The area that shaped Angelenos’ transit attitudes continues to evolve.

In 1921,developer A.W. Ross hatched abold plan that would set the course for the wayAngelenos would shop and liveinthe 20th century: He would buy up land on WilshireBoulevardbetween La Brea and Fairfaxavenues and build the retail hubofthe future, one centered around the automobile.

Though critics scoffed, he believedhecould drawcustomers from Beverly Hills and Hollywood to what wasthen the unfashionable hinterland of the citysimply by combining luxurydepartment storeshopping with plentyoffree parking.Hewas right.

What became known as the Miracle Mile was, by the late1920s, asmash hit with upscale shoppers —nomatterthatitlay in the shadow of avast and activeoil field and that tar seeped up between the cracksinthe sidewalks.

Freedfromcramped,trolleycloggeddowntownshopping districts, able to blithely flit along WilshireBoulevardintheir cars, bouncing from department store to upscale millinery to fashionable cafe and back again, Angelenosfell in love with mobility.

The MiracleMile changed people’smindset about whereand howthey could live. If youcould shop outsideofthe citycenter,you could certainly livethere too.

Greater Mid-Wilshireboomed in the 1920s. Amix of housing catered to everyone from shopgirls to the heirs to oil fortunes.

In the years afterWorld WarII, the district welcomed anew round of signaturelandmarks,when mid-rise office complexeslikethe Prudential Building began to appear on the boulevard, the massiveapartment complexat ParkLaBreawas completed, and LACMA movedintonew digsat the western end of the district.

Today the Mid-Wilshire district is aculturalcenter,withthe Petersen AutomotiveMuseum, the El Rey Theatre, the George C. Page Museumand LACMA soon to be joined by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. And, of course, the endless stream of tour buses that line up outside its wroughtiron fence every day is testament to the undying fascinationofthe La Brea TarPits.

Neighborhood highlights Proof that L.A.does have culture: LACMA has asolid permanent collection, and it regularly hosts top-notchspecial exhibits. But let’s be honest: Everybody really lovesitfor the Urban Light installationout front.

When woolly mammoths roamed the earth: Whereelsecan you watchaspaleontologygrad studentsdig ice agefossils outoftar with toothpicks? If youtakethe kids, preparetoanswer awkward questions about the fateofthe mama mammoth statue, whichis perpetually sinkinginthe tar in front of her horrified offspring.

Art deco: From the MayCo. Building on the west to the E. Clem WilsonBuilding on the east, the Miracle Mile has one of the best collections of intact ArtDeco architectureinthe world.

Neighborhood challenges Beware the cone zone: Phase one of the Purple Line Extension, which will run under Wilshire Boulevard to La Cienega, is finally under construction. That’s fantastic news for commuters in the long term, but it will no doubt cause even more traffic headaches in the short term.

Expert insight Bret Parsons, a Windsor Village resident and the architectural division director for Coldwell Banker Southern California, finds appeal in Mid-Wilshire’s history, family-oriented environment and singularity among the small pockets that make up the area.

“These are distinct neighborhoods that were all developed separately in the 1920s but grew together over the years,” said Parsons. “Each area — from Brookside to Fremont Place to Windsor Square — is noticeably different.”

Pedigreed homes on larger lots and a close proximity to downtown L.A. have fueled a resurgence in the area, Parsons said. “Have a lot of cash, and be prepared to put a lot of down,” he advised. “Prices always remain high because there’s such little inventory.”

Market snapshot Portions of the 90005, 90006, 90019 and 90036 ZIP Codes overlap the Mid-Wilshire area. In June, based on five sales, the median price for a single-family home in the 90005 ZIP was $1.3 million, according to CoreLogic. In the 90006 ZIP, based on two sales, the median price was $750,000; in the 90019 ZIP, based on 21 sales, the median price was $779,000; and in the 90036 ZIP,17 sales resulted in a median price of $1.58 million.

Report card Within the boundaries of Mid- Wilshire, as defined by the L.A. Times Mapping Tool, is Hancock Park Elementary, which had a score of 919 out of 1,000 in the 2013 Academic Performance Index. Queen Anne Place Elementary had a score of 813; Wilshire Crest Elementary had a score of 776; and New Los Angeles Charter scored 760. Los Angeles Senior High scored 643.

hotproperty@latimes.com