Studio City, Los Angeles, California

Studio City is a four-square-mile district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is bounded roughly by Ethel Avenue to the west, Highway 101 to the north and east, and Mulholland Drive and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south.

Origin of Name

Studio City earned its name in the 1920s when Mack Sennett moved his studios from a neighborhood known as Edendale (near Echo Park) to a property near Colfax Avenue and Ventura Boulevard. His soundstages, Mack Sennett Studios, were later renamed Mascot Pictures Studios, Republic Pictures Studios, MTM Enterprises Studios and today are known as the CBS Radford Studios. [http://www.seeing-stars.com/TVstudios/CBSstudioCenter.shtml]

Geography

Studio City is located in the south east part of the San Fernando Valley. It is connected to Los Angeles' vast network of freeways by Highway 101. Access to other parts of the city is also provided by Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Coldwater Canyon Avenue, and Ventura/Cahuenga Boulevards. Its main thoroughfare is Ventura Boulevard, where the bulk of its commercial activity resides.

The area, like many parts of L.A., has seen a great deal of tear-down building, with large condominiums replacing single family homes, and a surge in retail. A local golf and tennis facility is in danger of being displaced by a senior residential complex. Nearby, the historic Sportsmen's Lodge is also threatened with eventual redevelopment; however, negotiations among the Los Angeles Conservancy, Studio City Residents Association, and the facility's owner have led to the suggestion of public review before any planned alterations to this site. ["Future of Historic Sportsmen's Lodge Uncertain," valleymodern.com, 2 June 2007.] Traffic and parking problems have recently worsened, and the construction of parking structures has not made a visible improvement.

Population

According to the 2000 San Fernando Valley Almanac, Studio City has a population of 25,841 people and 13,086 households. The median home price is $811,000. The population demography is 81.6% White, 8.1% Latino, 5.8% Asian, and 8.6% African American. True to the city's name, many residents work in film, television and media. [http://www.valleyofthestars.org/cities_communities/studio_city/studio_city.htm]

Like its neighbor Sherman Oaks, Studio City has seen a surge in restaurants of note in past decades [http://www.losangelesrestaurants.com/studiocity.htm] , including a number of high quality sushi bars, two top delis and many restaurants known for fine dining (such as Firefly, Spark, La Loggia and Outtake Cafe). There are relatively few fast-food restaurants.

The area is served by two publications with local content. The Studio City Sun (part of a regional chain) covers issues such as development and traffic, and keeps up with local celebrities. Studio City Lifestyle, an advertiser-friendly glossy magazine, is partial to profiles and pieces on merchants.

Landmarks

* CBS Studio Center
* Ventura/Laurel Canyon shopping districts
* Fryman Canyon Park
* Los Angeles River walk [http://www.folar.org/]
* Exterior of "Brady Bunch" house [http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/8346/]
* Exterior of the Wilkersons' House ("Malcolm in the Middle") - 12334 Cantura Street
* Exterior of the "Gidget" house (SE corner Hortense St. and Beeman Ave.)
* Sacred Heart set from "Scrubs"

Local Government Officials

Studio City is part of the [http://www.lacity.org/council/cd2/page.cfm?doc=home 2nd City Council District] of Los Angeles, represented by Councilwoman Wendy Greuel. The area is also represented by Los Angeles County District 3 Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, District 23 California state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, California state Assemblyman Mike Feuer and US Congressman Howard Berman.Studio City is also represented by the [http://www.scnc.info Studio City Neighborhood Council] under Council President Ben Neumann.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Studio City is zoned to Los Angeles USD schools [http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/communities/la-re-guide20mar20,1,2592946.story?page=2] .

Carpenter Avenue Elementary School (in Studio City), Walter Reed Middle School (in Studio City), and North Hollywood High School (in Valley Village) serve the community.http://montserrat.globat.com/~scnc.info/PDFS/SCNC_Map.pdf]

Private schools

Studio City is also home to the following private schools: Campbell Hall Episcopal School, Oakwood Elementary School, Harvard-Westlake School's Upper School as well Bridges Academy, a private middle and high school for gifted students with learning disabilities.

Public libraries

Los Angeles Public Library operates the Studio City Branch.

Notable Studio City Residents

*Kathy Griffin
*Jason Alexander
*P.T. Anderson
*Dana Andrews
*Ed Asner
*Bonnie Lee Bakley
*Alan C. Beckwith
*Ed Begley
*Drake Bell
*Kristen Bell
*Donald P. Bellisario
*Christian Beranek
*Larry Birkhead
*Robert Blake
*Bobby Burgess
*Steve Carell
*George Clooney
*William Daniels
*Elfi von Dassanowsky
*Vin Diesel
*Matthew Egan
*Nathan Fillion
*Jenna Fischer
*Annette Funicello
*James Gunn
*Selena Gomez
*Wendy Greuel
*Teri Hatcher
*Jon Heder
*David Anthony Higgins
*Donyelle Jones
*Laurence Juber
*Mike Kochansky
*Lucy Lawless
*Steve Lukather
*Melissa Lingafelt
*Seth MacFarlane
*Roddy McDowall
*Alfredo Mendez, Jr.
*Keith Moon
*Jennifer Morrison
*Stu Nahan
*Regine Nehy
*Ben Neumann
*Bill Nye
*Hila Plitmann
*Jerry Pournelle
*Brandon Ratcliff
*Mark Risley
*Rachel Roberts (British actress)
*Suzanne Rogers
*William Shatner [http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/885:1099/William_Shatner.htm]
*Sabrina Sloan
*Daniel Wayne Smith
*Britney Spears
*Tori Spelling
*Craig Strong
*Tara Strong
*Eric Szmanda
*Alex Trebek
*Skeet Ulrich
*Eric Whitacre
*Vanessa Hudgens
*Dakota Fanning
*Elle Fanning

Media

[http://www.shermanoakssun.com/index.php?page=studio-city-sun Studio City Sun] is a community newspaper sold in the community.

Trivia

A farmers market is held each Sunday on Ventura Place.

In September 2004, Britney Spears married Kevin Federline in a private house in Studio City.

Bonnie Lee Bakley, wife of actor Robert Blake, was found murdered near Vitello's Restaurant on Tujunga Avenue in Studio City in May 2001. [http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/family/bakley/1.html]

On March 4, 1952, actor Ronald Reagan married Nancy Davis at the Little Brown Church in Studio City. [http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/biography/hollywood_years.asp]

In June 1968, Senator Robert Kennedy and his family stayed at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City the night before his victory in the California Presidential primary. It proved to be Senator Kennedy's last night, as he was assassinated the following night at The Ambassador Hotel after a party celebrating his primary victory. [12] Senator Kennedy stayed on the fifth floor at the Sportsmen's Lodge Hotel the night before his assassination

References

External links

* [http://www.scnc.info/ Studio City Neighborhood Council]
* [http://www.studiocityresidents.org/ Studio City Residents Association]
* [http://www.studiocitychamber.com/ Studio City Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://losangeles.about.com/od/neighborhoodsrealestate/p/studiocity.htm/ Studio City Profile]
* [http://www.venturablvd.com/ Ventura Blvd on the Web]
* [http://studiocitysun.com/ Studio City Sun newspaper]
* [http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/communities/la-re-guide20mar20,0,5213275.story?coll=la-realestate-communities "Los Angeles Times", Real Estate section, Neighborly Advice column: "That's why it's called Studio City" (20 Mar 2005)]
* [http://www.lavalleypride.org LA Valley Pride - event held in Studio City]