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The history of West Hollywood
West Hollywood is in Los Angeles County, California. Music venues, restaurants and hotels line the city’s stretch of Sunset Boulevard. The Santa Monica Boulevard corridor is central to the city’s LGBTQ+ community and nightlife.
People who shaped West Hollywood
These milestones are an introduction, not a complete local history. Follow the linked city and museum sources to explore the people and places behind them.Read the local historical account.
Watch the city’s history
FROM THE ARCHIVES
HIstory of West Hollywood - Live and Let Live
A local history film shared by Gear 6 Productions.
Watch on YouTube ↗Famous people born in West Hollywood
See all 8 famous people
- 1925
A new community name
Residents of Sherman voted to rename their unincorporated community West Hollywood.
Visit West Hollywood ↗ - 1979
Pride moves west
The annual Pride celebration moved from Hollywood to West Hollywood.
City of West Hollywood ↗ - 1984
City incorporation
West Hollywood incorporated on November 29 after a coalition of renters, seniors and LGBTQ+ activists organized for cityhood.
City of West Hollywood ↗ - 1985
Social services begin
The first City Council established a municipal Social Services program.
City of West Hollywood ↗ - 1985
Rent stabilization takes effect
The city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance took effect on June 27.
City of West Hollywood ↗
See the history for yourself.
Walk the Sunset Strip to see the 1931 Art Deco Sunset Tower, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Check current opening hours before visiting Schindler House (MAK Center for Art and Architecture).
For deeper research, the West Hollywood library resources is a starting point for archival material and research help. Historic photographs have their own permissions; we link to the collection instead of treating every old image as free to reuse.
Selected milestones researched September 13, 2026. This is an introduction, not a complete account of the city’s history.