5 Perks of Living in the Pacific Palisades

If you’re ready to take the leap and purchase a home in the LA area, one of the neighborhoods for you to consider in the Greater Los Angeles area is Pacific Palisades. Located to the far west of LA, Pacific Palisades overlooks the Pacific Ocean, with several home purchase options that perch on the cliff faces of this first-class community. Offering high-end boutiques and sophisticated dining options, Pacific Palisades is a small community with a Downtown feel.

Perched above the Pacific Ocean with cliffs that cascade into hiking trails and beaches, Pacific Palisades sits next to Brentwood to the east, Malibu and Topanga to the east, Santa Monica to the southeast, the Santa Monica Bay to the southwest, and Santa Monica Mountains to the north. Aside from its advantageous location in proximity to LA, Pacific Palisades has some perks to continually attract an influx of new residents into this upscale community. 

1. Small Community Feel

With a population density of only 1,048 per square mile, Pacific Palisades is among the lowest densities for Los Angeles and the county. The total population is about 27,000 residents and it is primarily a residential area.

While there are several elementary schools to choose from, both public and private, by the time youth in the community reach high school, most attend the one large public high school, Palisades High School. One of the community’s largest annual event is a Fourth of July celebration that includes day-long events and culminates with fireworks display at Palisades High School football field.

New residents to Pacific Palisades are attracted to the safety of this suburban community, with a population of residents that is small enough to get to know with a degree of familiarity that may not be possible in larger communities.  Families who re-locate out of the urban LA area enjoy a greater closeness with their neighbors and community members, and opportunities for building deeper community ties. 

2. Big City Benefits

Although Pacific Palisades remains suburban in nature—impossible to reach without a car—you won’t find yourself feeling too far removed from the city. No need to worry about being in a cultural void while living in the Pacific Palisades—the community is far from backward. On the contrary, the Palisades boasts upscale dining and shopping to rival any urban scene. 

3. A Hollywood Vibe

While maintaining enough distance from where the action is to be somewhat of a haven from hustle and bustle, Pacific Palisades is not entirely removed and frequently rubs shoulders with LA’s celebrities. The Palisades lays out its welcome mat for both TV and movie film crews on a regular basis, like TV’s Modern Family, which is filmed at Palisades Charter High School. You might recall the popular TV series Baywatch, which was filmed at Lifeguard Headquarters by tower 15 of Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades.

In 2001, the film Crazy/Beautiful starring Kirsten Dunst was filmed at Palisades Charter High School. Other high school dramas, like 1990’s TV favorite Beverly Hills 90210, refer to Palisades High School. Their oft-mentioned rivals were Palisades High—some episodes were filmed on the beach and at local restaurant Café Vida. Going back as far as 1976, Palisades Charter High School was a preferred film location—the movie version of Stephen King’s Carrie was also filmed there.  

In addition to opportunities to witness filming on location of some large-budget films and TV shows as well as celebrity sightings, living in Pacific Palisades could lead to your “15 minutes of fame” as an extra on the set of a filming set in your new residence.

4. A Variety of Neighborhoods for Every Lifestyle

For Pacific Palisades residents, suburban does not mean cookie-cutter houses and a series of neighborhoods where each one looks like a carbon copy of the next. Pacific Palisades is its own cultural mecca consisting of a variety of neighborhoods with distinct personalities, both in geography and home styles.

The Village is the Pacific Palisades' walkable, vibrant small central business district with its center at Sunset Boulevard and Via de la Paz. The Village consists of a weekly farmers' market, restaurants, cafés, and coffee shops in addition to boutiques, shops, banks, offices, and local events.

The Via Mesa and The Huntington Palisades are the neighborhoods overlooking the ocean. These neighborhoods are easy walking distance to The Village and sit upon high bluffs that look out over the Pacific Ocean. This area is also home to the largest park of the Palisades: the 117-acre Palisades Park which has four baseball diamonds, eight tennis courts, two indoor basketball courts, a hockey rink, dog parks, and multiple playgrounds.

The Alphabet Streets, also known as "The North Village," is characterized by its high density of single family homes on lively narrow streets. The streets, named after Methodist Bishops of the late 19th and early 20th century, are consecutively named beginning with A, B, C, D, etc.

The El Medio Mesa is located south of Sunset Boulevard. As with The Via Bluffs and The Huntington Palisades, The El Medio Bluffs are located on a high ridge overlooking the Pacific Ocean and much of the neighborhood is afforded beautiful ocean views and ocean air.

Marquez Knolls is a large area of homes on the mountain upslope known for spectacular ocean views. The lower upslope was first developed in the early 1950s and mid-1960s.

Castellammare is located along the Pacific Coast Highway on small bluffs much closer to sea-level, just north of where Sunset Boulevard meets the PCH. This is the home of the Getty Villa and the narrow, winding streets in this neighborhood have Italian names and ocean breezes.

Getty Villa

Palisades Highlands is a community near the end of Sunset Blvd that could almost be considered its own separate community high up the hill overlooking the ocean, up Palisades Drive.

Rustic Canyon is the neighborhood that dips into Santa Monica Canyon and includes the Will Rogers State Historic Park. The neighborhood features post-war homes.

The Riviera features the Riviera Country Club, a high-end country club, and streets named after various locations in the French and Italian Riviera. The Riviera Country Club hosts the Genesis Open on the PGA Tour in February.

5. Beautiful Parks and Beaches

Parks of the Palisades include Palisades Park, Rustic Canyon Park, Temescal Canyon Park, Santa ynez Canyon Park, and Rivas Canyon Park. Many of these parks have picnic tables and shelters, BBQ grills, tennis courts, and a variety of amenities for visitors to get out and enjoy some outdoor recreation with friends and family.

In addition, Pacific Palisades is home to Will Rogers State Beach, which includes one and three-quarters miles of shoreline. The beach features swimming and skin diving. Facilities include volleyball courts, playground and gymnastic equipment, as well as a bike path and walkway.

Will Rogers State Beach

 With so many neighborhood options to choose from for homebuyers, Pacific Palisades has a variety of perks for any lifestyle. Whether your tastes run toward the swankier side or you are craving a connection to nature hiking the trails and beaches Pacific Palisades has to offer—or even if you enjoy a well-rounded life that encompasses both—you can find your own “happy place” when you purchase a home in Pacific Palisades.