Probably there is no such person in the world who does not know what Hollywood is. This is the place where the most important world movie hits have been created for more than a century. This is where the most popular movie stars live. This is a place where millions of tourists come every year hoping to get into the frame, meet a star or touch the glory of the great filmmakers of the past and present on the famous "Walk of Fame".
Where is Hollywood?
Many people think this is a city in America. If you are among them and do not know where Hollywood is at all, then keep in mind that this is not a city at all, but only an area of a large metropolis. It is located in the USA, in the state of California, northwest of the center of Los Angeles and is part of it. Hollywood itself is quite large and today all its surroundings are occupied by film industry facilities.
Despite the fact that the city of Los Angeles does not have a tradition of sharing some specialboundaries of districts and quarters, somehow isolate them from each other, such an exception was made for Hollywood. This is the only district of the city that is isolated and has its own borders, as well as independence from the city. This was done in 2005. Despite independence, Hollywood is still administratively subordinate to Los Angeles and does not have its own municipality, but it has its own Chamber of Commerce, whose representative is elected every year and represents the interests of the district, as the "honorary mayor" of Hollywood.
History of Appearance
The Wilcox couple owes its appearance to Hollywood. California became their new home, where they moved after the death of their only child in 1886. Here they bought a small plot of land. At that time no one lived here, but the family saw the potential of this place and wanted to create a small ideal town. The community began to develop, and by 1900 there was already a post office, a market, a hotel, and even its own newspaper. And the population of the community, which previously bore the name Kahuenga, was 500 people. Los Angeles was 16 kilometers from the settlement and citrus groves were located on the way to it. So that the residents of the village could get to the city, a tram line was laid, but the trains did not go along it often, the road took a very long time. At the same time, the founders of the settlement came up with and registered the name Hollywood, which translated as "holly forest".
In 1902, among the citrus groves, construction began on the first part of the Hollywood Hotel. California andits capital, Los Angeles, added Hollywood to its membership a year later, as it was necessary to supply the town with water and join the sewer systems.
The rise and rise of the film industry
Cinema in this region began to shoot even before the advent of Hollywood. In Los Angeles, the first film studio was founded in 1909. A year later, the Biograph company sent a film crew of one of the films to the west coast of the city. In search of a free area for filming, they found a place (where Hollywood is now) whose inhabitants welcomed them cordially. Here the first Hollywood film "In Old California" was filmed. A year later, the first film studio was founded here. The company "Centaur" was going to shoot westerns in these places. And soon such giants as Paramount, Warner Brothers and Columbia opened their film studios here.
Modern Hollywood
At the end of the 40s of the 20th century in the USA, Hollywood experienced a boom in its development - the largest film companies located here? gave jobs to a lot of people. Because of the movie stars living near the movie theaters, real estate here cost a lot of money. In the early 50s, an expressway was built, which became the modern link between Hollywood and Los Angeles. The subway network has also expanded to Hollywood.
However, at the end of the 20th century, many film companies moved film production to other cities and states, and the country's television and radio companies, which were previously located only here, also moved.
Empty industrialpremises, houses and other sites were on the verge of destruction, and the former gloss of Hollywood was lost. However, today there is a revival of this place. Old buildings are being converted into lofts and residential apartments. New entertainment venues are opening that are bringing Hollywood back to its former glory.
Attractions
No one can argue that the main attraction and hallmark of Hollywood is the sign of Hollywood - the famous white letters that form the inscription "HOLLYWOOD" on the hill. The sign appeared in 1923 and was originally longer - the inscription read "Hollywoodland" and was just a publicity stunt for the sale of real estate in the area. It was planned that the inscription would stand for only a year and a half, but during this period there was a boom in the development of the film industry, and the inscription on the Hollywood hills became a symbol of this place. Thanks to her, people around the world learned in which city the inscription "Hollywood" on the hills indicates the center of the global film industry. Due to numerous acts of vandalism, the last four letters were dismantled.
The second most important attraction is the Walk of Fame. It is located on Hollywood Boulevard on the sidewalks on both sides of the street and stretches for 15 kilometers. About 2.5 thousand stars with the names of prominent figures in the theater, cinema, television, radio and music industry are placed along its entire length. Here are the names of not only actors and directors, but also singers, producers, and even fictional characters, such as Mickey Mouse.
Another sign of Hollywood and an attraction that the whole world knows about is the Kodak Theater, which annually hosts the presentation of the most significant film award in the world - the Oscars. The stage of this theater is one of the largest in the USA, and the capacity of the hall is 3400 people. In addition to the Oscars, for which the American Film Academy rents the theater for one week a year, various concerts, shows and other awards are held here.
How to get there?
So, knowing where Hollywood is, everyone understands that first you need to fly to the USA, namely Los Angeles. There are direct flights from Moscow, and the Aeroflot airline flies there. Travel time will be 213 hours. You can also fly with transfers in Europe or Asia.
From Los Angeles Airport you can take a taxi to Hollywood, or you can take a shuttle that stops right outside the airport exit. Please note that travel time and comfort will be approximately the same, but the price of a taxi is twice as expensive - about $ 40 versus $ 20 on the shuttle.
