North Hollywood
North Hollywood, in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, is an eclectic neighborhood with modest residential blocks and the NoHo Arts District. Arts in NoHo include the El Portal Theater as well as many new playhouses, art galleries, sound studios, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. North Hollywood is bordered on the north by Sun Valley and on the northeast and east by Burbank. Toluca Lake borders North Hollywood on the southeast and south, and Studio City abuts it on the southwest. It is flanked by Valley Village and Valley Glen on the west. North Hollywood is one of the few subway-accessible neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Often misjudged for North Hills, North Hollywood was established by the Lankershim Ranch Land and Water Company in 1887. It was first named Toluca before being renamed Lankershim in 1896 and finally North Hollywood in 1927. The 2000 U.S. census counted 77,848 residents in the 5.87-square-mile North Hollywood neighborhood—or 13,264 people per square mile, about an average population density for the city but among the highest for the county. In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 87,241. In 2000 the median age for residents was 30, considered an average age for city and county neighborhoods; the percentage of residents aged 19 to 34 was among the county's highest.
The neighborhood was considered "moderately diverse" ethnically within Los Angeles. The breakdown was 57.7% Latino, 27% Non-Hispanic White, 5.7% Asian, 5.6% black, and 4% from other groups. Foreign-born residents made up 46.4% of residents, a high percentage for Los Angeles; Mexico (43.2%) and El Salvador (16%) were the most common places of birth for this portion of the population. The percentages of never-married men and never-married women were among the county's highest.
The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $42,791, considered average for the city but low for the county. The percentages of households that earned $40,000 or less were high for the county. Renters occupied 75.4% of the housing stock, and house- or apartment-owners held 24.6%.
North Hollywood is bordered on the north by Sun Valley and on the northeast and east by Burbank. Toluca Lake borders North Hollywood on the southeast and south, and Studio City abuts it on the southwest. It is flanked by Valley Village and Valley Glen on the west. North Hollywood is not contiguous with Hollywood, being separated by other parts of the San Fernando Valley and the Hollywood Hills. North Hollywood displays a hot summer Mediterranean Climate.
The North Hollywood Recreation Center is mostly in North Hollywood, with a portion in Valley Village. The park has an auditorium, lighted indoor baseball diamond courts, lighted outdoor baseball diamonds, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, lighted handball courts, picnic tables, an outdoor unheated seasonal pool, and lighted tennis courts. In addition, the center has an indoor gymnasium which can be used as a second auditorium and a community room; the gymnasium's capacity is 250 people. The Valley Plaza Recreation Center in North Hollywood includes an auditorium, barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a 40-person community room, a lighted American football field, an indoor gymnasium without weights, an outdoor gymnasium without weights, picnic tables, lighted tennis courts, and unlighted volleyball courts.