what can you tell me about palos verdes?

Question

good places to go there. moving there in a month!

Answer 1

PV, as it is referred to around here, or "the hill," is among the toniest of the South Bay neighborhoods. (South Bay is basically everything south of LAX along the beach communities through Long Beach, including the cities of El Segundo, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, PV, Rancho PV, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, San Pedro, and the more inland communities of Lomita, Torrance, Hawthorne and some parts of LA City like Westchester.)

It's called "The Hill" because it rises in elevation from the surrounding landscape. It's located on a penninsula, the Palos Verdes penninsula, and is somewhat isolated from the other communities in the LA basin due to the fact that there is no ready freeway access. You have to drive a relatively long distance, by LA standards, to get from PV to any of the local freeways-- the 405 (San Diego freeway), the 110 (Harbor Freeway), the 91 freeway or the 710 (Long Beach freeway). (If you aren't used to LA freeway-speak, we tend to refer to freeways by number out here.). Most people who live on the hill prefer it that way, because it keeps the flatlanders and other riff-raff from coming out their way. (Honest to god-- I've known some stay-at-home moms who live on the hill and have led sheltered lives who refuse to drive off the hill, I guess because they fear for their lives among the normal people.)

The income level on the hill is significantly higher than in the communities below the hill, which are no slouch when it comes to income level either, mostly. The city of Rolling Hills is among the top 10 in the state and I also think in the nation for average annual income. Rolling Hills is a "gated" city, ergo people who live there speak of living "behind the gates." Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, PV, and PV Estates are alone among the South Bay cities in having at least some homes that are zoned for horses, and so there are a lot of equestrians on the hills and several stables: Palos Verdes Stables and Rolling Hills Stables are both city-owned municipal stables where you can board horses, if you're lucky enough to get a stall after being on the waiting list. Some residents will take in a private boarder or two to augment their income, you can find boarding situations on the bulletin boards of The Tack Room and a couple of other tack and feed places in the area.

There is a mall on top of the hill, and it's a fairly nice one, and there are movie theaters there. There's also the PV Arts Center, just off Crenshaw blvd., and some other things like the PV Interpretive Center and the Wilderness Park, and there's some nice hiking around the slide area in Portuguese Bend.

Here's a site that lists some maps available:

http://wikimapia.org/country/USA/California/Rancho_Palos_Verdes/

Some other websites:

http://palosverdes.com/rpv/citycouncil/agendas/
http://www.palosverdes.com/
http://www.palosverdeschamber.com/things_to_do.htm

It's a fun, pretty place to live. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

(PS-- If you get a chance, come down from the hill and visit the Lomita Railroad Museum. http://www.lomita-rr.org/ It's a cute little park and my husband has been on the museum board for almost 20 years now.)

Answer 2

While first described in 1542 by Portuguese Explorer Juan Cabrillo, for almost three centuries the Palos Verdes Peninsula remained undisturbed and the exclusive domain of the Gabrielino Indians, whose artifacts are still being unearthed.

In 1827, Don Dolores Sepulveda received an original land grant to Rancho de los Palos Verdes, which translates to range of green trees. For over 35 years the 75,000 acres awarded by the Governor of Mexico California to Don Sepulveda supported several thousand heads of cattle and a flourishing hacienda. However, through misfortune and mishaps from 1862 to 1882, stewardship of much of this land passed from the Sepulveda family through various mortgage holders to Jotham Bixby of Rancho Los Cerritos. When land value dictated that his Peninsula property could no longer be used for only cattle grazing, Bixby leased the land to Japanese farmers for cultivating grains and vegetables.

By 1913, a consortium of New York investors owned most of the Bixby land. Initially, these investors intended to divide the land into large estates. The founding father of the Peninsula, Frank Vanderlip, was one of these investors. Over the next decade, interest in the Peninsula would wane until Vanderlip allied himself with real estate promoter E. G. Lewis. The first homes began to appear in 1924. During the next fifty years the communities of Palos Verdes would begin to take shape.

Real Estate: http://www.pvca.net/re/index.html

Arts+Culture: http://www.pvca.net/arts/index.html

Education: http://www.pvca.net/education/index.html

Parks+Recreation: http://www.pvca.net/parks/index.html

Answer 3

The "non-wikipedia" answer is: It is a VERY expensive area of Los Angeles County. I used to work there many, many years ago. (and it was VERY expensive then , also). If you are moving to the coast side of the hill you can see Catalina Island on clear days.

Answer 4

It is a nice place to live in, but the housing prices are so exspensive that no one can afford them!

Answer 5

Beautifu; place and pricey

Answer 6

Really good answers above guys...I love it when I learn things about L.A. ---Good Job...

Answer 7

it's very pricey, but near the ocean. you should like it.