Bel Air

Bel Air is a wealthy and prominent residential community in the hills of Westside of the city of Los Angeles. Together with Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills it forms the Platinum Triangle of Los Angeles neighborhoods. Homes and estates in the Platinum Triangle are among the most expensive in the United States.

The community was founded in 1923 by Alphonzo E. Bell, Sr, approximately 17 miles west of downtown Los Angeles and includes some of the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains and borders the north side of UCLA along Sunset Boulevard. At the heart of the community sits the exclusive Bel Air Country Club and the Hotel Bel-Air.

Residences in Bel Air tend to be private and hidden from the winding roads of the community. Most homes are not visible from the street, as they are hidden by well-manicured hedges and gates. Residences range from modest ranch style houses, to multi-story configurations, to grand mansions. While some houses in Bel Air seem quite modest from the outside, often lying only six feet from the street, they have large grounds. In general, the higher up the mountain, the smaller the building lot and more modest the homes. However, those residences along roads such as Stradella Road have magnificent views of the Los Angeles basin and Catalina Island. The most desirable houses are right off the main entrances of Bel Air and the country club entrance for these houses have both the views of the Bel-Air Country Club and the rest of Los Angeles. Lower Bel Air houses can sell for over $50 million. Many families prefer lower Bel Air because of its proximity to Sunset Boulevard, a major thoroughfare.