SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

FACTS OF INTEREST:

• On Nov 30, 1886 Santa Monica was incorporated as a city.
• Today Santa Monica has a population of about 91,124 people.
• It is a Beach City of about 3.5 miles of sandy coastline.
• We can count on about 340 days of sunshine a year.
• The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is known to be one of the best in Southern California.

At first people who lived in Los Angeles came to Santa Monica for summer vacations and rented bungalows in Santa Monica Canyon. Starting in the 1920's the first beach homes were built on Palisades Beach Road for Hollywood celebrities like Cary Grant and Mae West. By 1949 Palisades Beach Rd became a 6 lane highway. Only 2 of the Beach Clubs on the sand remain today: The Jonathan Club and the Bel Air Beach Club.

With the development of The Third Street Promenade in the 1980's and 1990's as the premier shopping destination, Santa Monica is now a thriving beach city. Tourists from all over the world come to visit, and it is home to many who consider it the best place to live on the Westside.

Montana Avenue, charming 10-block open air retail destination is frequented mostly by the locals, who shop, dine and stroll there every day of the week.

Now let's take a look at the charming and diverse neighborhoods in Santa Monica as each one has its own characteristics and points of interest.