As a kid, I grew up a few towns over from Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, an extremely wealthy community comprised of old New England money and ancient sprawling estates that would put the Clue mansion to shame.
Beverly Hills, California, was named after Beverly Farms. Was it because developer Burton Green appreciated its history? Did he grow up there, or perhaps have a personal connection?
Nope! Green just happened to notice the name in a newspaper article about where John D. Rockefeller was vacationing one summer and thought it sounded pretty (and of course, was hoping it would attract the attention of the ultra-wealthy). By all accounts, he never set foot there (although legend would eventually describe it as a place he loved from his childhood).
There is something just so quintessentially LA about that.
(Also, it would appear I am forever cursed to live a few towns over from a Beverly I can’t afford to live in! Thankfully, I have no desire for either…)
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