Laurel Canyon Luxury Real Estate

Located south of San Fernando Valley and bordered by West Hollywood to the south and west, Laurel Canyon is a green nature refuge in the heart of Los Angeles. Errol Flynn and Ramon Navarro were among the first residents when it was a relatively undeveloped quarter. The hillside was developed by Charles Spencer Mann, who built the first trackless electric trolley to connect the neighborhood with Sunset Blvd in 1913. It wasn’t long before it became a charming community, becoming particularly popular with legendary rock n’ rollers in the 1960s. Homes such as Frank Zappa’s rented cabin on Lookout Mountain hosted wild parties. The music may since have mellowed to folk and pop, but Laurel Canyon’s reputation as an enclave for musicians, filmmakers and artists lives on.

This centrally-located neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains is close to one of the main north-south arteries connecting Laurel Canyon with downtown LA. The main neighborhood thoroughfare is Mulholland Drive, with many self-contained cul-de-sacs on either side creating quiet communities with little traffic. Other main streets of note in the 90046 zip code include Willow Glen, Mount Olympus, Wonderland Avenue, Kirkwood and Lookout Mountain Avenue.

While luxury properties are uber-pricey (in the top 5% of LA real estate), the neighborhood has managed to retain its funky charm and artsy roots. Famous residents such as Jack Nicholson, George Clooney and Joni Mitchell mix happily with ordinary neighbors at the Country Store’s coffee cart. Check out the annual group portrait of the store’s regular patrons which hangs on the wall of the store! Tall tales include the story of Harry Houdini’s ghost haunting the lot of his widow’s house, which burned down in 1958, and the rumor of a bullet shot by legendary lawman Wyatt Earp that is said to be lodged in the wall of a local bar.