing residents with a refreshing respite from the everyday grind. They are also the perfect places for daily exercise, yoga, and meditation.

A prized gem in the city is Beverly Gardens Park, a linear park spanning 1.9 miles, starting at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and N. Doherty Drive and ending at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Whittier Drive. In between, you’ll find fountains, specialty gardens, sculptures, and jogging and walking paths.

Other notable outdoor spaces in Beverly HIlls include:

• Greystone Mansion & Gardens – Constructed in 1928 in what is now Trousdale Estates, the property was a gift of oil magnate Edward L. Doheny to his son Ned. The 18.3-acre estate features a 55-room Tudor Revival mansion surrounded by stunning English gardens. It is now a public park and is used as a venue for events, plays, and live performances, as well as a location for movies and TV shows.
• Will Rogers Memorial Park – Dedicated in 1915, Sunset Park (as it was called back then) was the first community park in Beverly Hills. Renamed in 1952 after entertainer and Beverly Hills’ “First Honorary Mayor” Will Rogers, the park covers an area of five acres and features walking paths, rose gardens, a pond with fish and turtles, and more.
• Coldwater Canyon Park – Originally constructed in 1920, Coldwater Canyon Park was expanded to its present area of 5.5 acres and features a synthetic jogging track, a water stream, picnic areas, and art sculptures. There are also playgrounds for kids 2 to 5 years old and 5 to 12 years old.
• Virginia Robinson Gardens – The former estate of retail magnates Virginia and Harry Robinson was built in 1911 and is considered the first luxury estate in Beverly Hills. Today, the exquisite grounds of the estate are open to the public for guided tours. The most popular attractions here are the rose gardens, a tropical rainforest garden, and the Renaissance Pool Pavilion with its intricate Italianate details.

#4: A center for culture and the arts

Culture and the arts are an integral element of the Beverly Hills way of life. The community has an enviable Public Art program, with over 60 art pieces by world-renowned sculptors displayed in various locations throughout the community.

There are numerous art galleries showcasing the works of the world’s top contemporary artists as well as masters like Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

In Rodeo Drive, fashion and entertainment style icons such as Giorgio Armani, Bulgari, and Burberry are honored with permanent plaques at the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style. Torso, a 14-foot tall aluminum sculpture by Robert Graham, stands at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way to symbolize the Walk of Style.

The headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is located at Wilshire Boulevard. It houses the Samuel Goldwyn Theater where screenings for the Academy Award (Oscar) nominees are held.

Perhaps the most iconic cultural landmark in Beverly Hills is The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, which includes the historic Beverly Hills Post Office and the state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater. Every month, the center hosts a wide variety of live performances in various disciplines, including music, dance, and theater.

#5: Top-performing schools

People see Beverly Hills as a center of glamor and glitz, but what many may not know is that the city is also highly family friendly. If you have school age kids, living in Beverly Hills gives you excellent education options.

The city is served by the Beverly Hills Unified School District , which includes three elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools. According to this report, the city’s public schools have an average ranking of 9/10, placing them in the top 20% of public schools in California. Students who go to BHUSD have an average proficiency of 64% in Math and 75% in Reading, higher than the California averages of 33% and 42% respectively.

The highest rated schools in Beverly Hills include:

• El Rodeo Elementary School
• Hawthorne Elementary School
• Beverly Hills High School

Beverly HIlls High School is a two-time recipient of the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence, and is largely restricted to Beverly Hills residents, accepting only a limited number of students from other districts.

The city is also home to acclaimed private schools including International Children’s Academy, Good Shepherd Catholic School, and Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy.

#6: Vibrant mix of prestigious neighborhoods

Beverly Hills is bisected by Santa Monica Boulevard, which divides it into two areas, north and south. The boulevard was once part of Pacific Electric’s Red Line tracks, and this is why locals still refer to the city’s geographic areas as “north of the tracks” and “south of the tracks.”

Whichever half you’re in, you’ll find diverse neighborhoods featuring stunning gated mansions and luxurious estates with distinctive architecture. Some neighborhoods also have smaller homes as well as condos and apartments mixed in.

Among the most sought-after neighborhoods in Beverly Hills are:

• The Flats

  Centrally located in Beverly Hills between Santa Monica Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard, the Flats got its name from its mostly level terrain, which has made it the ideal location to build expansive homes and estates.

  Many of the city’s most expensive luxury residences are found here. Built mostly from the early to mid 1900s, these properties boast timeless architectural styles such as French Chateau, Spanish Revival, Mediterranean, Georgian, Tudor Revival, and mid-century modern.

  The neighborhood is the embodiment of Beverly Hills’ archetypal aesthetic, characterized by one-of-a-kind homes on expansive lots, verdant parks, and wide roads lined by tall palm trees. The Flats’ level terrain also makes it the perfect destination for an early morning run or a leisurely stroll, particularly along the linear Beverly Gardens Park, which winds its way down the length of Santa Monica Boulevard.

• Trousdale Estates

  Developed from the 1950s to the 1970s, Trousdale Estates is a dream destination for lovers of mid-century modern architecture. The neighborhood boasts the highest concentration of homes in this style throughout Los Angeles. Early residents spared no expense in building their grand estates here, commissioning the top architects of the era such as Richard Dorman, Lloyd Wright, Wallace Neff, and A. Quincy Jones.

  Sitting on the highest point of Beverly Hills, Trousdale Estates boasts homes with stunning, unobstructed views of the city below. The elevation, along with the lush green surroundings, offers the utmost privacy and seclusion, making the neighborhood the preferred choice of many top celebrities and Hollywood A-listers.

• Golden Triangle

  The Golden Triangle got its name from its triangular shape defined by its borders: South Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, and Cañon Drive. The neighborhood is also Beverly Hills’ downtown area and is home to Rodeo Drive, the world famous mecca for luxury shopping. Nearby Beverly Drive features more popular upscale boutiques, such as Crate & Barrel, lululemon, Sephora, and a host of independent brands.

  Some of the best restaurants in the Los Angeles area are also located in the Golden Triangle, particularly along Crescent Drives and Cañon Drive, where you’ll find the iconic Spago Beverly Hills.

  The Golden Triangle boasts exquisite single-family homes mostly built from the 1920s to the 1950s, as well as more recently built luxury condos and townhomes. It is the choice of residents who want to experience living in Beverly Hills’ commercial core.

#7: A strong, stable real estate market

Despite the emergence of lower profile celebrity enclaves in Los Angeles such as Brentwood, Calabasas, and Bel Air, Beverly Hills has sustained its desirability among high net worth individuals, thanks in large part to its unparalleled prestige, proximity to the rest of L.A., excellent schools, and other factors.

Astute buyers and investors only have to look at the historical performance of the Beverly Hills real estate market to be assured of its resilience and stability. Since 2000, home prices in Beverly Hills have appreciated by over 200%.

#8: Some of the most sought-after homes in the world

Tourists come to Beverly Hills to marvel at the stunning mansions and estates that define the community. Properties such as the Greystone Mansion, the Playboy Mansion, and the Beverly Estate (Hearst Estate) are now legendary not only for their grandeur and opulence but also for their rich history and famous occupants, past and present.

Among the most notable celebrity homes in Beverly Hills today are:

• Taylor Swift‘s 10,892 square foot mansion known as the “Goldwyn Mansion.” Formerly owned by MGM’s Samuel Goldwyn, the property was designated a historic landmark in 2017.
• Ellen DeGeneres‘s 10,736 square foot property, which she purchased from Maroon 5’s Adam Levine in 2019.
• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos‘s $165 million Jack Warner Estate, one of the most expensive real estate sales in the country. The property was built in 1935 and boasts features worthy of The Great Gatsby.
• Rihanna‘s adjoining properties – a five bedroom mansion which she purchased in 2020 for $13.8 million, and its next door neighbor, a four bedroom property that she bought a few months later for $10 million.
• Jennifer Lawrence‘s 5-bedroom mansion which she purchased for over $8 million in 2014. The home’s previous owners include Ellen DeGeneres and Jessica Simpson.

Present-day Beverly Hills homes come in a wide variety of architectural styles, reflecting the changing design trends throughout the city’s long history. Home prices often start in the $1 million range and can go for as much as $80 million and beyond.

The city’s ultra luxurious homes are nothing short of spectacular. Whether built in the 1920s or in the last five years, they feature distinctive architecture, expansive manicured grounds, breathtaking views, and the most upscale finishes and amenities.

Work with Joyce Rey and her team and find the perfect Beverly Hills home today

With her exceptional experience and unparalleled knowledge of the Beverly Hills market, Joyce Rey is known as the “First Lady of Luxury Real Estate” for good reason. Find out how Joyce and her team of associates can help you make the best investment in Beverly Hills. Get in touch with Joyce at 310.285.7529 or send her an email here.

Interested in other luxury communities in the Los Angeles area? Learn more about them here:

• Malibu https://joycerey.com/communities/malibu/
• Bel-air https://joycerey.com/communities/bel-air/
• Sunset Strip https://joycerey.com/communities/sunset-strip/