Beach Cities
SANTA MONICA
Santa Monica is an unforgettable, seaside city in Southern California. Conveniently located a few miles from Los Angeles and a short drive to the neighboring attractions of the region, Santa Monica is a beach city with all of the culture, events and comforts of an active metropolis. For travelers seeking a Southern California vacation, Santa Monica offers the best of all possible worlds.

MANHATTAN BEACH
The city is a very upscale beach town within commuting distance of Los Angeles, making it one of the most expensive coastal towns in which to live in America, according to the most recent Fortune Magazine rankings. The town regularly smashes Los Angeles County real estate sales records, with the median price of a single family dwelling with an ocean view approaching 2.1 million dollars.
HERMOSA BEACH
The city’s flat sandy beach is ideal for sunbathing, beach volleyball, surfing and paddleboarding. The city itself is only about 15 blocks from east to west and 40 blocks from north to south, with the Pacific Coast Highway running down the middle. Situated on the Pacific Ocean, Hermosa’s average temperature is 70 degrees in the summer and 55 degrees in the winter. Gentle westerly sea breezes take the edge off what can be high summertime temperatures in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the county. The same breezes help keep the smog away 360 days of the year.
VENICE BEACH
Venice is today one of the most vibrant and eclectic areas of Southern California and it continues a tradition of progressive social change involving prominent Westsiders. Venice has always been known as a hangout for the creative and the artistic. In the 1950s and 60s, Venice became a center for the Beat generation. There was an explosion of poetry and art. Some famous residents of Venice Beach: Julia Roberts, Kate Beckinsale, Lana Clarkson, Anjelica Huston, Nicolas Cage, Chaney Kley, Tim Meadows, Robert Hegyes, Michael T. Weiss, Fairuza Balk, Taylor Negron and musician Perry Farrell.