Pacific Palisades... One Word... Privacy.
There is a “village” on the Westside and that village is called “The Pacific Palisades.” A beautiful residential community of approximately 27,000 people, and as its name implies, it clings to the impressive cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. You can’t find a bad view from any vantage point in the Palisades!
Sweetly nestled between Santa Monica and Malibu straddling Sunset Blvd, the Palisades add a touch of “rustic country” that the other suburbs of Greater Los Angeles clearly lack. Due to its privacy and seclusion back into the canyons, it is home to hundreds, if not thousands of celebrities and industry executives who prefer to enjoy quieter, narrower streets, gated communities and their many amenities all within walking distance.
“It has a very ‘small town feel’ to it”, is the response of most of the residents when asked why they love living in the Palisades. It is also one of the most “family-friendly” communities in all of Los Angeles…with plenty of activities for the kids such as soccer, baseball, swimming and karate to name a few, as well as the outdoor “Movie Night in the Park” family program on Saturday evenings during the month of August to replace the fact that The Palisades itself doesn’t have a movie theatre.
No movie theatres…nor any nightclubs or bars for the late night traffic crowd… wow!
Thisis because there is not a liquor license in sight! Ok, we lied, there is one, maybe two, but no more! (The most well-known is a Chinese restaurant called Pearl Dragon, which bought out the House of Lee, a Palisades landmark for decades, famous for being the only liquor license in the area.) But yes, you read that right, The Palisades has been (relatively) liquor-free since its inception in 1922 by a Methodist Episcopal Minister named Rev. Charles Scott who purchased the land and founded the community. He envisioned a kind of religious commune for his followers dangling from these cliffs overlooking the ocean, and hence, named it the Pacific Palisades.
Many of the streets today are still named after Methodist missionaries, as well as many locations within the French and Italian Riviera due to similarities of their topography. While the overall beauty of the area is breathtaking, the outdoor activities will “take your breath away” as well…literally… as some of the best hiking trails in all of California begin in The Palisades.
You have the 141-acre Temescal Gateway Park with its mountain views of the ocean, the beautiful 186-acre Will Rogers Historic State Park, which lies where his ranch estate was situated in the early 1930s before his untimely death in 1935, and finally, the massive 11,000 acre Topanga State Park, with its 36 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding through the open grasslands and canyons, of course with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.
The only thing left for you to do in your consideration of living in The Palisades, is to select your neighborhood…and there are several to choose from, each with their own special personality…
Probably the most famous is “The Alphabet Streets” area, known for the letter names of its streets, which is filled with older, “cheaper” (around $1 million) starter homes for families, most built between 1930 and 1970… again, maintaining that very “small town home” atmosphere. Due to its proximity to downtown, or “main street” Palisades, which is referred to as “the Village”, families can walk from the Alphabet Streets area to have lunch, shop or visit the peaceful park atmosphere of the Self Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine where you have 10 acres of scenic paths and excellent ocean views.
Other neighborhoods of note include The Riviera, where the “mountains meet the sea” and the annual Nissan Open Pro-Golf Tournament takes place every year at the exclusive Riviera Country Club. Next is The Highlands, a newly finished development of 313 homes in the mountains of Santa Ynez Canyon. This gated community enjoys its own clubhouse, tennis courts, swimming pool and several recreational activities and events, and is the newest locale for celebrities to flock to. The Huntington Palisades, just south of Sunset Blvd., is quite upscale and boasts wide curvy streets and beautiful landscaping within walking distance of the park, library and recreation center, not to mention, Sunset Blvd.
The final two neighborhoods are perfectly situated by the seaside. The first is called The Bluffs, which, as the name implies has smaller bungalows built into the cliffs overlooking the ocean. And the other is known as Castellammare, which is a bit more upscale with its very European flare. Its streets are tiny and narrow and given Italian and French names to signify its exclusive European attitude. If you live in Castellammare, you will always feel as though you are on vacation with its beauty and relaxed seaside breezes.
So, as you consider where you want to call “home”, we realize that there are a lot of options and several important decisions to consider.
We are here to help make your life easier… Call us today for a tour of this beautiful neighborhood.