Great Places to Live in the Los Angeles Area, Part 4 - Santa Monica

Santa Monica (90401, 90402, 90403, 90404, 90405, 90406, 90407, 90408) is a fully incorporated city on Santa Monica Bay. It  is a popular tourist destination with its variety of restaurants, hotels, beach and, of course, Santa Monica Pier.

Santa Monica Pier, was built in 1909 and its ballroom, the La Monica Ballroom, was at one time the largest in the U.S. It was also the location for many well-know movies such as The Sting, Beverly Hills Cop II, Forrest Gump, Ruthless People, to name a few.

In the 1960s Santa Monica Civic Auditorium was the venue for the Academy Awards.

With its liberal bent and toleration of the homeless, the city is known as The People's Republic of Santa Monica.

Ocean Park an area around the beach on the south side of the city, with a mixture of single family homes, high-end condos, apartment complexes and other rental buildings is one of the most sought-after areas in the city because of its proximity to the beach. and its mix of architectural styles. Main Street, is a destination walk street full of trendy boutiques and restaurants.

Adelaide Drive, north of Ocean Park is one of the cities most picturesque and historic streets, offering many examples of Craftsman homes, and tours are organized on Saturday mornings of downtown Santa Monica's 130 years of history.

Sunset Park, boasts more affordable single-family homes and has a more suburban feel.  It borders Santa Monica Airport which is one of the country's busiest private airports.

Montana Avenue is the main walk street in the north of the city, also filled with high-end boutiques and restaurants.

Developed over the last several years, Third Street Promenade is one of the area's busiest destination walk streets, of which there are few in Los Angeles, wiith three blocks of street entertainment, movie theaters, restaurants and shops. 

Santa Monica is one of the leading environmentally friendly cities in the country. Most of the public works vehicles run on alternative fuel, all public buildings use renewable energy, and in the last 15 years the city has cut greenhouse gas emissions by almost 10%.

Santa Monica, is consistently among the most educated  cities in the U.S. with a high percentage of residents with graduate degrees.

The city is home to many well-known businesses, including Yahoo, Google, MTV, the Rand Corporation, Edmunds.com, and is a popular location for many game development companies.

 Search for Homes in Santa Monica

The Santa Monica-Malibu School District runs the elementary and secondary public education.

Some useful local links are:

City of Santa Monica

Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce