"Villa Zugerberg"

Although it's been popular with entertainment industry types since the silent film era, Toluca Lake until recently has not generated the type of buzz that other celebrity havens have, instead being one of those places people refer to as "a hidden gem." But word is getting out: As writer-producer Adam Leff puts it: "The Bird Streets are over — all the movie- and rock-star types are moving to Toluca Lake."

Developed during the 1920s, the 1.22-square-mile tract in the San Fernando Valley was envisioned as a Spanish-style village in homage to the nearby historic Campo de Cahuenga (where the treaty ending U.S.-Mexico hostilities in California was signed). Early buyers had to agree to construct Spanish Revival-style homes as a condition of purchase. According to local lore, this restriction fell by the wayside when Bette Davis instead built an English country-style home. (Regrettably, radio personality Rick Dees replaced it with a hulking neo-Georgian in the 1990s.)