Hancock Park vs West Adams

Median prices: Redfin Data Center, zip codes 90004 and 90018, March to May 2026. Zip codes don't match neighborhood borders exactly.

The homes

Hancock Park was laid out in the 1920s and still looks it: big Tudor Revival, English, Spanish Colonial, Georgian and Mediterranean homes set back behind deep lawns on wide, flat streets shaded by mature trees. Front yards are open, without tall walls or fences, which gives the streets a park-like look, and many homes have guest houses, pools and detached garages. Neighboring Windsor Square has a similar look, and the surrounding blocks add 1920s duplexes, Spanish courtyard buildings and condos.

West Adams is older and more varied, one of the first neighborhoods built west of Downtown, mostly between the 1880s and the 1920s. Queen Anne and other Victorians, Shingle-style homes, Craftsman bungalows and two-stories, and Colonial, Mission and Spanish Colonial Revival homes often share the same block. Grand early mansions survive along Adams Boulevard, Lafayette Square and Victoria Park have larger lots on curving streets, and duplexes, fourplexes and courtyard apartments are mixed in throughout.

Prices

The price figures on this page use 90004 for Hancock Park and 90018 for West Adams. The 90004 zip also includes smaller homes and condos in nearby areas, so Hancock Park's own house prices typically run well above the zip figures. West Adams spans several zips, and 90018 covers much of the historic core. In both, size, condition, restoration and any rental units matter as much as location.

The feel

Hancock Park's village center is Larchmont Boulevard, a few blocks of 1920s storefronts with cafes, restaurants, a bookstore and boutiques, plus a Sunday morning farmers market. Wilshire Country Club runs through the middle of the neighborhood, and Museum Row, with LACMA, the Academy Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits, is a few minutes west.

West Adams has two dining strips: the western blocks of Adams Boulevard, with restaurants, cafes and wine bars among the historic mansions, and Jefferson Boulevard around the Maydan Market food hall. Exposition Park is a short drive east, home to the Natural History Museum, the California Science Center and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which opened in September 2026.

Getting around

Hancock Park is about as central as LA gets, with Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Koreatown and Downtown all close. The Metro D Line runs under Wilshire Boulevard, with stations at La Brea, Fairfax and La Cienega that opened in May 2026. West Adams sits right along the 10, so Downtown is often 10 to 15 minutes off-peak, Culver City about 10 to 15 and Santa Monica 20 to 30, with the 110 just east. The Metro E Line runs along its south edge toward Downtown and Santa Monica.

City and rules

Both are in the City of Los Angeles, and both have strong preservation rules. Hancock Park and Windsor Square are Historic Preservation Overlay Zones, and West Adams has several, so exterior changes visible from the street generally need design review. Check whether a home is in an HPOZ with LA City Planning. Rent stabilization covers many pre-1978 multi-unit buildings, which matters for a duplex or a house with a rented unit, and some historic homes carry Mills Act contracts that can generally lower property taxes. Homes this old call for careful foundation, sewer and electrical inspections.

Weather

The weather is close to identical. Both sit several miles inland, so summers run warmer than at the beach and milder than in the Valley, with mild winters. Older homes may not have central AC, so check what a house has.