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Westwood

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Westwood

Westwood sits on land of 3,300 Acres. Its neighborhood’s history is tightly entwined with UCLA which broke ground on its campus there. The university was at a location in Hollywood, which became outgrowing, so they expanded into Westwood. Beyond UCLA, Westwood became home to many architecturally important structures from the ’30s and ’40s ranging in styles from Mediterranean, French Regency and Classical Revival to Spanish Colonial Revival, Post War Modern and Period Revival. Some of its crowning landmarks are its movie theaters. The Bruin Theatre was opened in 1937 with 670 seats. It is a famously recognizable theatre that has seen many a movie premiere with its signature wraparound marquis.

Westwood has always been and will probably always be known as a ‘student area,’ simply by virtue of its adjacency to UCLA (and the related student traffic that brings in). It is one of the few neighborhoods in LA that people navigate by foot.

Its small village atmosphere is partly responsible for that. But it is also conveniently located to Wilshire Blvd.’s many bus lines. Today Westwood is a highly affluent area that is also home to large pockets of LA’s Middle Eastern community–as is evidenced by its Lebanese and Persian restaurants and businesses.

Although Ivan Estrada is a Trojan at heart and USC alumni, there is no denying the appeal to living in a neighborhood with a Bruin vibe. Westwood village has a feel of it’s own and the culture that is carried by students of UCLA has made this town it’s own special town.

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