Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779.
In the 1920s, the city became a center for film and later television production, best known as the home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios from 1924 to 1986. From 1932 to 1986, it was the headquarters for the Hughes Aircraft Company. National Public Radio West and Sony Pictures Entertainment have headquarters in the city. The city was named after its founder, Harry Culver. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights.
Despite having two movie studios and several television production facilities within the city limits, the only public tour is at Sony Studios, which offers a tour rather than a theme park attraction like Universal City. In addition, a handful of museums are scattered throughout the city, each one small and focused on a particular subject - those looking for large museums geared towards a general audience might want to take the Expo line to Exposition Park, but those with special interests will find Culver City's offerings to be excellent. Two highlights include the Wende Museum, which is highly regarded for its Cold War collection, and the Museum of Jurassic Technology, which has somewhat of a cult following for its general weirdness and for its willingness to mix truth and fiction.
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Since the late 1990s Culver City has been undergoing a transformation and today is known as a destination for food lovers, with a huge number of unique and well-reviewed restaurants setting up shop in the city. The downtown area is home to dozens of restaurants opened by famous chefs or aspiring restaurateurs, while other foodie hotspots include the Helm's Bakery complex and the Culver West neighborhood along Washington Boulevard. For those who just need a quick bite, the standard chains are well-represented including Denny's, Chipotle, and dozens of other fast food restaurants. On a historical note, the steakhouse chain Sizzler, which today has hundreds of locations across the country, got its start in Culver City in 1958 as Del's Sizzler Family Steak House.
Most of the downtown restaurants also have a lively bar scene. Other bars located throughout the city include:
Culver City offers a bit of everything when it comes to shopping. The Westfield Malls, located just off of I-405 at Sepulveda, is a 200 store mega-mall. The district near the intersection of Washington Blvd and La Cienaga Blvd is a major art destination, featuring dozens of galleries. The downtown area is home to several smaller and more upscale shops, as well as the old Helms Bakery complex, now home to a variety of furniture stores. And for those looking for familiar shopping establishments, major chain stores such as Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Best Buy are also represented within the city limits.
Culver City has a handful of large hotels located near the intersection of I-405 and Sepulveda Blvd, with several cheaper but more rundown options located on Sepulveda near the intersection with Venice Blvd, and also along Washington Blvd. The historic Culver Hotel is located downtown and offers a more unique lodging option. Neighboring cities such as Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey and El Segundo have numerous options within a 10-15 minute drive of Culver City.
The Metro light rail Expo Line stops in Culver City on its way between Santa Monica to the west and Exposition Park and Downtown LA to the east. The Culver City station is at the northern end of downtown Culver City, off National Blvd between Washington and Venice Blvds, approximately a five-minute walk from downtown Culver City. Metro bus lines 33/Rapid 733 run frequently along Venice Blvd past downtown Culver City, with service to Downtown LA and Venice Beach.
Culver CityBus has several bus lines that link Culver City and surrounding communities. Routes of particular use to visitors include Line 1 to Venice Beach via Washington Blvd and Fairfax Ave, with a stop at the Expo Line Culver City station; Line 3 between the Westfield Shopping Center and Century City, with stops at West LA College, the Westside Pavilion, and the Expo Line Westwood/Rancho Park station along the way; and Line 6 between Westwood/UCLA and the LAX City Bus Center via Sepulveda Blvd, with stops at the Westfield Shopping Center and the Expo Line Sepulveda station. Service on these three lines is daily and tends to run every 15-20 minutes for most of the day. Fare is $1, with transfers to another Culver CityBus costing $0.25 and inter-agency transfers $0.40, with TAP cards accepted.
Culver CityBus operates buses in and around Culver City.
There are red light cameras throughout Culver City, and at $490 per violation the fines are some of the highest in the country.
