Communities
- Venice is one of the most vibrant areas of Los Angeles. It's origins date back to the early 1900's when land developer Abbot Kinney founded the city along the coast of Los Angeles. Venice is known for its iconic canals, carnival like boardwalk and upscale shopping district.
- Santa Monica is situated on Santa Monica Bay of the Pacific Ocean, it is completely surrounded by the City of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and Venice on the southeast.
Santa Monica offers more than its beach and its phenomenal weather. Its proximity to the greater Los Angeles area makes Santa Monica the perfect base for vacationers and business travelers alike. On its own, Santa Monica is a walkable 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²) -– a pedestrian-friendly beach city. Each of its eight districts offers a diverse mix of shopping, dining, entertainment, outdoor recreation and, thanks to its unmatched public transportation system, metropolitan convenience.
- Mar Vista is an economically diverse neighborhood of Los Angeles. The hilly areas near its border with Santa Monica, whose spectacular ocean views give Mar Vista its name, hold some of the most expensive land in the community.
Mar Vista is considerably less densely populated than neighboring Palms, as its homeowners' associations successfully fended off the 1950s up-zoning that changed much of Palms and West Los Angeles from suburban areas to renter-dominated urban neighborhoods. It should be noted, though, that some 60 percent of the district's residents live in rental housing, owing to the density of apartment buildings on thoroughfares like Venice Boulevard and Barrington Avenue.
In recent years, the escalating cost of real estate has led to a rise in the number of newly constructed homes on Mar Vista Hill. Nearby UCLA maintains a large graduate student housing complex along Sawtelle Boulevard near National Boulevard, as well as a smaller housing block along the north side of Venice Boulevard between Inglewood and McLaughlin Avenues.
- Centrally located between the beach and downtown Los Angeles, Culver City is a safe, modern and progressive community with great shopping, dining, and entertainment, a vibrant business environment, and an exceptional quality of life. Culver City?s unique combination of small-town charm and big-city amenities, making a great place to live and work. With roots in the early days of the motion picture industry, it has now become a powerful multi-media hub, and a mecca for the fashion and architecture industries. The City boasts dynamic start-ups and world-class companies and is host to a vibrant artistic community offering live theatre, music and dance, as well as a burgeoning array of restaurants, art galleries and retail stores.