Wilshire Boulevard is a 15.83 miles (25.48 km) boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles. One of the principal east-west arterial roads of Los Angeles, it is also one of the major city streets through the city of Beverly Hills. Wilshire Boulevard runs roughly parallel with Santa Monica Boulevard from Santa Monica to the west boundary of Beverly Hills. From the east boundary it runs a block south of Sixth Street to its terminus. The boulevard was named after Henry Gaylord Wilshire (1861-1927), a landowner, publisher and socialist (only in America: A boulevard that stands for income inequality between the poor (homeless camps) and the super rich like no other in the world is named after a socialist. You can’t help but grin).
Wilshire Boulevard is densely developed throughout most of its span, connecting five of Los Angeles’s major business districts and Beverly Hills to one-another. Many of the post-1956 skyscrapers in Los Angeles are located along Wilshire; for example, the Wilshire Grand Center, which is the tallest building in California, is located on the Figueroa and Wilshire intersection. One Wilshire, built in 1966 at the junction of Wilshire and Grand, is said to be “…the main hub of the internet for the entire Pacific Rim” due to the large concentration of telecommunications companies renting space there. Aon Center, at one point Los Angeles’ largest (and presently third-largest) tower, is at 707 Wilshire Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles.
The stretch of the boulevard between Fairfax and Highland Avenues is known as the Miracle Mile. Many of Los Angeles’ largest museums are amidst this concentration of cultural institutions. The area just to the east, between Highland Avenue and Wilton Place, is referred to as the Park Mile. Between Westwood and Holmby Hills, several tall glitzy condominium buildings overlook this part of Wilshire, giving it the title of Millionaire’s Mile. This section is also known as the Wilshire Corridor and Condo Canyon.
The Wilshire Corridor, located next to Century City, is one of Los Angeles’ busiest districts, and contains many high-rise residential towers. The Fox and MGM studios are located in a series of skyscrapers, along with many historic Los Angeles hotels.
Wilshire Boulevard is also the principal street of Koreatown, the site of many of Los Angeles’ oldest buildings, as well as skyscrapers. Koreatown and Mid-Wilshire are among Los Angeles’ most densely populated districts.
