Hollywood—the world-famous city of cinema—was actually located on the outskirts of Los Angeles. By now, it had become an independent city, though its administration still fell under the Los Angeles government, with only an honorary mayor.
Originally, it had merely been a small village outside Los Angeles, with only a single farmhouse. At the end of the nineteenth century, a real-estate-developer couple heard someone say during their travels that they came from "Hollywood" in Ohio. They loved the name, so they transported a large number of holly trees to the outskirts of Los Angeles and named the place "Hollywood" (meaning Holly Tree Grove).
At first, it gained a little fame simply because of its beautiful scenery, and many film studios liked to shoot there. Later, some small companies built studios there to evade patent restrictions, producing many excellent films and allowing the movie industry to flourish there until it became today's world cinema capital.
Hollywood had a typical West Coast climate: no scorching summers, no bitter winters, mild and rainy throughout the year, with excellent natural lighting conditions. It also had gracefully shaped mountains as a backdrop, and its natural scenery ranked among the best on the West Coast.
Naturally, the city's construction also embraced the West Coast's usual romantic charm. Because its population was not large, many plots were used to build parks. Unlike New York, with its endless rows of towering buildings, it appeared from afar both varied in density and orderly in arrangement.
Because it had originally been Mexican territory, its culture was also wonderfully diverse. Native American culture, European and American culture, remnants of Mexican culture, and the Eastern cultures brought by later immigrants all flowed together, creating the remarkable sight of a different scene on every street.
The countless excellent films produced here had also