The independent kingdom of West Hollywood wants to remain associated with Tinseltown – it may have gotten a divorce, but it kept the family name. The two communities can be difficult to distinguish. Residents, however, will emphatically set you straight.

Even before the city’s incorporation in 1984, West Hollywood was a neighbourhood with a rebellious spirit. During the early 1900s, when it was the site of the Los Angeles Pacific Railway Terminal, West Hollywood refused to be included within the City of Los Angeles. That hardly stopped the action though, for Sherman not only continued to be a hub for booze during the Prohibition era.

Ranking as the 84th city in Los Angeles County, West Hollywood today supports over 36,000 residents in just under two square miles. Its denizens are a mix of gays, lesbians, seniors, and immigrants from the former Soviet Union.