Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California.

Its name has come to be a

shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many of its studios such as
Disney, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures were founded there; Paramount still has its
studios there.

Hollywood was incorporated as a municipality in 1903.[2][3] It was consolidated with the city of Los Angeles in
1910, and soon thereafter a prominent film industry emerged, eventually becoming the most recognizable in
the world.

H.J. Whitley, a real estate developer, arranged to buy the 480-acre (190 ha) E.C. Hurd ranch. They agreed on a
price and shook hands on the deal. Whitley shared his plans for the new town with General Harrison Gray Otis,
publisher of the Los Angeles Times, and Ivar Weid, a prominent businessman in the area.[citation needed]

Glen-Holly Hotel, first hotel in Hollywood, at the corner of what is now called Yucca Street. It was built in the
1890s.

Daeida Wilcox, who donated land to help in the development of Hollywood, learned of the name Hollywood
from an acquaintance who owned an estate by that name in Illinois.[6] Mrs. Wilcox is quoted as saying, "I
chose the name Hollywood simply because it sounds nice and because I'm superstitious and holly brings good
luck."[7] She recommended the same name to her husband, Harvey H. Wilcox, who had purchased 120 acres
on February 1, 1887. It wasn't until August 1887 Wilcox decided to use that name and filed with the Los
Angeles County Recorder's office on a deed and parcel map of the property.

By 1900, the region had a post office, newspaper, hotel, and two markets. Los Angeles, with a population of
102,479 lay 10 miles (16 km) east through the vineyards, barley fields, and citrus groves. A single-track
streetcar line ran down the middle of Prospect Avenue from it, but service was infrequent and the trip took two
hours. The old citrus fruit-packing house was converted into a livery stable, improving transportation for the
inhabitants of Hollywood.

The intersection of Hollywood and Highland, 1907

Newspaper advertisement for Hollywood land sales, 1908

H.J. Whitley is the man standing on the left wearing a bowler hat. The building at the left is the Hollywood Hotel
on the corner of Highland Ave. and Hollywood Blvd.

The Hollywood Hotel was opened in 1902 by Whitley, who was a president of the Los Pacific Boulevard and
Development Company. Having finally acquired the Hurd ranch and subdivided it, Whitley built the hotel to
attract land buyers. Flanking the west side of Highland Avenue, the structure fronted on Prospect Avenue,
which, still a dusty, unpaved road, was regularly graded and graveled. The hotel was to become internationally
known and was the center of the civic and social life and home of the stars for many years.

Whitley's company developed and sold one of the early residential areas, the Ocean View Tract.[8] Whitley did
much to promote the area. He paid thousands of dollars for electric lighting, including bringing electricity and
building a bank, as well as a road into the Cahuenga Pass. The lighting ran for several blocks down Prospect
Avenue. Whitley's land was centered on Highland Avenue.[9][10] His 1918 development, Whitley Heights, was
named for him.

Incorporation and merger[edit]

Hollywood was incorporated as a municipality on November 14, 1903, by a vote of 88 for and 77 against. On
January 30, 1904, the voters in Hollywood decided, by a vote of 113 to 96, to banish the sale of liquor within the
city, except for medicinal purposes. Neither hotels nor restaurants were allowed to serve wine or liquor before
or after meals.[11]

In 1910, the city voted for a merger with Los Angeles in order to secure an adequate water supply and to gain
access to the L.A. sewer system.

"With annexation, the name of Prospect Avenue was changed to Hollywood Boulevard and all the street
numbers in the new district changed. For example, 100 Prospect Avenue, at Vermont Avenue, became 6400
Hollywood Boulevard; and 100 Cahuenga Boulevard, at Hollywood Boulevard, changed to 1700 Cahuenga
Boulevard."[12]