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Palos Verdes Peninsula

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Palos Verdes is often used to refer to a group of coastal cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the Los Angeles/South Bay area of California. This affluent bedroom community is known for its dramatic views, good schools [1] extensive horse trails [2] and high home prices [3]

File:Viewfromsky.jpg
Aerial view of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Los Angeles in the distance.

Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates are the predominant cities in the area, with a part of San Pedro protruding on the eastern end of the peninsula. The area is home to several golf courses and country clubs, and the South Coast Botanic Garden. On the coast is the location of the former Marineland of the Pacific, an aquatic theme park. There is a lighthouse on Point Vicente, and Point Vicente Park is a popular spot for watching the migration of gray whales to and from their breeding lagoon in Baja California. There is also a lighthouse at Point Fermin in San Pedro.

History

The peninsula was originally inhabited by Native Americans belonging to the Tongva (sometimes referred to as "Gabrielino") tribe, and first described in 1542 by Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo. In 1827, Don Jose Dolores Sepulveda procured a parcel of the original, 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant from Manuel Dominguez, and named it Rancho de los Palos Verdes ("range of green trees"), which was used primarily as a cattle ranch. By 1882 ownership of the land had passed from the Sepulveda family through various mortgage holders to Jotham Bixby of Rancho Los Cerritos, who leased the land to Japanese farmers. After the turn of the century most of Bixby's land was sold to a consortium of New York investors who began marketing land on the peninsula for small horse ranches and residential communities.

The Wayfarers Chapel, designed by architect Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright) opened in 1951 and is a well-known landmark overseen by the Swedenborgian Church. The chapel is located at the western entrance of Portuguese Bend, one of the most geologically unstable areas in the world. Constant tectonic shifts and rock slides mean that Palos Verdes Drive South, the main road through the bend, is under constant repair. And for years, the wreck of the Dominator, a freighter that ran aground in 1961, was a rather bizarre attraction for those willing to hike down the cliffs to the shoreline. Very little is left of the ship today. In 2006, the 45 foot cabin cruiser Lady Hawk sank 2 miles from the Palos Veres coast due to an engine fire [1].

The area is a very affluent one, with expensive homes overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Los Angeles Basin, and with Santa Catalina Island almost always visible just across the channel.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District has one of the highest rated API scores in California [4] , and has one of the highest average SAT scores [5] and one of the highest percentage of students successfully completing the Advanced Placement exams [6] in the county. There are two high schools, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (formerly called Rolling Hills High School) and Palos Verdes High School (the latter located just a half block from the Pacific Ocean). Marymount College, a co-ed Roman Catholic two-year college is located in Rancho Palos Verdes. A private K-12 school, Chadwick School, is also located there.

The Peninsula is served by the Palos Verdes Library District which operates the Peninsula Center, Miraleste, and Malaga Cove Libraries.

The Korean Bell of Friendship and the Fort MacArthur Military Museum are both located near Point Fermin in San Pedro.

The area is frequented by runners, hikers, horseback riders, bird watchers, surfers, scuba divers, and bicyclists. In addition, nude sunbathers formerly frequented Sacreds Cove (or "Smugglers Cove") until the city of Rancho Palos Verdes enacted a 1994 ordinance that ended such use of that beach.

The infamous Palos Verdes surf spots have been in the spotlight many times over localism. The "Bay Boys" (as they are known by Palos Verdes residents in reference to Lunada Bay) have been known to harass, intimidate, and assault outsiders seeking to surf the perfect winter waves of "the hill." A non-local might find his tires slashed (very common) upon returning from a PV break. [2] The most notorious surf spot for localism in Palos Verdes is Lunada Bay, which can hold any winter swell and has been known to rival Sunset Beach, Hawaii on a big day. Localism in Palos Verdes reached a turning point in 2001 when a civil rights lawsuit was filed after a particularly violent confrontation with Hermosa Beach surfers. [3] Surveillance cameras were placed in the surfing area but were later removed. [4]

Commerce

Practically the entire commercial district is in Rolling Hills Estates. There are many shopping centers there, including The Avenue of the Peninsula. This outdoor mall includes a megaplex movie theater, many eateries, and an ice rink.

Areas of commerce include "The Avenue" mall, Malaga Cove, and Lunada Bay. Lesser known shopping centers include the Peninsula Center, Town and Country, and The Village.

The area where Marineland of the Pacific once stood now serves as an outdoor set for commercials, film productions, and, in 1996, the MTV Beach House. Currently, it is the site for filming of Fox's The OC and the location of current construction on a five-star Resort Hotel. Donald Trump's latest venture is Trump National a golf course on the Ocean Trails cliffs. The 18th hole of the prior golf course fell victim to a landslide caused by a leak in the sanitary pipes underneath it. Trump has been heavily criticized for poorly managing the property, including dismissing employees en masse, failing to keep it in business, and upsetting locals with unnecessary and/or unapproved construction. In the summer of 2006, the Trump Organization illegally erected a 70 foot flagpole but was allowed to retain it after a City Council vote [5].

Miscellaneous information

The young adult novels The Tribes of Palos Verdes by author Joy Nicholson and The Mark of Conte by Sonia Levitin, describe life from a teenager's perspective in Palos Verdes.

Notable residents of Palos Verdes included Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee, who sold U.S. secrets to the Soviets and were portrayed in the book and movie The Falcon and the Snowman. Another notable resident was Body Glove co-founder Bob Meistrell, who invented the first "practical" wetsuit [6]. Other famous residents include USC Head Football Coach Pete Carroll, musician Gary Wright, billboard model Angelyne, actor Michael Dudikoff, former pro basketball player Elden Campbell.

Filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 3 is currently (August 29) underway off the coast of Palos Verdes Peninsula in California. A tent city for production has been constructed in the Redondo Beach Marina. The Pearl and several production vessels can be seen on the waters daily and helicopter filming will be done for overhead shots as well.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Profile" (PDF). Palos Verdes Peninsula School District. Retrieved 2006-10-03. | format=pdf
  2. ^ "Rancho Palos Verdes Equestrian Maps". City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
  3. ^ "The Most Expensive Zip Codes". Forbes. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
  4. ^ "Palos Verdes Local Educational Agency Report". California Department of Education. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
  5. ^ "School Wise Press School Snapshot: Palos Verdes Peninsula High School". School Wise Press. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
  6. ^ "SAT, ACT and AP Test Results in California". California Department of Education. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
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