Hollywood

Hollywood is a district of Los Angeles, California known for the historical value of movie studios and stars. The American film and television industries are often referred to as Hollywood. The movie industry of today is mostly located in the surrounding areas of Burbank and the Westside although the editing, special effects, props, post-production and lighting companies that are associated with movie making remain in Hollywood. The historical Hollywood theaters are now used to host movie premieres, to host the Academy Awards, as a popular tourist destination and for the Walk of Fame.

In 1853 there was only one hut on the site that would become Hollywood.
By 1870 there was a small agricultural community.
In the 1880’s, Harvey Henderson Wilcox and his wife bought 160 acres of land and moved from Kansas to Los Angeles, California. Mr. Wilcox filed a grid map for a town with the county recorder’s office in 1887 in which he named the town Hollywood.
By 1900, Hollywood had a population of 500.
The first major hotel called Hollywood Hotel was opened in 1902 by H.J. Whitley.
The town was incorporated as a municipality in 1903.
In 1910 the town of Hollywood voted to be annexed into the City of Los Angeles so that they could benefit from the Los Angeles Aqueduct water system and the drainage from the Los Angeles sewer system.
The Hollywood sign which was originally Hollywoodland, was erected in 1923 and was a promotional tool for advertising a new housing development in the hills.
Early 1900’s the motion picture industries which were located in New York and New Jersey began moving to California to take advantage of the better weather.
In 1910 the very first movie was filmed in Hollywood. The movie was called Old California and starred Blanche Sweet, Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford and Lionel Barrymore. The director was D.W. Griffith.
By 1913 many other movie makers began filming in Hollywood.
The first movie studio to be built in Hollywood was the Nestor Studios in 1911. There was a quick succession of more movie studios being built in Hollywood throughout the years.
By 1930 there were five major Hollywood movie studios all over Los Angeles, they include Paramount, RKO, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and Warner Bros.
In 1947 the first television station began operating in Hollywood.
In the 1950’s music recording studios began moving to Hollywood.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame was created in 1958 and the first star was placed in 1960.
In 1985 the National Register of Historic Places listed the Hollywood Boulevard commercial and entertainment district as a protected area to protect the buildings that are of significance to the history of Hollywood.
The Kodiak Theater opened in 2001 in the same location as the original Hollywood Hotel once stood, the Kodiak Theater is the new home of the Oscars.http://www.hollywoodusa.co.uk/hollywood.htm