Century City facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Century City
Neighborhood of Los Angeles
Century City in 2009
Century City Location in Western Los Angeles
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
City	Los Angeles
Named for	20th Century Studios
Elevation	88 m (289 ft)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code	90067
Area code(s)	310, 424

Century City is a busy neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It covers about 176 acres, which is like 133 football fields! It's located on the west side of Los Angeles, about 10 miles from downtown.

Century City is a very important place for jobs in the Los Angeles area. Its tall buildings create a unique skyline that you can easily spot. This area was built on what used to be the movie set for the film studio 20th Century Studios. The first building opened in 1963. Today, places like the Westfield Century City mall, many office towers, and the Fox Studio Lot are key parts of its economy.

History of Century City: From Ranch to City

The land where Century City now stands once belonged to a famous cowboy actor named Tom Mix. He used it as his ranch. Later, it became a large outdoor movie set, or "backlot," for the film company 20th Century Fox. The area got its name from "20th Century Pictures," which later joined with Fox Film Corporation in 1935.

In 1956, Spyros Skouras, who was the president of 20th Century Fox, and his nephew-in-law Edmond Herrscher, had an idea. They decided to turn the movie backlot into a new neighborhood. In 1957, they showed off their big plan for the area.

A few years later, in 1961, the film studio was having money problems because of some very expensive movies, like Cleopatra. So, they sold about 180 acres of land to developers named William Zeckendorf and Aluminum Co. of America (Alcoa). They paid $54 million, which would be like $533 million today! The new owners wanted to build "a city within a city."

The first building, called Gateway West Building, was finished in 1963. The famous Century Plaza Hotel was designed in 1964. Later, in 1969, the Century City Medical Plaza was also built.

Where is Century City?

Century City is bordered by several streets and other neighborhoods. To the north, you'll find Santa Monica Boulevard. To the east is the city of Beverly Hills. Pico Boulevard is to the south, and Century Park West is to the west.

Its neighbors include Beverly Hills to the east, Cheviot Hills to the south, West Los Angeles to the west, and Westwood to the north. Sometimes, different maps show slightly different borders for Century City, but these are the main ones.

What's the Weather Like in Century City?

Who Lives in Century City?

An aerial view of Century City in 2009. You can see 20th Century Studios in the lower left.

In 2000, about 2,428 people lived in Century City. There were about 1,812 homes. This means about 1.34 people lived in each home.

By 2017, the population was estimated to be around 2,235 people. This means there were about 5,170 people per square mile.

• The average age of residents in 2008 was 46, which is older than most of Los Angeles.
• Many residents are 65 or older (about 26.4%).
• Most people living here are white (82.5%). There are also people of Asian (8.6%), Latino (4.4%), and Black (1.4%) backgrounds.
• About 25.5% of residents were born outside the U.S. The most common countries they came from were Iran and Canada.
• Many homes are owned (60.4%), while others are rented (39.6%).

Economy: What Happens in Century City?

Constellation Place, also known as MGM Tower, is a famous building in Century City.

Two very important places in Century City are the Westfield Century City shopping mall and the Fox Studios. The Westfield Century City mall recently had a huge $800 million makeover. This was done to make sure it stays one of the best places to shop and have fun on the Westside of Los Angeles.

Many big companies have their offices in Century City's tall buildings. For example, Constellation Place (which used to be called the MGM Tower) is home to companies like Houlihan Lokey and ICM Partners. Other companies like Crystal Cruises and the haircare company John Paul Mitchell Systems also have their main offices here.

Education: Schools in and Near Century City

The Century City campus of Lycée Français de Los Angeles in March 2008.

Many adults in Century City are highly educated. In 2000, about 55% of residents aged 25 or older had finished a four-year college degree. This is a high number for Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Unified School District serves the Century City area.

There are also a few private schools located in or very close to Century City:

• VINCI Academy Daycare & Preschool
• Lycée Français de Los Angeles
• Temple Isaiah Preschool and Kindergarten

Two public schools are located nearby in Westwood:

• Westwood Charter Elementary School
• Emerson Community Charter Middle School

Images for kids

• 

  Century City skyline as seen from Runyon Canyon Park in February 2006

• 

  Century Plaza Towers

• 

  Fox Plaza

See also

In Spanish: Century City (Los Ángeles) para niños