Rancho Park was developed in the 1920s and most of its housing stock consists of Spanish Colonial bungalows and ranch houses. Today, many of the modest sized homes have been rehabbed into larger and more modern architecture. Apart from the heavily traveled stretch of Pico Boulevard in its central portions, the district has a notably quiet, suburban feel. The district's streets are equipped with faux 19th-century streetlights and feature large deciduous trees in the strips between the sidewalk and the street. (Rancho Park is one of the few districts in Los Angeles where fall foliage can be seen.) The enclave is centrally located to other Westside communities.
A little Rancho Park history... Rancho Park was named by area boosters after World War II. "We thought it was about time to have our own community. We must separate ourselves from Westwood." There were many names suggested for the new community but there was a pioneer real estate broker here who had established his office on Pico near Manning back in 1927. His name was Bill Heyler. Bill did as much as any other one person to develop the area; so when it came time to adopting a name for the community, the wisdom of the pioneer was in counsel. The honor of naming this community "Rancho Park" went to Bill Heyler. Heyler is also credited with bringing in the Rancho Park Golf Course, which opened in 1947.
Rancho Park is bordered by Sawtelle on the west, West Los Angeles on the northwest, Cheviot Hills on the east, and Westside Village on the south. The district's boundaries, while somewhat ill-defined, are generally considered to be the San Diego Freeway or Sepulveda on the west, Olympic Boulevard on the north, Manning Avenue (south of Pico Boulevard) and Beverly Glen Boulevard (north of Pico) on the east, and National Boulevard on the south. (Los Angeles City signs mark Olympic Boulevard as the district's northern boundary.)