Studio City earned its name in the 1920s when Mack Sennett moved his studios from a neighborhood known as Edendale (near Echo Park) to a property near Colfax Avenue and Ventura Boulevard. His soundstages, Mack Sennett Studios, were later renamed Mascot Pictures Studios, Republic Pictures Studios, MTM Enterprises Studios and today are known as the CBS Radford Studios.
The area, like many parts of L.A., has seen a great deal of tear-down building, with large condominiums replacing single family homes, and a surge in retail. A local golf and tennis facility is in danger of being displaced by a senior residential complex. Nearby, the historic Sportsmen's Lodge is also threatened with eventual redevelopment; however, negotiations among the Los Angeles Conservancy, Studio City Residents Association, and the facility's owner have led to the suggestion of public review before any planned alterations to this site. Traffic and parking problems have recently worsened, and the construction of parking structures has not made a visible improvement.
According to the 2000 San Fernando Valley Almanac, Studio City has a population of 25,841 people and 13,086 households. The median home price is $811,000. The population demography is 81.6% White, 8.1% Latino, 5.8% Asian, and 8.6% African American. True to the city's name, many residents work in film, television and media. 
Like its neighbor Sherman Oaks, Studio City has seen a surge in restaurants of note in past decades
, including a number of high quality sushi bars, two top delis and many restaurants known for fine dining (such as Firefly, Spark, La Loggia and Outtake Cafe). There are relatively few fast-food restaurants.
The area is served by two publications with local content. The Studio City Sun (part of a regional chain) covers issues such as development and traffic, and keeps up with local celebrities. Studio City Lifestyle, an advertiser-friendly glossy magazine, is partial to profiles and pieces on merchants.


Studio City is zoned to Los Angeles USD schools 
Carpenter Avenue Elementary School (in Studio City), Walter Reed Middle School (in Studio City), and North Hollywood High School (in Valley Village) serve the community.

In September 2004, Britney Spears married Kevin Federline in a private house in Studio City.
Bonnie Lee Bakley, wife of actor Robert Blake, was found murdered near Vitello's Restaurant on Tujunga Avenue in Studio City in May 2001. 
On March 4, 1952, actor Ronald Reagan married Nancy Davis at the Little Brown Church in Studio City. 
In June 1968, Senator Robert Kennedy and his family stayed at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City the night before his victory in the California Presidential primary. It proved to be Senator Kennedy's last night, as he was assassinated the following night at The Ambassador Hotel after a party celebrating his primary victory.[12] Senator Kennedy stayed on the fifth floor at the Sportsmen's Lodge Hotel the night before his assassination