Palos Verdes Peninsula, California | |
---|---|
Subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area | |
Coordinates: 33°45′31″N118°20′45″W / 33.7586472222°N 118.345844444°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Los Angeles |
Area | |
• Total | 37.5 sq mi (97 km2) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 65,008 |
Time zone | PST (UTC−8) |
• Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC−7) |
Area code(s) | 310/424 |
The Palos Verdes Peninsula ( Palos Verdes ( Spanish for 'Green Sticks')) [1] is a peninsular subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located within southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is often called simply "Palos Verdes", [2] and is made up of a group of cities in the Palos Verdes Hills, including Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates, as well as the unincorporated community of Westfield/Academy Hill.
The peninsula is located in the South Bay region. It borders the city of Torrance to its north, the Pacific Ocean is on the west and south, and the Port of Los Angeles is to the east. As of the 2010 census, the population of the Palos Verdes Peninsula is 65,008. The hill cities on the peninsula are known for scenic views of the Pacific Ocean and cityscapes, distinguished schools, [3] extensive horse trails, [4] and high-value homes. [5]
The peninsula was the homeland of the Tongva-Gabrieliño Native Americans people for thousands of years. In other areas of the Los Angeles Basin archeological sites date back 8,000 years. [6] [7] Their first contact with Europeans occurred in 1542 with João Cabrilho (Juan Cabrillo). Chowigna and Suangna were two Tongva settlements of many in the peninsula area, which was also a departure point for their rancherías on the Channel Islands.
In 1846, José Dolores Sepúlveda and José Loreto received a Mexican land grant from Alta California Governor Pío Pico for a parcel from the huge original 1784 Spanish land grant of Rancho San Pedro to Manuel Dominguez. [8] It was named Rancho de los Palos Verdes, or "ranch of the green trees", which was used primarily as a cattle ranch. [9] It was also briefly used as a whaling station in the mid-19th century.
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. [10]
Frank Vanderlip, representing a group of wealthy east coast investors, purchased 25 square miles of land on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1913 for $1.5 million. [11] In 1914, Vanderlip vacationed at Palos Verdes in order to recover from an illness, and he was astounded by scenery he compared to "the Sorrentine Peninsula and the Amalfi Drive". He quickly initiated development of Palos Verdes. He hired the Olmsted Brothers, the landscaping firm of John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., to plan and landscape a new subdivision. [12] The Olmsted Brothers contracted Koebig & Koebig to perform engineering work, including surveying and road planning. [13] However, the project stalled as World War I started, and Vanderlip accepted a chairmanship to the War Savings Committee in Washington, D.C. in 1916.
By 1921, Vanderlip had lost interest in overseeing development of Palos Verdes and enticed Edward Gardner Lewis to take over the project with an option to buy the property for $5 million. Lewis was an experienced developer, but lacked the capital to purchase and develop Palos Verdes. Instead, he established a real estate trust, capitalizing the project through the sale of notes which were convertible to Palos Verdes property. Under the terms of the trust, Lewis sought to raise $30 million for infrastructure improvements, effectively borrowing from investors for both the land and the improvements. He succeeded in attracting $15 million in capital, but far short of the $35 million needed. The trust dissolved and ownership of Palos Verdes reverted to Vanderlip. [14]
Vanderlip established a new real estate trust to purchase 3,200 acres from his land syndicate and establish the subdivision of Palos Verdes Estates. The new trust assumed not just the land, but also the improvements made by Lewis. They were not complete, but they were substantial: improvements included many sewers, water mains, and roads; landscaping, parks, and a golf course. They opened Palos Verdes for public inspection in June 1923. [15]
Palos Verdes Estates was organized and landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers and in their planning, they dedicated a quarter of the land area to permanent open undeveloped space. [16]
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Palos Verdes has a Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps. [17]
Reef restoration off the coast of Palos Verdes began in May 2020 involving over 30 acres (12 ha) of new habitat. Located off the coast, this restoration consists unique designs and locations with of rock relief habitats which provide habitat for marine life. [18] It avoids existing functioning reefs and instead uses those areas as inspiration [18] These habitats have been impacted by deposited or settling sediment such as sand. The main goals of the restoration project is to restore the rocky-reef territory and maximize ecosystem benefits. [18] l
Reefs are productive ecosystems. [19] Two Types of monitoring have been done for the restoration site. The first one being geophysical and oceanographic monitoring. The restoration project uses high-resolution multi-beam bathymetry data [18] which is an instrument that uses echo-sound to measure the depth of water at different angles to create 3D maps of the ocean floor. The team used before and after pictures of the site from October 2019, the date prior to alterations, 3 different dates throughout 2020, and the final date December 2021. By 2021, the team used Edgetech 6205 MultiPhase EchoSounder, [18] which is sends and receives audible pulses that also map the ocean's floor. Results showed net gain between 2019 and 2020. [18] There was little net loss and fewer net gain between 2020 and 2021. Between 2019 and 2021, there were was mostly no change. [18]
The second monitoring method was biological monitoring. The team used instruments which detected specific fish species' density and size. These instruments also showed the kelp canopy and other marine plants. By 2021, the team was able to say there was a significantly higher giant kelp density compared to the previous 3 years. [18] There was also an increase in biotic cover, total fish density, and total fish biomass by 2021. [18] Although kelp does function as a habitat and food source of marine species, it is not necessary for fish biodiversity. Instead, rock relief is linked to fish biodiversity. [20]
Human caused factors such as pollution and over harvesting have altered urchin-dominated areas. Historically, pollution mitigation has been overlooked in artificial reef restoration programs. [19] A way to mitigate issues is through assisted recovery and/or passive restoration. Experiments that have included pollution mitigation have seen a 100% success rate of achieving cleaner environments within their testing site. [21] Heavy metals have been found in Southern California coasts. Some of these are lead, zinc, and scientists have also found DDT. The highest concentration of DDT in sediments in California have been found off the coast of Palos Verdes. 98% of sediments tested off the coast of Palos Verdes contained DDT which has contaminated 100% of two fish species. These species are the Pacific sanddab and longfin sanddab. [22] High amounts of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrate have also been detected in the water. [22] These factors have caused fish tissue to decrease between the 1970s and 1980s. [22] Due to the high concentration of DDT, commercial fishing is banned off the coast of Palos Verdes. Another factor where marine restorations fall short is in accounting for multiple important variables. Some examples are nutrients, light, wave exposure, and temporal temperatures. [19]
Another stressor that reefs and other marine ecosystems face are human population increases. Population increased in California's coast during the 1900s. It went from 200 thousand people in Southern California in 1900 to over 17 million in 1998. [22] Palos Verdes has been identified as a hot spot for sewage found in sediments. Invertebrates, plankton, and several species have bioaccumulated increasing amounts of chlorinated hydrocarbons as they approach Palos Verdes. [22] When there are high levels of pollution, fish diseases such as tumors and fin erosion levels also increase. [22]
Palos Verdes Peninsula is an upper class area, and the average household income is $231,303 per year. [23]
Areas of commerce include historic Mediterranean Revival style Malaga Cove Plaza and the Promenade on the Peninsula. Smaller shopping centers include the Peninsula Center, Lunada Bay Plaza, and Golden Cove Plaza.
The largest peninsula commercial district is in Rolling Hills Estates, with many shopping centers including The Promenade on the Peninsula with a megaplex movie theater and an ice rink.
The Palos Verdes area has ocean views, coastline views and city light views.[ citation needed ]
The Peninsula is home to the Promenade on the Peninsula mall, originally an enclosed regional mall with two department store anchors, May Company California and Bullocks Wilshire, as well as the Peninsula Center, which originally had a Buffums department store. [24]
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority provides bus service within and to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. [25] The Palos Verdes Peninsula is within 40 minutes of both LAX and Long Beach Airport, which together provide access to most of the United States aboard all major carriers.
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District has one of the highest rated API scores in California [26] and has one of the highest average SAT scores [27] and one of the highest percentage of students successfully completing the Advanced Placement exams [28] in the county. There are three high schools, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (formerly called Rolling Hills High School), Palos Verdes High School, and Rancho Del Mar High School (located in Rolling Hills). The former Marymount California University, a co-ed Roman Catholic four-year college was located in Rancho Palos Verdes. [29] A private K–12 school, Chadwick School, is also located there. Rolling Hills Country Day School, adjacent to the Botanic Garden, offers a private K-8 education. In total, there are 11 elementary schools, 3 intermediate schools, and 3 high schools located on the peninsula.
In the Eastview neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes, however, residents have the option to choose either PV schools or the surrounding LAUSD schools (i.e. Dodson Middle School, Dana Middle School, San Pedro High School, etc.).
Additionally, students are also able to attend the California Academy of Mathematics and Science in Carson due to its attendance boundaries stretching to the South Bay, which is about 20-40 minutes from the peninsula itself.
The Peninsula is served by the Palos Verdes Library District, [30] which operates these three libraries:
The 40 Families Project based at Peninsula Center Library documents the history of the Japanese-American community on Palos Verdes before World War II. [31]
The peninsula is frequented by runners, hikers, horseback riders, bird watchers, surfers, scuba divers, fishermen, and bicyclists. The area is home to several golf courses and country clubs. 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 issues of localism. 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. [34] Surveillance cameras were placed in the surfing area but were later removed. [35] In 2016, The Coastal Commission targeted the group after "renewed reports that their unpermitted structure [built along Lunada Bay] was being used as a spot for ongoing bullying and intimidation." On July 12, 2016, City Manager Tony Dahlerbruch recommended the removal of the illegal structure after pressure from the California Coastal Commission. [36]
The Trump National Golf Club is a Donald Trump venture with 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. In the summer of 2006, the golf club erected a 70-foot flagpole for an American flag; critics claimed it was illegal, but the golf club was allowed to retain it after a City Council vote. [37]
The Marineland of the Pacific site near Portuguese Bend is currently home of Terranea, a luxury oceanfront resort. [38]
There are numerous nature reserves in Palos Verdes: Palos Verdes Estates Shoreline Preserve, Agua Amarga Reserve, and Portuguese Bend Reserve. The reserves contain coastal sage scrubs habitats, a community of fragrant and drought resistant shrubs and flowering plants. In August 2009, wildfire burned approximately 165-acres of the Portuguese Bend Reserve. As a result, restoration has been done to reinstall native plants and animals to the area. [39]
This article's list of residents may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy.(September 2019) |
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The South Bay is a region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located in the southwest corner of Los Angeles County. The name stems from its geographic location stretching along the southern shore of Santa Monica Bay. The South Bay contains sixteen cities plus portions of the City of Los Angeles and unincorporated portions of the county. The area is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the south and west and generally by the City of Los Angeles on the north and east.
Palos Verdes Estates is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and neighboring Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills Estates. The city was master-planned by the noted American landscape architect and planner Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. The city is located along the Southern California coastline of the Pacific Ocean.
Rancho Palos Verdes is a coastal city located in south Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated on September 7, 1973, the city has a population of 42,287 as reported in the 2020 United States Census. Rancho Palos Verdes sits atop the bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, neighboring three other cities in the Palos Verdes Hills, namely Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates. It is known for its extensive nature preserves and hiking trails, school district, as well as high property values.
Rolling Hills Estates is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. On the northern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, facing Torrance, Rolling Hills Estates is mostly residential. Incorporated in 1957, Rolling Hills Estates has many horse paths. The population was 8,067 at the 2010 census, up from 7,676 at the 2000 census. In 2018, the population rose to 8,141, and the 2020 census counted 8,280 residents.
Marineland of the Pacific was a public oceanarium and tourist attraction located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula coast in Los Angeles County, California. Architect William Pereira designed the main structure. It was also known as Hanna-Barbera's Marineland during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Marineland operated from 1954 until 1987, when it was purchased by the owners of SeaWorld San Diego. The new owners moved the popular killer whales and other animals to their San Diego facility and abruptly closed Marineland.
Frank Lloyd Wright Jr., commonly known as Lloyd Wright, was an American architect, active primarily in Los Angeles and Southern California. He was a landscape architect for various Los Angeles projects (1922–1924), provided the shells for the Hollywood Bowl (1926–1928), and produced the Swedenborg Memorial Chapel at Rancho Palos Verdes, California (1946–1971). His name is frequently confused with that of his more famous father, Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Portuguese Bend region is the largest area of natural vegetation remaining on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, in Los Angeles County, California. Though once slated for development including the projected route of Crenshaw Boulevard, the area is geologically unstable and is unsuitable for building.
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) is a school district headquartered in Palos Verdes Estates, California with facilities in all four cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
The Palos Verdes Library District (PVLD) is an independent special library district serving the residents of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California. PVLD is governed by a publicly elected Board of Trustees that consists of five members who voluntarily serve without monetary compensation. PVLD's three libraries - Peninsula Center Library, Malaga Cove Library, and Miraleste Library - serve the cities of Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills Estates, and Rolling Hills, California.
Rancho de los Palos Verdes was a 31,629-acre (128.00 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to José Loreto and Juan Capistrano Sepulveda. The name means "ranch of the green trees". The grant encompassed the present-day cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, as well as portions of San Pedro and Torrance.
Don Manuel Domínguez e Ybáñez (1803–1882) was a Californio ranchero, politician, and a signer of the California Constitution in 1849. He served as two terms as Alcalde of Los Angeles (mayor). He was one of the largest landowners in Southern California, having inherited Rancho San Pedro in 1825, one of the largest ranchos in California. He was one of the founders of the cities of Carson and Compton and of the fishing village of San Pedro. Today, California State University, Dominguez Hills and the communities of Rancho Dominguez, East Rancho Dominguez, and West Rancho Dominguez bear his family's name.
Frank Arthur Vanderlip Sr. was an American banker and journalist. He was president of the National City Bank of New York from 1909 to 1919, and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury from 1897 to 1901. Vanderlip is known for his part in founding the Federal Reserve System and for founding the first Montessori school in the United States, the Scarborough School and the group of communities in Palos Verdes, California.
The Palos Verdes Hills are a low mountain range on the southwestern coast of Los Angeles County, California. They lie on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, a subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (PVPLC) is a non-profit organization that is based on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in southwestern Los Angeles County, California.
The International Bilingual School, later International School of Los Angeles (ISLA), was an international bilingual day school in Palos Verdes Estates, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, serving students in Kindergarten through grade 9. It was founded by Tadao Hara. The school later relocated to nearby Torrance.
The Lunada Bay Boys or simply the Bay Boys, are a surfer gang in Palos Verdes Estates, California, known for their aggressive localism. In 2016, Newsweek called the Lunada Bay Boys "America's most notorious surf gang". The group's territorialism of the Lunada Bay public beach has raised concerns in the legal and surfing worlds. Although the Bay Boys are now often considered a gang, the group had non-violent beginnings in the 1960s as a self-described surfing "family" or fraternity.
Narcissa Cox Vanderlip, née Mabel Narcissa Cox (1879-1966) was an American suffragist.
Promenade on the Peninsula is the current name of originally enclosed, now open-air regional shopping mall in Rolling Hills Estates on the affluent Palos Verdes Peninsula in the South Bay area of Greater Los Angeles. Former names include The Courtyard, Shops at Palos Verdes and Avenue of the Peninsula.
The La Venta Inn is a historical landmark property located in Palos Verdes Estates, California, United States.
The Palos Verdes Peninsula, a coastal region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, has a long history of landslides and land movements. The Palos Verdes Peninsula is home to the cities of Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates, and the unincorporated communities of Academy Hills and Westfield.