Overview
Shopping, Beaches, and Culture in Westwood
Located in western Los Angles, California, Westwood is a district marked by affluent neighborhoods, vintage movie theaters, and a towering business district. Doubling as the home of the University of California, Los Angeles, Westwood is easily one of the busiest areas in the city.
Westwood has close ties to Hollywood, with the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery serving as the final resting place of numerous celebrities. Dotted with some of Los Angeles, California's most historic theaters, Westwood plays host to many premieres at such venues as the Art Deco Crest and the Mann Village.
Established in 1929, Westwood Village strives to maintain its small-village quaintness in spite of its location along the San Diego Freeway. Architectural landmarks such as the Fox Theater tower and the Janns Dome still grace the shopping district which features convenient chain stores and restaurants.
Besides the shopping attractions, Westwood is also a major destination for beachgoers throughout Los Angeles County. Students and locals can enjoy surfing at Manhattan Beach, interact with colorful characters on the boardwalk of Venice Beach or relax around a bonfire with friends at Dockweiler Beach.
The eastern end of Westwood is dominated by upscale residences, including the famous Millionaire's Mile, where many celebrities settle down along Wilshire Boulevard. The highly exclusive Holmby Hills, home of the iconic Sunset Boulevard and the Playboy Mansion, is bordered by Beverly Hills and Bel-Air, forming the "Platinum Triangle." Somewhat notorious for its heavy traffic and premium on parking, Westwood city planners maintain ongoing efforts to alleviate congestion, including bus rapid transit and carpool lanes.
Rigorous and Diverse Academics at UCLA
Founded in 1919, the University of California, Los Angeles is one of California's oldest public universities. Dubbed one of the "Public Ivies," in 1985, UCLA is considered to rival the Ivy League schools in academic rigor and superstar faculty. As such, UCLA has historically received more applications than any other university in the nation, drawing students from all 50 states and scores of foreign nations, creating a truly diverse student body.
UCLA's College of Letters and Science enrolls over 35,000 undergraduate and graduate students pursuing popular degrees in social sciences, biology, psychology, history and engineering. With opportunities for internships at local Hollywood studios, UCLA is popular among communications majors and film majors. Animation and computer technology are also attractive majors, given the job opportunities in the nearby entertainment and professional internet technology fields, including Silicon Valley and South Bay.
The Anderson School of Management at UCLA is world renowned for producing students ideally prepared for taking the reins of international organizations. As a pioneer of stem cell research and nanotechnology, UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and other health science professional schools have produced Nobel Prize winning faculty and top ranking hospitals.
The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television enjoys easy access to Hollywood, boasting such notable alumni as Allison Anders, Nicholas Cage, Academy Award winner Francis Ford Coppola, Emmy winner Rob Reiner, and MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" awardee Charles Burnett.
UCLA also maintains a lively rivalry with the University of Southern California, which is also located in Los Angeles. The UCLA Bruins face off with the USC Trojans in athletic events, especially basketball and football, which culminates in "The City Championship Game."
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