Palos Verdes
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Palos Verdes is often used to refer to a group of coastal cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the Los Angeles/South Bay area of California.
Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates are the predominant cities in the area, with a part of San Pedro protruding on the eastern end of the peninsula. The area is home to several golf courses and country clubs, and the South Coast Botanic Garden. On the coast is the location of the former Marineland of the Pacific, an aquatic theme park. There is a lighthouse on Point Vicente, and Point Vicente Park is a popular spot for watching the migration of gray whales to and from their breeding lagoon in Baja California. There is also a lighthouse at Point Fermin in San Pedro.
The Wayfarers Chapel, designed by architect Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright) opened in 1951 and is a well-known landmark overseen by the Swedenborgian Church. The chapel is located at the western entrance of Portuguese Bend, one of the most geologically unstable areas in all of California. Constant tectonic shifts and rock slides mean that Palos Verdes Drive South, the main road through the bend, is under constant repair. And for years, the wreck of the Dominator, a freighter that ran aground in 1961, was a rather bizarre attraction for those willing to hike down the cliffs to the shoreline. Very little is left of the ship today.
The area is a very affluent one, with expensive homes overlooking the Pacific Ocean and with Santa Catalina Island almost always visible just across the channel.
The Palos Verdes Peninsula maintains its own unified school district, with two high schools, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (formerly called Rolling Hills High School) and Palos Verdes High School (the latter located just a half block from the Pacific Ocean). Marymount College, a co-ed Roman Catholic two-year college is located in Rancho Palos Verdes. A private K-12 school, Chadwick, is also located there.
The Korean Bell of Friendship and the Fort Macarthur Military Museum are both located near Point Fermin in San Pedro.
The area is frequented by runners, hikers, horseback riders, bird watchers, surfers, scuba divers, and bicyclists. The infamous Palos Verdes surf spots have been in the spotlight many times over localism. The "Bay Boys" (or simply PV surfers) have been known to harass, intimidate, and assault outsiders seeking to surf the perfect winter waves of "the hill." A non-local might find his tires slashed (very common) upon returning from a PV break. The most notorious surf spot for localism in PV is Lunada Bay, which can hold any winter swell and has been known to rival Sunset Beach, Hawaii on a big day.
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Commerce
Practically the entire commercial district is in Rolling Hills Estates. There are many shopping centers there, including The Avenue of the Peninsula. This outdoor mall includes a megaplex movie theater, many eateries, and an ice rink.
Areas of commerce include the renovated "Avenue" strip mall, Malaga Cove, and Lunada Bay. Lesser known shopping centers include the Peninsula Center, Town and Country, and The Village.
The area where Marineland of the Pacific once stood now serves as an outdoor set for commercials, film productions, and, in 1996, the MTV Beach House. Currently, it is the site for filming of Fox's "The OC" and the location of current construction on a five-star Resort Hotel. Donald Trump's latest venture is a golf course on the Ocean Trails cliffs. The 18th hole of the old golf course fell victim to a landslide caused by a leak in the sanitary pipes underneath it. Trump has been heavily criticized for poorly managing the property, including dismissing employees en masse, failing to keep it in business, and upsetting locals with unnecessary construction.
Miscellaneous information
The young adult novels The Tribes of Palos Verdes by author Joy Nicholson and The Mark of Conte by Sonia Levitin, describe life from a teenager's perspective in Palos Verdes.
Infamous residents of Palos Verdes included Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee, who sold U.S. secrets to the Soviets and were portrayed in the book and movie The Falcon and the Snowman. Other famous residents include Pete Carroll, Roseanne, musician Gary Wright, Mickey Rooney and Nick Carter.
See also
- Palos Verdes Blue - an endangered butterfly resident to the Palos Verdes Peninsula