Brentwood

Brentwood is a neighborhood in the Westside of Los Angeles.

History - Modern development began after the establishment of the 600-acre Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Soldiers and Sailors in the 1880s. A small community sprang up outside that facility's west gate, taking on the name Westgate. Annexed by the City of Los Angeles on June 14, 1916, Westgate's 49 square miles included large parts of what is now the Pacific Palisades and a small portion of today's Bel-Air. Westgate Avenue is one of the last reminders of that namesake.

Local traditions include a Maypole erected each year on the lawn of the Archer School for Girls, carrying on that set by the Eastern Star Home previously housed there. This building was the exterior establishing shot for the "Mar Vista Rest Home" that provided a key scene in the 1974 film Chinatown.

Boundaries - The district is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, bounded by the San Diego Freeway on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, the Santa Monica city limits on the southwest, Sullivan Canyon/Westridge Trail on the west and Mulholland Drive on the north.

Environment - Brentwood, like nearby Santa Monica, has a temperate climate influenced by marine breezes off the Pacific Ocean. Residents frequently wake to a "marine layer", a cover of clouds brought in at night which burns off by mid-morning. The topography is generally split into two characters, broadly divided by Sunset Boulevard: the area north of Sunset is defined by ridges and canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains; south of Sunset the area is mostly flat. The area South of San Vicente features an underground spring which bubbles up into a small creek along "the Gully" near the Brentwood Country Club.

Schools - 

Public

•  University High School

Charter 

• Kenter Canyon Elementary School
• Brentwood Science Magnet Elementary School 
• Paul Revere Charter Middle School
• Palisades Charter High School

Private

• Westland School
• The Mirman School
• Berkeley Hall School
• Milken Community High School
• Brentwood School, K-12
• Archer School For Girls 
• Saint Martin of Tours School