Pacific Palisades is a
district within the U.S.
city of
Los Angeles,
California
, located between Brentwood
to the east, Malibu
to the west, Santa Monica
to the southeast, the Santa Monica Bay
to the southwest, and the Santa Monica
Mountains
to the north. The area currently has about
27,000 residents. It is a very affluent and primarily residential
area, with a mixture of large private homes, small (usually older)
houses, condominiums, and apartments. Every 4th of July, the
Chamber of Commerce sponsors day-long events which include a 5K and
10 K Run, a parade down Sunset Boulevard, and a fireworks display
at Palisades High School football field. It also includes some
large parklands and many hiking trails. It is known as "Where The
Mountains Meet the Sea."
History
In 1911, film director
Thomas Ince
created his Western film factory "
Inceville",
which at its peak employed nearly 600 people. A decade later, the
Rev. Charles H. Scott and the Southern California Methodist
Episcopal Church bought the land; in 1922, Scott founded Pacific
Palisades, envisioning an elaborate religious-intellectual commune.
Believers snapped up choice lots and lived in tents during
construction. By 1925, the Palisades had 100 homes. In one
subdivision, streets were named for
Methodist missionaries. The tents eventually were
replaced by cabins, then by bungalows, and ultimately by
multimillion-dollar homes.
For many decades there was a virtual ban on drinking in the
district, a
Chinese restaurant
called House of Lee's conspicuously holding the only liquor
license. The
Presbyterian Church
originally owned a conference center in
Temescal Canyon before it was sold to become
Temescal Gateway Park.
Areas
- The Alphabet Streets also known as "North
Village", are north of Sunset Blvd. and are characterized by narrow
streets. The street names are consecutively named beginning with A,
B, C, D, etc - hence the name Alphabet Streets. The streets are
named for Methodist Bishops of the late 19th and early 20th
century. It is a popular destination for trick-or-treaters on
Halloween.
- The Bluffs are located further out-of-town
west along Sunset Boulevard and
start past Palisades
Charter High School and Via De La Paz. they extend for a long
distance between Sunset Blvd. and the Palisades Bluffs.
- Castellammare is located on small bluffs
directly on the ocean. The narrow, winding streets have Italian
names. It is the home of the Getty Villa. It is located where
Sunset Blvd meets Pacific Coast Highway.
- Huntington Palisades is close to the 'village'
proper, and is more of a typical suburb. It is located south of
Sunset Blvd.
- Marquez Knolls is a large area of homes, known
for spectacular ocean views, and is located farther west on Sunset
Blvd on a mountain upslope. The lower upslope was first developed
in the early 1950s and mid 1960s by the Earl Lachman family.
Marquez Elementary services the
neighborhood along with a small shopping center on Marquez Street
and Sunset Blvd.
- Palisades
Highlands is a community near the end of Sunset Blvd.,
bordering Topanga. About five minutes away from the center of the
Pacific Palisades, the Palisades Village, The Highlands could
almost be considered its own separate community.
- The Riviera features The Riviera Country Club, a high-end
country club, and streets named after various locations in the
French and Italian Riviera. The neighborhood is divided into north
and south sections by Sunset
Boulevard. It borders Santa Monica and Brentwood.
- Rustic Canyon
features post-war homes located on the former polo field of The
Uplifters, the original site of The Uplifters clubhouse (now a city
park) and the "cabins" developed as second homes and weekend
retreats. This area is also known as Uplifter's Ranch. Located off
Sunset Blvd. between The Riveria and Huntington Palisades. Above
the canyon lies Will Rogers State
Park.
- The Village is a small central business
district on Sunset Boulevard,
consisting of restaurants, stores, banks, and offices. Notable
shops in "the village" include Norris Hardware (which originally
was the Bay Theater), Cathay Palisades (formerly Fein's Deli),
Black Ink, PaliSkate, Sylvia's Skin Studio, Benton's Sporting
Goods, and Village Books.
Demographics
In 2009, the
Los Angeles
Times's "Mapping L.A." project supplied these Pacific
Palisades statistics: population: 23,940; median household income:
$168,008.
Government and infrastructure
The most important civic group within the Palisades is the
Pacific Palisades
Community Council. That council was the model upon which the
city of Los Angeles modeled its Neighborhood Council system. The
Pacific Palisades council usually meets twice each month to discuss
a wide range of issues that affect its residents. The council has
rejected city offers to become an official part of the city,
preferring its independent, non-aligned status. Among the main
reasons that Council members cite is the fear that it will lose the
power to sue the city.
Local government
The community is within District 11 of the City Council. As of 2008
Bill Rosendahl represents the
district.
Los Angeles Fire
Department operates two fire stations serving Pacific
Palisades. Station 69 at 15045 West Sunset Boulevard serves Pacific
Palisades and the Pacific Coast. Station 23 at 17281 West Sunset
Boulevard serves the Palisades Highlands, Castellammare, and the
Pacific Coast.
Los Angeles Police
Department operates the West Los Angeles Community Police
Station at 1663 Butler Avenue, 90025, serving the
neighborhood.
County, state, and federal representation
Pacific Palisades is within Los Angeles County's 3rd District. As
of 2008 Zev Yaroslavsky represents the district.
Pacific Palisades is within
District 41 of the
California State Assembly.
As of 2008
Julia Brownley represents
the district. Pacific Palisades is within
District 23 of the
California Senate; as of 2008
Sheila Kuehl represents the district. The
community is a part of the
State Board of
Equalization District 4, represented by
Judy Chu as of 2008.
The community is within
California's 30th
congressional district. As of 2008
Henry Waxman represents the district. The
United States Postal
Service operates the Pacific Palisades Post Office at 15243 La
Cruz Drive and at 15209 West Sunset Boulevard.
Education
Residents are zoned to
Los Angeles Unified School
District schools. The area is within Board District 4. As of
2008 Marlene Canter represents the district. Canter announced that
she will not seek re-election after her term expires in June
2009.
Some residents are assigned to Pacific Palisades Elementary School,
some residents are assigned to Canyon Elementary School, and some
are assigned to Marquez Elementary School. All residents are zoned
to
Revere Charter Middle
School and
Palisades
Charter High School.
- Canyon Elementary School opened in 1910.
- Pacific Palisades Elementary opened in 1922.
- Marquez Elementary School opened in 1955.
- Revere first opened as Palisades-Brentwood Junior High School
on September 12, 1955; it chose its current name during its first
year of operation. Revere became an internal charter in 1994.
- Palisades High School opened in 1961. Palisades received a
charter in 1994.
Private schools in the area include:
- Calvary Christian (K-8) [51257]
- Village
School [51258] (pre K-6)
- Corpus Christi (K-8)
- St. Matthew’s Parish School (K-8)
- 7 Arrows (K-6)
- Westside Waldorf (K-8)
Public libraries
Los Angeles Public
Library operates the Palisades Branch at 861 Alma Real
Drive.
Media
The only newspaper directly serving the Palisades is the
Palisadian-Post. The community was served by two papers until they
merged in the 1970s. The papers, The Palisades Post and the
Palisadian, became the Palisadian-Post. Unlike most weeklies on the
westside of Los Angeles, the Post is subscription-based. The
paper's Web site is www.palisadespost.com. The paper is owned by
the Small Newspaper Group, a midwestern media chain. The Small
family purchased the Post from longtime owner/operators the Browns
in the early 1980s. Roberta Donahue is the publisher and Bill Bruns
is the paper's managing editor.
Parks and recreation
- The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks operates
several recreational facilities in Pacific Palisades at 851 Alma
Real Drive. Palisades Park, at that address, has of land. The
Palisades Recreation Center, also at that address, has barbecue
pits, four baseball diamonds (two lighted, two unlighted), lighted
basketball courts (indoor and outdoor), a children's play area, an
American football field, an indoor gymnasium (no weights are
offered), picnic tables, lighted tennis courts, and lighted
volleyball courts. The facility also has a kitchen, a stage, a
television area, and various scheduled athletic and non-athletic
activities. The Pacific Palisades Tennis Court, also at that
address, has eight courts.
- Rustic Canyon Park is located along Rustic Canyon Road. The
Rustic Canyon Pool is located at 601 Latimer Road. The Rustic
Canyon Recreation Center, located at the same address, has a
multipurpose with a capacity of 150 people that can be used as an
auditorium, a gymnasium, or a volleyball court. The center also has
barbecue pits, an unlighted baseball diamond, basketball courts
(lighted indoor and unlighted outdoor), a children's play area, an
indoor gymnasium (no weights are offered), picnic tables, and
volleyball courts (lighted and unlighted).
- Temescal Canyon Park is a non-staffed "pocket park" located at
15900 Pacific Coast Highway. The park has barbecue pits, a
children's play area, picnic tables, hiking trails, a native
garden, and toilets. Santa Ynez Canyon Park is located at Palisades
Drive and Avenida de Santa Ynez. Rivas Canyon Park is located at
the east terminus of Oracle Pl.
- Will Rogers State Historic Park and Polo Club. While Will
Rogers made Beverly Hills his home in late twenties, in 1922, he
bought a large plot of almost of land above Sunset to build a
weekend cottage. He built a polo field on the property in 1926 and
in 1928, he and his family made it their home. In 1944, after
Will Rogers died, the ranch became a
state park. In the interest of historical preservation, the home is
maintained as it was including the furniture and fixtures. It is
open to the public most days with the exception of major holidays
although admission is required. The top of the property's trail
includes incredible vistas of the ocean and city.
Filming location
Cultural references
- The Beach Boys 1963 hit Surfin' USA mentions Pacific Palisades in
its list of Southern California surf spots.
- Most of the footage in the music video for punk group Black Flag's "Slip It In" was filmed at
Palisades High School.
- The Northern Ireland rock group Ash
featured a song named "Pacific Palisades" on their 2001 album
Free All Angels.
- Title of a 1997 TV series produced by Aaron Spelling.
- Title of a 1990 film starring Sophie
Marceau.
- The NBC television series Saved by
the Bell was set in Pacific Palisades.
- Pacific Palisades entered the national lexicon with the
publication of the 1976 bestseller, What Really Happened To The
Class of '65. The book was about members of one of Palisades
High School's early graduating classes and how their
once-privileged lives turned out years later, often disastrously.
The book, by the son of novelist Irving
Wallace, namely author David
Wallechinsky, and his "Pali" classmate, film critic Michael Medved, was replete with "no-holds
barred" profiles of many of the favorite long-time teachers of the
school, including English teachers Miss Jean O'Brien and Mrs.
Gilbert (aka "Mama G"), and history teacher Mr. Johnson. More
timely was the detailed look the book described Pacific Palisades
as a microcosm of America during the tumultuous Summer of Love-era. The success of the book
later inspired a short-lived television docudrama-style
series.
- Pacific Palisades is the setting of Hailey Abbott's book
"Forbidden Boy".
- Bran Van 3000 song Drinking in L.A. mentions the Pacific
Palisades as a concert location.
Notable residents (past and present)
See Notable
Natives and Residents of Pacific Palisades,
California
Notable Places
Notable Community Organizations
- The
Pacific Palisades Garden Club, a charitable organization
started more than fifty years ago that creates or maintains "edible
gardens" in schools, civic beautification projects, and plant
conservation and restoration efforts in the nearby mountains.
- PALISADES CARES encouraging volunteer action in the
community.
References
- Will Rogers State Park
- "Pacific Palisades" entry on the Los Angeles
Times "Mapping L.A." website
- " Council District 11." City of Los Angeles.
Retrieved on November 26, 2008.
- " Fire
Station 69." Los Angeles Fire
Department. Retrieved on November 26, 2008.
- " Fire
Station 23." Los Angeles Fire
Department. Retrieved on November 26, 2008.
- " West LA Community Police Station."
Los Angeles Police
Department. Retrieved on November 26, 2008.
- " Map of 3rd Supervisorial District." Los Angeles County,
California. Retrieved on November 28, 2008.
- " 41st District." California State Assembly.
Retrieved on November 28, 2008.
- " About the 23rd Senate District."
California Senate. Retrieved on
November 28, 2008.
- " District Map District 4." California State Board of
Equalization. Retrieved on November 28, 2008.
- " Rep. Henry Waxman - The 30th District - Cities and Zip
Codes in the 30th District." U.S. House of
Representatives. Retrieved on November 28, 2008.
- " Post Office Location - PACIFIC PALISADES."
United States Postal
Service. Retrieved on November 26, 2008.
- " Post Office Location - PACIFIC PALISADES."
United States Postal
Service. Retrieved on November 26, 2008.
- Board District 4 Map. Los Angeles Unified School
District. Retrieved on November 24, 2008.
- " Board Members." Los Angeles Unified School
District. Retrieved on November 24, 2008.
- " Two LAUSD board members retire, Friedlander wins
Shoah scholarship prize." The Jewish Journal. November
12, 2008.
- Gillespie, Danielle. " Revere, PaliHi Show Best API Gains."
Palisadian Post. September 11, 2008.
- " Palisades Charter High School Attendance Zone."
Los Angeles Unified School
District. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.
- " Canyon EL." Los Angeles Unified School
District. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.
- " Pacific Palisades EL." Los Angeles Unified School
District. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.
- " Marquez EL." Los Angeles Unified School
District. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.
- " Welcome." Revere Charter Middle
School. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.
- " Palisades CHTR HS." Los Angeles Unified School
District. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.
- " School Profile." Palisades Charter High
School. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.
- " Palisades Branch Library." Los
Angeles Public Library. Retrieved on November 26,
2008.
- " Palisades Park." Los Angeles Department of
Recreation and Parks. Retrieved on November 29, 2008.
- " Palisades Recreation Center." Los Angeles
Department of Recreation and Parks. Retrieved on November 29,
2008.
- " Pacific Palisades Tennis Court." Los
Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. Retrieved on
November 29, 2008.
- " Rustic Canyon Park." Los Angeles Department of
Recreation and Parks. Retrieved on November 29, 2008.
- " Rustic Canyon Pool." Los Angeles Department
of Recreation and Parks. Retrieved on November 29, 2008.
- " Rustic Canyon Recreation Center." Los
Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. Retrieved on
November 29, 2008.
- " Temescal Canyon Park." Los Angeles
Department of Recreation and Parks. Retrieved on November 29,
2008.
- " Santa Ynez Canyon Park." Los Angeles
Department of Recreation and Parks. Retrieved on November 29,
2008.
- " Rivas Canyon Park." Los Angeles Department of
Recreation and Parks. Retrieved on November 29, 2008.
- "[1]."
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088526/trivia Accessed
6/15/2009
External links