Visit Pasadena Neighborhoods and other foothill cities

Studio City got its name because the Columbia (now CBS) and Universal Studios are located here.  To all appearances it is just one more attractive Southern California residential neighborhood -- but with the difference that a significant part of the population is made up of people who work in the entertainment industry in one way or the other.

The shopping street, Ventura Blvd., is a dividing line in Studio City.  "South of the Boulevard" is generally considered among the best residential areas in Studio City and this opinion shows up in home prices.  (The same attitude holds true in Sherman Oaks, Encino and Tarzana where home prices are higher as one goes farther "South of the Boulevard".)  These affluent areas are, geographically, in the Hollywood Hills and many homes have amazing views.

The multi-family housing area in Studio City begins north of Ventura Blvd. and continues along main thoroughfares, such as Laurel Canyon, Whitsett, and Coldwater Canyon.   

The condos in this photograph are located on the south side of Valleyheart Drive, a charming street that parallels the winding Los Angeles River.  A walking, cycling path runs along the channeled river at this point.  On the north side, facing the river, is a neighborhood of fairly large single family homes.

Condos and apartments line Coldwater and Laurel Canyons, but on the streets behind them are comfortable ranch style homes that have, in many cases, been upgraded over the decades since they were built.  Ranch homes are clearly the most common architectural style in the Valley.

Many of the streets on the Valley-side of the Hollywood Hills south of Ventura Blvd. in Studio City are narrow and winding.  And many of the homes are large and on estate-size lots.  There are, however, smaller, older homes in the Hollywood Hills.  Neighborhoods in the Hills are identified by which canyon the homes are located in.