What are the names of the Bays and Coves in Palos Verdes? That questions was asked of me a couple of weeks ago. And as a 30 plus year resident, I could not name them all. How lucky are we here on the Palos Verdes Peninsula that we have so many that we can’t count or name them all! Our coastline is truly magnificent!
Matt Waters at Rancho Palos Verdes Parks and Recreation Department did some research for me and came up with the map below taken from Don Gales book, “Wildflowers, weeds…” I realize it may be challenging to read so I am listing the Coves and Bays starting from RAT (Right At Torrance) beach which is the northern border of the Palos Verdes coastline (and the Points are in parenthesis).
In Palos Verdes Estates there is Malaga Cove, Bluff Cove, (Rocky Point) Lunada Bay (Resort Point) and Christmas Tree Cove (which is shared with Rancho Palos Verdes). The shoreline begins in Rancho Palos Verdes with Christmas Tree Cove and continues with Golden Cove, (Point Vicente) Fisherman’s Cove (Long Point), Abalone Cove - photo above, (Portuguese Point) Smuggler’s Cove/Sacred Cove (Inspiration Point) and Portuguese Bend Cove (Halfway Point).
bays and coves Community Information Palos Verdes Estates palos verdes peninsula Points of Interest Rancho Palos Verdes 
Recently, I answered a question on Trulia Voices regarding property taxes for Palos Verdes real estate and thought it was worth a mention here also. When a property is purchased, it is reassessed by the Los Angels County Tax Assessor using the sales price as the base. The new property tax will be 1% of the purchase price plus any local bonds and assessments (usually averages another .0025 of the sales price).
On the Palos Verdes Peninsula (which includes Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates), we have an additional Palos Verdes Unified School District assessment of approximately $209 per year.
Homeowners in the city of Palos Verdes Estates pay an additional Fire/Police assessment of approximately $261 per parcel plus $.15 per square foot of structure (a total of $648 for a 2,600 square foot house).
The city of Rancho Palos Verdes has a new storm drain user fee until 2016. Homeowners in Rancho Palos Verdes pay an additional fee based on a “unique calculation” - size of lot, impervious coverage (hard-scape), etc. which averages $105 (but can be a little as $25 for a condo to several hundred dollars for larger parcels).
The city of Rolling Hills has an additional Community Association assessment which is $.20 per $100 of assessed value and is billed twice a year directly from the Rolling Hills Community Association (as opposed to appearing on your LA County Property Tax bill).
Buyer Advice Community Information palos verdes peninsula Property Tax Info
Here is another great spot which was submitted by Mary McPherson. This is the Ocean Estates Trail in Rancho Palos Verdes. This is an easy walk along the bluff of our beautiful Palos Verdes coast looking out at the ocean and several coves. It is quiet and peaceful. There are benches to sit and take it all in.
The Trail is located on the ocean side of Oceanfront Estates. At the end of Hawthorne Boulevard, cross Palos Verdes Drive West and the street turns into Via Vicente. Bear right onto Calle Entradero. There are parking areas on the street. You can also stop at Golden Cove Center (just across Hawthorne Boulevard) and pick up lunch or a snack for your walk.
Community Information Palos Verdes Gems palos verdes peninsula Rancho Palos Verdes 
This is the first in a series of special places on the Palos Verdes Peninsula which many owners of Palos Verdes real estate are not aware of. You might say these are ”secret” places. The Gazebo at Roessler Pointis located in Palos Verdes Estates. The entrance is at the northwest end of the parking lot for Malaga Cove School (Paseo Del Mar and Via Arroyo).
The Gazebo ia a great spot for contemplation and the view is spectacular. It is very quiet and you are usually the only one there. You can see the coastline Queen’s Necklace view all the way around to Malibu. The sunsets are also fabulous. If you want to walk down on the beach, the path is just to the right.
Community Information Palos Verdes Estates Palos Verdes Gems palos verdes peninsula
The Lunada Bay neighborhood is located in Palos Verdes Estates. My favorite things about this neighborhood are the ocean views and the coastline bluff trails for walking. My son would say it was when the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie was being filmed (photo above) two summers ago and the cliffs were lined with people (including us) with binoculars watching.
The Lunada Bay area is .7 square miles and has approximately 2,778 residents. This area is also home to 3 schools (Lunada Bay Elementary, Palos Verdes Intermediate and Palos Verdes High School) and is a favorite area for families. Lunada Bay has its own fountain (photo below) and shopping area (Palos Verdes Drive West and Yarmouth) with a market, restaurants, gas station, banks and other shops. Some Lower Lunada Bay homes (on the ocean side of Palos Drive West) have ocean views; this area is fairly flat which is perfect for biking and walking. As Upper Lunada Bay homes are located higher on our hill, many have panoramic ocean views.
Nearly eighty seven percent of the housing in Lunada Bay is single family homes. There are also apartments and townhomes. There are currently 26 single family homes ranging in price from $1,079,000 (1572 sq ft) to $3,295,000 (3859 sq ft). Currenty, there are no active townhomes for sale. There are 2 townhomes in escrow with a list price of $599,000 (1142 sq ft) and $629,000 (1184 sq ft).
Buyer Advice Community Information Lunada Bay Palos Verdes Estates palos verdes peninsula 
Recently, there have been Blue Whale sightings only two miles off the Palos Verdes Peninsula coast near Point Vicente. The Peninsula News reported that the whales are here to eat the abundant krill that are attracted to the nutrients near the continental shelf off our coast. The blue whale is the largest mammal on earth (as long as 3 school buses) and can weigh up to 336,000 pounds. They are an endangered species with approximately 2,000 living in the Pacific Ocean (the largest grouping) and hundreds more in the Antartic and Atlantic Ocean.
Dudley Wigdahl, Curator of Mammals at the Aquarium of the Pacific said the blue whales will be swimming up and down the coast for the next 3 to 6 months before they migrate south for the winter. To see the blue whales, Captain Dan Salas of Harbor Breeze Cruises has special blue whale excursions (562-432-4900) . Tom Underhill, photographer for Peninsula News has posted more photos of the blue whale which can be accessed by clicking here.
Above photo courtesy of Tom Underhill, Peninsula News
Blue Whale Community Information palos verdes peninsula Points of Interest
The Malaga Cove neighborhood is located in Palos Verdes Estates. The best thing about this neighborhood is the the ocean view and many properties also have the “Queen’s Necklace” view which is a view of the coastline from Redondo Beach all the way around the coast to Malibu. It is spectacular and one of my favorite views (above).
The Malaga Cove area is .66 square miles and has approximately 1500 residents. Lower Malaga Cove (west of Palos Verdes Drive West) is within walking distance from the bluffs and trails down to the water and is home to Malaga Cove School (presently not operating as a school), Palos Verdes Beach & Athletic Club (310-375-8777), Neighborhood Church (photo below), St. Francis Episcopal. Malaga Cove Shopping Center, the Malaga Cove Library and Palos Verdes Estates City Offices are located in the heart of Malaga Cove on Palos Verdes Drive West. Upper Malaga Cove (above Palos Verdes Drive West) has many homes with even grander views and is the location of LaVenta Inn (events only), Palos Verdes Golf Club and PV Tennis Club.
Most homes are custom built (many with red tile roofs). There are currently 13 single family homes for sale ranging in price from $1,665,000 (1670 sq ft) to $5,500,000 (6600 sq ft). There are currently 5 townhomes for sale ranging in price from $739,500 (1250 sq ft) to $2,500,00 (3050 sq ft).
Community Information Malaga Cove Palos Verdes Estates palos verdes peninsula
“Palos Verdes Estates City Council recently reviewed completed reports on the slow, yet consistent, land movement at the north end of Bluff Cove, located at Palos Verdes Drive West near Via Montemar” reported the June 12th Peninsula News. I have noticed the red pylons decorating the road for months.
During his presentation at an April Board of Realtors Meeting, Joe Hoefgen, City Manager for Palos Verdes Estates, told us the the earth near Bluff Cove was moving about 6 inches per year. He also acknowledged Palos Verdes Drive West as being a main traffic artery for our community with 17,000 cars a day passing the Bluff Cove area. That is a lot of cars! When you consider Palos Verdes High School and Palos Verdes Intermediate School students travelling back and forth (and parents’ carpools which would travel up and back twice) as well as the residents driving off the Peninsula to their jobs (and back again), that number is plausible.
The Peninsula News stated that the City Council agreed a “soldier pile wall” at the site would prolong the life of the road about 50 years at a cost of at least a half a million dollars. Construction is estimated to begin in about 18 to 24 months.
More information on the Bluff Cove landslide can be accessed by clicking here for the Palos Verdes Estates City Council Agenda and going to page 15.
Bluff Cove Community Information Palos Verdes Estates palos verdes peninsula