The Bird Streets, A Celebrity Favorite Neighborhood

Let’s talk about the Bird Streets, why they’re called that, and why they’re the most expensive homes per square foot in all of Los Angeles.

In a surprising twist of fate, the Bird Streets are called “the Bird Streets” because the streets are named after birds. Oriole, Tanager, Thrasher, Skylark, Nightingale, Robin, Swallow, Kinglet, Thrush, Warbler, Flicker, Bluebird, Bobolink, Mockingbird, and Vireo Drive. Why? Because way up there, you feel like a bird in the sky.

A secluded neighborhood high up in the Hollywood Hills, right above the Sunset Strip, and made up of winding roads lined by ultra-luxurious homes, it offers some of the best views in all of Los Angeles, from DTLA to the Pacific Ocean. Up there, you get a - dare I say - bird’s eye view of the entire city.

It’s typically a long drive to get these kinds of views, but because this particular section of the hills is set on such a steep incline, you can get up and down relatively quickly, giving easy access to the Sunset strip and the rest of the city as well.

The steep incline is also why each of the homes in the Bird Streets benefits from a high level of privacy, nestled by the hills themselves. Most of the area features terraced lots to preserve this privacy and ensure everyone has access to those amazing views.

Thanks to these jaw dropping views, and privacy, and proximity to nightlife, celebrities in particular are drawn there.

Leonardo DiCaprio lives there, next to his friend Tobey Maguire, and near longtime resident Keanu Reeves. Jodie Foster used to own 9219 Flicker Way. Stan Lee once resided at 9155 Warbler Place. Dr. Dre used to own 9161 Oriole Drive, before he sold it for a whopping $32 million in 2015.

The first bird street was developed in the 1920s, and by the 1950s, major architects and developers like Paul Trausdale, Richard Neutra and Loyd Wright were building homes here in the new modernist, contemporary-style. Most of the homes in the Bird Streets are designed by renowned architects. In 1967, Bird Streets resident George Harrison wrote a song about the neighborhood, named after his particular street, “Blue Jay Way.”

The song was a hit, and drew international attention to the neighborhood.