Just some palm shadows on the street around Beverly Hills.

Recently I flew from Los Angeles (airport: LAX) to visit family in Houston (IAH) and Kansas City (MCI). In both Houston and Kansas City, it seemed like the airports were enormous compared to LAX. There was so much open space! I wanted to compare the size to see if it was just perception or reality.

Beverly Hills “downtown” (or perhaps more accurately termed commercial district) was certainly influenced by the location of the rail lines and rail station. Both freight rail and electric passenger rail cars ran through what is now Beverly Hills until the mid-1950s. Dates for line construction and demolition that I found were conflicting, but it appears the passenger service was in operation from 1902-1954.

It’s pretty awesome to work in Beverly Hills because no matter who I talk to from around the world, the city name alone is enough for them to recognize the place. Based on what I’ve heard, the name recognition stems from movies, tv shows, and tourism. But how did our city get its now iconic name?