# Is Hollywood a separate city or part of LA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hollywood-a-separate-city-or-part-of-la/196139 "2003-08-19T04:49:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Homer\_J.Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a698b9/32.png) [@Homer\_J.Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer_J.Simpson)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hollywood-a-separate-city-or-part-of-la/196139/1 "2003-08-19T04:49:32Z")
Is Hollywood a separate city or part of LA? ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hollywood-a-separate-city-or-part-of-la/196139/2 "2003-08-19T04:54:33Z")
Hollywood is a bona-fide city. I once had a guy ask me (since I’m originally from CA) if there was _an admission price_ to Hollywood. Sad but true. Also the “LA area” has been known to be variable, and include many other actual cities. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hollywood-a-separate-city-or-part-of-la/196139/3 "2003-08-19T05:11:45Z")
Here’s what I’ve heard … The City of West Hollywood is an incorporated municipality; it’s a separate city. West Hollywood is known for a large gay population. As for Hollywood itself, parts are included in the City of Los Angeles, while parts are in unincorporated Los Angeles County. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hollywood-a-separate-city-or-part-of-la/196139/4 "2003-08-19T06:53:58Z")
Hollywood was an independent city from 1903 through 1910 before being annexed by the city of Los Angeles. Here is the list of cities in Los Angeles County that once were independent, but now are no more: Barnes City Belmont Heights Eagle Rock Hollywood Hyde Park San Pedro Sawtelle Tropico Tujunga Venice Watts Wilmington Venice was originally called Ocean Park. All are part of Los Angeles now except for Belmont Heights, which now is in Long Beach and Tropico, which now is in Glendale. Wilmington got swallowed up by Los Angeles because none of its residents could ever get around to forming a government. Hollywood tried to secede from Los Angeles in 2002, but lost badly in the election to decide it. The San Fernando Valley also tried to secede, but also lost at the ballot box. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hollywood-a-separate-city-or-part-of-la/196139/5 "2003-08-19T07:11:19Z")
This [map](http://maps.yahoo.com/maps.py?&addr=&csz=Hollywood,CA) will give you an idea. What most people think of as “Hollywood” is part of the City of Los Angeles. On the map, the places marked with a black dot inside of a circle, such as Beverly Hills and West Hollywood are separate, incorporated cities. The other place names are just districts in Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hollywood-a-separate-city-or-part-of-la/196139/6 "2003-08-19T07:27:53Z")
And the districts of Los Angeles have no formal boundaries established by statute. It’s pretty much up to the community working in conjunction with the City Councilmember to get a district named. Real estate people tend to care a lot about where a property is located and will lobby to get certain neighborhoods a nicer sounding name. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hollywood-a-separate-city-or-part-of-la/196139/7 "2003-08-19T07:50:18Z")
**BobT** , I’m pretty sure many parts of the San Fernando Valley were independent cities once, before L.A. absorbed them. Places like Tarzana and Van Nuys and Northridge. I don’t know them all for sure, where did you get your own cite from? Oh, and the S.F. Valley secession did come close – more than 50% of voters in the Valley voted yes, but they were overruled by the L.A. voters. The Hollywood secession was a miserable failure, however.