Although most historical writings about West Hollywood begin in the late 18th century, the land was already inhabited when the Portuguese explorer Cabrillo arrived offshore, claiming the land for Spain. Canoeing out to greet him were some of the 5,000 members of the Tongva tribe, a nation of gentle hunters and gatherers, known for their reverence of dancing and courage. These indigenous people were forcibly acculturated by the ever-encroaching Spanish mission system, and were almost decimated by disease by 1771. To add insult to injury, their tribal name was changed to “Gabrielinos”, a reference to the Mission de San Gabriel that ravaged their culture and overtook their land . By 1780, the now famous “Sunset Strip” was the major connecting road for el Pueblo de Los Angeles and all ranches westward to the Pacific Ocean. The land went through various owners and names in the next 100 years, with names such as La Brea and Plummer in the historical record. Most of the area was part of the Rancho La Brea, and eventually came under the ownership of the Hancock family. In the last years of the 19th century the first large development in what would become West Hollywood, the town of Sherman, was established by Moses Sherman and his partners in the Los Angeles and Pacific Railway, an interurban line which would become part of the Pacific Electric Railway system. Sherman was the location of the railroad's main shops, yards and carbarns. Many working class employees of the railroad took up residence in the town. It was during this time that the city began to earn its reputation for being a loosely-regulated, liquor-friendly spot for eccentric folks wary of government interference. The town chose not to incorporate into Los Angeles, and was proud to be called “West Hollywood”, borrowing glamour and celebrity from the new movie colony bursting onto the scene one town to the east. For many years, the area that is now the City of West Hollywood was an unincorporated area in the midst of the Los Angeles, CaliforniaCity of Los Angeles, but was under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County, CaliforniaLos Angeles County. Because gambling was illegal in the city of Los Angeles, but legal in the county, the 1920s saw the proliferation of many nightclubs and casinos along the section of the Sunset Strip that did not fall within the Los Angeles city limits. As a result, these businesses were immune from the heavy-handed treatment by the Los Angeles Police DepartmentLAPD. (The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was and still is in charge of policing the area.) FilmMovie people were attracted to this less restricted county area and a number of Architecturearchitecturally fine apartment houses and apartment hotels were built. Movie Fan (aficionado)fans throughout the world knew that Ciro's, the Mocambo, the Trocadero, the Garden of Allah, the Chateau Marmont and the Formosa Cafe on Santa Monica Boulevard were places that movie stars could be seen. Eventually, the area and its extravagant night spots lost favor with movie people. But the Strip and its restaurants, bars and clubs continued to be an attraction for locals and out-of-town tourists. In the late 1960s, the Strip was transformed again during the hippie movement. Young people from all over the country flocked to West Hollywood clubs such as the Whisky a Go Go and the Troubadour (nightclub)Troubadour. In the 1960s, a club called Ciro's held the first gay dance nights on Sundays, known as "Tea Dances" or "T-Dances". Men dancing together was illegal in those days, but as with the casinos and speakeasies that had gone before, the laws were not strictly enforced. This tolerance led to more gay clubs after Ciro's closed, as well as the end of the anti-gay laws that prohibited dancing between two persons of the same gender in Los Angeles County. The building that Ciro's occupied is now the home of The Comedy Store. Always friendly to creative folks, the design and decorating industry took root in the 1950’s, culminating in the building of the 750,000 square foot Pacific Design Center by 1975. The 1960’s brought “hippie” culture and a thriving music publishing industry to town. Emboldened by the Stonewall Riots of 1969, gays from all over Los Angeles flocked to West Hollywood, many fleeing from the homophobic harassment of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Still unincorporated, gays and lesbians found refuge here, patrolled by the markedly less brutal Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The most recent migration to West Hollywood came about after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when thousands of Jews spilled over from the Fairfax area in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. West Hollywood, therefore, was a community of persecuted and creative citizens, ripe for the political organization which began in earnest in 1984. Still governed by the County of Los Angeles, there arose a great revolt when L.A. began plans to dismantle rent control. This area was a densely-populated area of renters, many of whom would not be able to afford the skyrocketing prices in the rental market of that time. Greatly assisted by the Community for Economic Survival (CES), a tight coalition of seniors, Jews, gays and renters swiftly voted to incorporate as the City of West Hollywood, immediately adopting one of the strongest rent control laws in the nation. The CES continues to hold much favor among the city’s voters, with 20 out of 24 council members (thus far) being CES-endorsed. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Hollywood%2C_California