Palos Verdes Source

On the Palos Verdes Peninsula, there are two choices for Fourth of July celebrations during the day. There are also two choices nearby for local fireworks in the evening.

Palos Verdes Estates will be hosting their 47th Old Fashioned Independence Day Celebration at Malaga Cove School beginning at 9:45 a.m. with entries into the Apple Pie Contest followed by the Children’s Bike Parade at 10:00 a.m.  Admission is free and you may bring a picnic or purchase food from Boy Scout Troop 257.  For additional information, call 310-375-3455 or click on the link above and scroll down to page 3.

Rancho Palos Verdes will be hosting their 33rd Annual Independence Day Country Fair Celebration at Point Vicente Park/Civic Center from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  There will be Arts & Crafts Booths, Kiddie Carnival Rides, Petting Zoo, Pie Eating Contest, Hula Hoop Contest and more.  Admission is free, on-site parking is $3 per vehicle and free shuttle service is provided along Hawthorne Blvd.  For additional information, call 310-349-0743 or click on the link above.

Fireworks can be seen in the evening at the Redondo Beach Pier at 9:30 p.m. (click here for more information on reserved seating)  or at Torrance’s Charles Wilson Park beginning at dusk (click here for more information/then choose “Fourth of July Celebration”.

Photo courtesy City of Rancho Palos Verdes

Rancho Palos Verdes was the last city on the Peninsula to incorporate in 1973.  The city has 7.5 miles of coastline and 12.3 square miles of land.  Rancho Palos Verdes is the largest city on the Peninsula.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the estimated population in the year 2003 was 42,265. 

Current real estate prices for single family residences are between $619,000 (for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 853 square foot home) and $6,890,000 (for a 5 bedroom, 8 bath, 7,220 square foot home) with 127 active listings.  The least expensive townhome of the 35 active listings is $299,900 (for a studio, 1 bath, 431 square foot townhome).  Rancho Palos Verdes has properties that are zoned equestrian.

Rancho Palos Verdes has several landmarks and points of interest such as the Wayfarers Chapel (also known as the Glass Church), Point Vicente Lighthouse - top photo -(operated by the Coast Guard with tours the 2nd Saturday of each month, 310-541-0334), Palos Verdes Art Center, Marymount College (private 2-year college), Trump National Golf Course, the new Terranea Resort which is currently under construction scheduled to open Summer 2009 (see my At Last! We Have Our Very Own post dated 3-9-08), Los Verdes Golf Course (a public course), Whale Watching (December thru April)  and “Whale of A Day” at Point Vicente Interpretive Center, Abalone Cove Beach and Shoreline Park (with extensive hiking trails),   - photo above -  and the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve (1200 acres purchased by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy).  One of the most renowned landslides in the country can be found in the Portuguese Bend and Abalone Cove area (click here for current evaluation from the city).

Rancho Palos Verdes has shopping/commerce centers at Golden Cove, Crest/Hawthorne, Miraleste Plaza and along Western Avenue in the Eastview area.  Every Fourth of July an all-day celebration is held at the Point Vicente Park/Civic Center.  Shakespeare by the Sea is performed at Hesse Park (click here for 2008 Summer schedule for entire South Bay).

Palos Verdes Peninsula is actually composed of 4 different cities - Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates (and 2 Los Angeles County areas known as Westfield and Academy Hills).  They are all part of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District.

This is the first of 5 posts which will describe the unique qualities of each of the cities from weather to real estate to shopping.  The main road that surrounds the Peninsula (in a loose circle) is called Palos Verdes Drive North, South, East and West.  Pretty original, huh?  

First some history - Several years ago, I was certified as a Palos Verdes Specialist and during the classes I learned that the Peninsula was pushed up out of the sea (much like an island) and the ocean waves eroded the land forming terraces.  I am told that from the air, one can still see some of those terraces.

In 1913, the entire Peninsula was purchased for development for $1,500,000 by a group headed by Frank Vanderlip, Sr.  After the stock market crash in 1929, portions of the property were sold off.  1,000 acres were set aside and offered for free for a California University but Westwood was chosen instead (UCLA).   Can you imagine how different Palos Verdes Peninsula would be if the university was built here?

Summer of 2009, Palos Verdes Peninsula will have its first hotel and a luxury hotel no less.  Terranea Resort will have 400 rooms, a spa/fitness center (25,000 square feet), three restauants, three swimming pools, a 9-hole golf course,  meeting rooms (63,000 square feet), a wedding venue, an ampitheater, a sand beach, and a bluff-top trail connecting to miles of on and off resort trails.   Terranea is being built on 102 acres on the Pacific Ocean where Marineland once stood.

This is big news for the Peninsula where our visitors are currently asked to stay in nearby Torrance or Redondo Beach.  Plus - new restaurants are always something we look forward to.  There are also 82 Villas/Casitas for sale (32 remaining) on the property.

I am looking forward to walking along the new bluff trails, dining at new restuarants, attending functions at the new resort and perhaps a weekend getaway stay.  I am hoping Terranea will offer afternoon high tea for those of us who enjoy that tradition. 

Palos Verdes Peninsula won’t be a secret anymore.  With its Mediterranean beauty and feel, some travelers may decide to experience our area rather than going all the way to Europe.