Electricity (generated by sustainable sources) and natural gas are the primary sources of energy within the city. There is also a recycling program in place for homeowners and renters, and aggressive campaigns to encourage residents to use water- and energy- efficient devices.
These environment-friendly policies have also proven to have a significant and noticeable effect. Area residents seem to all have a similar opinion, that the air is cleaner and the weather cooler here than anywhere else in LA, and it’s true. While summer temperatures in Los Angeles can hover in the eighties and nineties, it’s not uncommon for Santa Monica to enjoy temperatures that are fifteen degrees cooler than downtown or the valley; many apartments do not even have air conditioners. Boundaries start North at San Vicente Boulevard, East at Centinela Avenue, South at Dewey Street and West to Santa Monica Bay, Pacific Ocean.
Approximately 20% of the housing stock in Santa Monica is composed of single-family homes; the rest consist of multi-unit apartments and condos. Residential streets are lined with either rows of mature magnolia trees or towering elms. The area north of upscale shopping street Montana Avenue features some of LA’s most beautiful (and pricy) homes, mostly built in the early 1960’s. The area south of Santa Monica Avenue offers mostly apartments and condominiums that still offer easy access to the area’s cafes, coffeehouses, and shops.
Main Street has been considered one of the hippest areas in this small city. The art galleries, restaurants and bars with patio seating, shops and coffeehouses overflow with young (many available) singles, or new families with strollers. To the west of Main Street are several walking lanes lined with some nice and some run-down beach cottages, but regardless, prices are huge due to the ocean's close location. The neighborhood, which flows along the rolling hills just east of Main Street, consists of apartments and condominiums, with a few originally designed houses mixed in. The public school education system in Santa Monica is the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, 1651 16th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404, 310-450-8338; www.smmusd.org
The focus in downtown Santa Monica is the lively outdoor mall, Third Street Promenade, with shops, restaurants and a multitude of theaters attracting huge crowds (and enterprising street performers). The Santa Monica Place Mall is on the southern end of the promenade, and just to the west is the Santa Monica Pier, which is the western end of the ever-so-old school Route 66. Santa Monica Civic Center, Santa Monica College and Santa Monica Municipal Airport are also located nearby. Well-tended community parks, active neighborhood watch programs, and strongly supported social services for the elderly and disabled round out this seaside neighborhood’s offerings and make Santa Monica a favorite for people of all kinds, families and singles, both young and old.
A small suburb of Santa Monica is Pacific Palisades. This seaside community, part of Los Angeles City, is surrounded by six major canyons and has the intimate and cozy look of a small town. Upscale stores and restaurants are visited by well-to-do residents who live nearby in multimillion-dollar homes, and next door is an even more secluded, tucked away area called Rustic Canyon, which consists of a little over 200 homes in the densely wooded forest.
Community resources include: Santa Monica City Information Desk, 310-458-8411; parking permits, 310-458-8291; Santa Monica College, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310-434-4000, www.smc.edu; Lincoln Park, 1150 Lincoln Blvd; Memorial Park, 1401 Olympic Blvd.; Santa Monica Recreation Division 310-458-3800, www.santamonica.org; Santa Monica Pier, 310-458-8900, www.santamonicapier.org; Saint John’s Hospital and Health Center, 1328 22nd Street, 310-829-5511, www.stjohns.org; Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center, 1250 16th Street, 310-319-4000, www.healthcare.ucla.edu; Santa Monica Police Headquarters, 1685 Main Street, 310-458-8458, www.santamonicapd.org
For further information: www.ci.santa-monica.ca.us,http://Santa-monica.org, www.cityofla.org,http://lacounty.info |
