<Tr> <Th> Designated </Th> <Td> July 5, 1978 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Reference no . </Th> <Td> 194 </Td> </Tr> <P> The Hollywood Walk of Fame comprises more than 2,600 five - pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California . The stars are permanent public monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry, bearing the names of a mix of actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, fictional characters, and others . The Walk of Fame is administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and maintained by the self - financing Hollywood Historic Trust . It is a popular tourist destination, with a reported 10 million visitors in 2003 . </P> <P> The Walk of Fame runs 1.3 miles (2.1 km) east to west on Hollywood Boulevard from Gower Street to La Brea Avenue, plus a short segment of Marshfield Way that runs diagonally between Hollywood and La Brea; and 0.4 miles (0.64 km) north to south on Vine Street between Yucca Street and Sunset Boulevard . According to a 2003 report by the market research firm NPO Plog Research, the Walk attracts about 10 million visitors annually--more than Sunset Strip, TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman's), the Queen Mary, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art--and has played an important role in making tourism the largest industry in Los Angeles County . </P>

Who pays for the stars on the hollywood walk of fame