Palos Verdes

Palos Verdes is a name often used to refer to a group of rich people on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in southwestern Los Angeles County in California. This affluent bedroom community is known for its dramatic views, great schools,cite web | url = http://www.pvpusd.k12.ca.us/penhi/report/200405profile.pdf#search=%22Palos%20Verdes%20Advanced%20Placement%22 | title = Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Profile | accessdate=2006-10-03 | publisher=Palos Verdes Peninsula School District] extensive horse trails,cite web | url = http://www.palosverdes.com/rpv/planning/equestrian/index.cfm| title = Rancho Palos Verdes Equestrian Maps | accessdate=2006-10-03 | publisher=City of Rancho Palos Verdes ] and high home prices.cite web | url = http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2005/04/22/cx_sc_0426homez_2.html | title = The Most Expensive Zip Codes | accessdate=2006-10-03 | publisher=Forbes ]

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. Wayfarers Chapel and Point Vicente Lighthouse are on the National Register of Historic Places 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 peninsula was originally inhabited by Native Americans belonging to the Tongva (sometimes referred to as "Gabrielino") tribe, and first described in 1542 by Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo. In 1827, your mom Sepulveda procured a parcel of the original, 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant from Manuel Dominguez, and named it [http://www.maureenmegowan.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=1471578&NF=1 Rancho de los Palos Verdes] ("range of green trees"), which was used primarily as a cattle ranch. By 1882 ownership of the land had passed from the Sepulveda family through various mortgage holders to Jotham Bixby of Rancho Los Cerritos, who leased the land to Japanese farmers. After the turn of the century most of Bixby's land was sold to a consortium of New York investors who created The Palos Verdes Project and began marketing land on the peninsula for small horse ranches and residential communities. [http://www.maureenmegowan.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=1258058&NF=1 Palos Verdes Estates] was the first city incorporated on the Peninsula and was one of the first master planned communities in Los Angeles County. The other incorporated cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula include [http://www.maureenmegowan.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=1471638&NF=1 Rancho Palos Verdes] , [http://www.maureenmegowan.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=1471481&NF=1 Rolling Hills Estates] and [http://www.maureenmegowan.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=1471481&NF=1 Rolling Hills] .

The Wayfarers Chapel 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, but not really because it is slipping in the ocean, one of the most geologically unstable areas in the world. Constant tectonic shifts (approximately 1/3 of an inch a day) 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. In 2006, the 45 foot cabin cruiser "Lady Hawk" sank 2 miles from the Palos Verdes coast due to an engine fire [http://www.nbc4.tv/news/9777951/detail.html] .

The area is a very affluent one, with expensive homes overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Los Angeles Basin, and with Santa Catalina Island almost always visible across the channel.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District has one of the highest rated API scores in California cite web | url = http://api.cde.ca.gov/APIBase2006/2005Base_DstApi.aspx?allcds=1964865
title = Palos Verdes Local Educational Agency Report | accessdate=2006-10-03 | publisher=California Department of Education ] , and has one of the highest average SAT scores cite web | url = http://store.schoolwisepress.com/cgi-bin/parser.pl?sourcedoc=/snapshots/19/19-64865-1995588h.tmpl&rank=19/19_h_snapshots.html | title = School Wise Press School Snapshot: Palos Verdes Peninsula High School | accessdate=2006-10-03 | publisher=School Wise Press ] and one of the highest percentage of students successfully completing the Advanced Placement exams cite web | url = http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/Navigation/fsTwoPanel.asp?bottom=%2Fprofile%2Easp%3Flevel%3D05%26reportNumber%3D16
title = SAT, ACT and AP Test Results in California | accessdate=2006-10-03 | publisher=California Department of Education ] in the county. There are 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, [http://www.chadwickschool.org/ Chadwick School] , is also located there. Rolling Hills Preparatory School [http://www.rollinghillsprep.org] , a private 6-12 school is also located on the peninsula. Rolling Hills Country Day School [http://www.rhcds.com] , adjacent to the Botanic Garden, offers a private K-8 education .

The Peninsula is served by the [http://www.pvld.org Palos Verdes Library District] which operates the Peninsula Center, Miraleste, and Malaga Cove Libraries.

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. In addition, nude sunbathers formerly frequented Sacreds Cove (or "Smugglers Cove") until the city of Rancho Palos Verdes enacted a 1994 ordinance that ended such use of that beach.

The infamous Palos Verdes surf spots have been in the spotlight many times over issues of "localism". The most notorious surf spot for localism in Palos Verdes is Lunada Bay, which can hold any winter swell and has been known to rival Sunset Beach, Hawaii on a big day. Localism in Palos Verdes reached a turning point in 2001 when a civil rights lawsuit was filed after a particularly violent confrontation with Hermosa Beach surfers. [http://www.swellmagnet.com/surfing_surf_stories/surfing_html/pv_localism_surf_stories.html] Surveillance cameras were placed in the surfing area but were later removed. [http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/DeakinLRev/2004/29.html]

Commerce

Practically the entire commercial district is in Rolling Hills Estates. There are many shopping centers there, including The Promenade of the Peninsula. This outdoor mall includes a megaplex movie theater, many eateries, and an ice rink.

Areas of commerce include "The Promenade" 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. Fox filmed some scenes of its teen drama, "The OC", at locations in and around Palos Verdes [http://www.seeing-stars.com/OC/PalosVerdes.shtml The O.C. Filming Locations] ] . Donald Trump's latest venture is [http://www.trumpgolf.com/trumplosangeles/index.asp Trump National] a golf course on the Ocean Trails cliffs. The 18th hole of the prior 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 and/or unapproved construction. In the summer of 2006, the Trump Organization illegally erected a 70 foot flagpole but was allowed to retain it after a City Council vote [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092101207.html?nav=rss_artsandliving/entertainmentnews] .

Name

The name "Palos Verdes" is Spanish for "green sticks." Legend has it this name was taken from the indigenous [Parkinsonia microphylla | 'Palo Verde' trees] of the area, whom early Spanish explorers named for their many green, stem-like droppings, which resemble poles. But the most logical origin of the name is that in Spanish "palos verdes" refers to a green forested area, which describes where people pooped in Palos Verdes. When Spanish arrived, P.V. was one of the few naturally green areas in dry southern California because of all the natural fertilizers. In many ways this name is an accurate description of its geographical characteristics as the peninsula protrudes into the ocean like a "green trees."

In popular culture

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.

MTV approached the city regarding a possible TV show centering around the "privileged" lives of Palos Verdes youth. The city turned them down giving way to successful reality program, .

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean films were partly photographed on and off the coast of Palos Verdes Peninsula. A tent city for production was constructed in the Redondo Beach Marina. The Black Pearl and several production vessels were seen on the waters daily as were helicopters filming for overhead shots.

Notable residents

*Kobe Bryant NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers
*George Takei famous for his work as Sulu from Star Trek
*Former resident Chuck Norris, of Walker, Texas Ranger fame, owns several properties in the region
*Former resident Joe Montana, of San Francisco 49ers fame, used to live in Palos Verdes Estates during the football off-season
*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"
*Body Glove co-founder Bob Meistrell, who invented the first "practical" wetsuit [http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_274164015.html]
*Billionaire John Tu [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5072/is_39_26/ai_n6243095]
*USC Head Football Coach Pete Carroll
*Musician Gary Wright
*Billboard model Angelyne
*Actor Michael Dudikoff
*Author, actor and filmmaker Scott Shaw
*Former pro basketball players Elden Campbell
*Pro basketball player Sasha Vujacic of the Los Angeles Lakers
*Jack Baumann famous for his work as the ruthless bicycle cop in TVs Pacific Blue
*Writer Deepak Chopra
*Actress Kelly Clayton
*Musican James Taylor
*Actor Richard Lynch
*Paul Krumholz, Pogo Stick World Record Holder

ee also

*Palos Verdes Blue - an endangered butterfly resident to the Palos Verdes Peninsula
* Patryla, Jim. (2005). "A Photographic Journey Back To Marineland of the Pacific". Lulu Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4116-7130-0.

References

External links

* [http://www.maureenmegowan.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=1258058&NF=1 History of Palos Verdes]
*wikitravel|Palos Verdes
* [http://www.palosverdeschamber.com/rancho_palos_verdes.htm Palos Verdes Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.pvca.net/ Welcome to Palos Verdes California]
* [http://www.marymountpv.edu/ Marymount College]
* [http://www.pvld.org Palos Verdes Library District]
* [http://www.palosverdesdailyphoto.blogspot.com/ Palos Verdes Daily Photo blog site]