While people often refer to North of Wilshire as a blanket region north of Wilshire Blvd but south of Montana Avenue, the community east of 21st Street is distinct. This area offers predominantly single family homes and is represented by the Northeast Neighbors Association. The eastern boundary is Centinela Avenue, which separates both the neighborhood and the city of Santa Monica from adjacent Brentwood in Los Angeles. 

A section of this neighborhood is also referred to as the College Streets. Predictably, this five block zone is named after prominent universities and interrupts the numbered streets that run parallel to the ocean.

Lot sizes vary from 5,000 s.f. to 10,000 s.f. with the average lot size falling in the higher end of that range. Original construction dates back to the 1920s with homes built or remodeled continually since. North of Wilshire offers the most affordable large concentration of single family homes in Santa Monica north of I-10. Redevelopment has surged in recent years as builders and homebuyers see the potential in aging homes, often buying with plans to demolish or expand the existing residence. Although the neighborhood skews largely single family, condominium complexes are found on the community's fringe fronting both Wilshire Blvd and Montana Ave. Units sizes and price points are comparable to those in adjacent Wilshire Montana and Midtown Santa Monica.