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Introduction

Hollywood! One of the most significant places in the world. There are indeed lots of things to do and see here. This is a place that is known to almost everyone in the world. The principal reason is that the most exciting movies are available here. So, here is the history of Hollywood.

In fact, do you know, the movie makers make the film in this place. So, this has become a haven for movie lovers around the world. The majority of the people are familiar with this place only for the movies.

They enjoy the film while the movie makers have their global business. But there are more things to explore here.

In this article, we will explore the last days of this place, how it was named and what improvements did it have with time. Besides, we will also know about the socio-economic aspects of the city too.

Naming

This is the key reason that most of the people are interested in this place. Hollywood. This is a real kingdom of movie makers and artists. A large number of people are working in the movie industry in this area of Los Angeles.

Not only the US people but the people around the world are participating in the movie-making activities. All these have happened for the unique name. Hollywood – the nine-character word has won the world. But not much is known about the naming of this place. In fact, there are some stories available, and I cannot assure you that all of them are true.

However, to keep the pace of the article moving, I am describing one of the most popular stories.

You might have noticed the Hollywood sign on the top of a hill.

But until 1886, there was no name of this hill and the surrounding region. You know what, on a day in the same year; H J Whitely was passing his honeymoon in the same year.

One day he climbed on the hill and was enjoying nature. As it did not have any name, he was planning to join one. But he really had no idea how to do or what to do.

Suddenly, he met a Chinese man. The man was carrying a wagon filled with woods. Whitely asked the Chinese man what he was doing.

The Chinese man replied “holly-wood.” Due to the pronunciation disorder, he failed to utter that he was hauling wood.

Right then, Whitely decided to name the town and hill as Hollywood.

In fact, the names also bear some of his familial legacies. This man later had bought a lot of properties in this new town while some of the remains are still visible here and there across the city.

This is the history of the naming of this famous town.

History of Hollywood-Early days

The early days of this town were not the same as it is today. Now if you move across Hollywood in Los Angeles in the USA, you will find different types of development. But none of them were in the past days. Simply it was an agricultural area. Industrial development began near the 1900s. Before that time, it was completely a region filled with people of different strata.

– Economic activities: like the present days, the economic activities were mostly based on agriculture. Most of the people had their ranch. Besides, some other categories used to work at the ranches. They did not have their lands. They migrated from different other states. Besides, blacks were the key resources of agricultural production. Racism was severe in those days. So, the white people had ample options to employ black people to look after their estates and ranches.

– Gradual development: the key development of the town began after Whitely bought 190 hectors of land. He had some special ideas, and he implemented them with the support of local people. He bought a large ranch and started development. For all his contributions, he is also termed as the ‘Father of Hollywood.’ In reality, he had great contributions to make the town an attractive one. He became successful initially in the past, but the rapid expansion took place after 1900.

– Investment: the town experienced a huge amount of investment after Whitely started to build it. Some of his friends also invested here in different sectors. They started to dream of a town which would be filled with prosperity. Accordingly, the investment began, and real estate business became the booming one. It became one of the most prominent businesses of that time (still it is), and people flocked here to get their lands from the investors. Even the real estate business is a profitable business in this town. People who can occupy a slice of land here start feeling them the luckiest one on the planet.

– Expansion: the small town had a boom in the next couple of years. At the beginning of 1900, there were some notable expansions of the town. With time, the number of people started to increase here. So, the necessities of some public facilities arrive. The local authority established a post office. Besides, the newspaper was available in the place from a long ago. But now the needs doubled. For shopping, residents got two markets at a time where they bought all the necessary items.

– Agricultural improvement: since there were lots of people in this small town of around 10 square kilometers, the necessity of foods also remained in the mind of the authority. Alongside the usual crops, the locals started to grow barley, citrus groves while the vineyards remained the same. All the fields yielded an unusual amount of crops to meet the everyday demands of the local people. The agriculture started to boom with the expansion of the town. The residents understood that they have to grow their foods. It was really impossible for them to move a long distance to collect the crops.

– Transportation: can you imagine a day without a vehicle? Of course not. This is not possible to spend a day without a car at least a bicycle. But in those days, communication was not as easy as we enjoy today. People had to use horses for communication purposes. They used the horses to reach from one place to another. So, communication with places was tough. Even, it took a long time to send news and information to any specific place or a recipient. Besides, there were livery stables across the town to accommodate the horses. Some of the people had their arrangements while most others took services from the stables.

– Accommodation: accommodation in this newly formed town was not as tough as it appears today. There were several hotels in the town to house the outsiders. Besides, the people who bought lands started to build their structures. As a result, housing did not become a problem for the residents here. Some of the hotels also started their operation. For instance, the Hollywood Hotel started its journey in 1902. It was indeed an important hotel for its location and regarding services. The clients were returning here for the very best services and of course, the cuisine. The impact on the temporary accommodation system was great.

– Electricity: it is hard to imagine a day in Hollywood without electricity. Yes, this is tough now, but in the last part of 1800 and at the beginning of 1900, the surrounding area was out of electricity. HJ Whitely is the man who took initiatives to bring electricity lines in the town. He did the job for several purposes. First of all, experiencing a fall in the real estate business could be cited in this case. People did not buy lands without electricity. Secondly, he also realized the necessity of electricity for the real development of the town. Without the electricity, it was not possible to move ahead, he realized.

– Social life: the social life in Hollywood in its past was remarkable. With the passage of time and modernism, people are too busy now to meet each other. They flank on social networks, busy uploading photos and commenting on them. But life was not like this in those days. People knew each other personally. In the evening hours, they visited the local hotels to chat with the people and know about the daily events. But you cannot think of such gatherings in the present days. There are some large events taking place, but they are not regular. Besides, those are not for the participation of everyone. But the scenario was just the opposite in the past days of Hollywood.

– Hollywood municipality: amid a great competition and excitement, Hollywood became a municipality in 1903. It was a remarkable year, particularly the month of November when the polls took place. Religious aspects were also prevailing at that time in full fledge. Based on the religious and other issues, the municipality imposed a ban on liquor. But people who were in need of those for their medical purposes were able to get them. At the same time, the residents also start to receive the benefits of the water supply. The addition of the sewer system was a plus for them too. Alongside the developments, the street renaming and completing was the other important task of the authority.

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The boom of the motion picture

We are mostly aware of the town for the motion picture commonly known as movies. Though it was not decided that it will be a place for making movies, somehow it became so.

The serene locations, charming views and the relaxing nature of the locals – everything helped greatly to boom the motion picture industry. The very first movie making studio was set in Hollywood in 1912. Though the production companies installed their headquarters in Los Angeles, there were some reasons to make it the hub of motion pictures. The movie makers wanted to get rid of some patents from Thomas Edison’s company. As a result, the movie industry grew at this location.

The motion picture development

The development of the motion picture was gradual. In fact, at the beginning of the 1900s, the movie makers started to feel the necessity of some new locations. After around a decade, they discovered that this natural setting is one of the perfect places to meet their needs. Accordingly, they started to use the locations. The natural views, the mountains, and the low lands – everything was perfect. Sometimes, they also used the plains for their motion pictures.

Major companies

Some of the companies had been operating in the motion picture industry from a long ago. Though the first studio was by the Nestor Company, the other renowned companies also adopted the step.

Some of the best motion picture companies like Columbia, Warner Bros. also had their studios in this town. The issue was about competition more than the necessity.

Besides, it was also about the social status of the companies. They also competed to hold the attention of the audience. The more the surprises were, the more acceptability of the audience was available.

Hence, the movie makers tried to shoot in different locations and used innovative or real-life props in the motion picture.

Last words

The discussion above tells the background of Hollywood. The town we see and travel today for enjoyment was not like this before.

The huge number of people have worked here for days to improve the city. Bringing the electricity was a tough job while setting up a bank for the locals was similar too.

The issues of security and safety kept the city authority worried all the times. The days are gone now. But the memories are still available in the local museums.

If you want to pay a visit to this admirable city, it would be better to visit the local museum where the ancient relics and histories are preserved.

You will wonder if you compare the old and the modern Hollywood. The name was simple, and now it has brought lots of things under its cover. So, this is the history of Hollywood.