Santa Monica neighborhoods

The western and northwestern border of Santa Monica, California is the 3 mi stretch of Santa Monica Bay. On its other sides, the city is bordered by various districts of Los Angeles: the eastern border is Brentwood north of Wilshire Boulevard and West Los Angeles south of Wilshire, the northeastern border is generally San Vicente Boulevard up to the Riviera Country Club, the southwestern border is Venice Beach and the southern border is with West Los Angeles and Mar Vista.

Santa Monica Canyon
Not part of the city of Santa Monica itself, Santa Monica Canyon is a misleadingly named adjacent neighborhood, facing out upon the Pacific Ocean. With winding roads and steep canyon walls this small enclave shares more with wooded Topanga Canyon than the city of Santa Monica. Home to musicians, movie stars, and aging beach bums, Santa Monica Canyon is part of the city of Los Angeles, and its Canyon Charter Elementary School is one of the most prestigious elementary schools in the LAUSD. The border between Santa Monica Canyon and the Palisades is Chautauqua Blvd.

North of San Vicente
San Vicente Boulevard is the northernmost major street in Santa Monica. Homes north of San Vicente Blvd are among the most expensive in Los Angeles County and often contain views of the Pacific Ocean or the picturesque Santa Monica Canyon. La Mesa Drive is one of the most expensive and least known in the city, planted with a dense canopy of rare Moreton Bay fig trees the street makes a picturesque walking location. Twenty blocks closer to the ocean the Santa Monica Steps are a popular set of 189 very steep steps that lead down into the canyon. Rather than being used as a convenient direct route from the Canyon Charter school to Adelade drive, they are more often utilized for intense workouts and are an excellent place for spotting sweating celebrities. Streets north of San Vicente are usually short and contain large gated homes. This is part of the 90402 zip code.

North of Montana
South of San Vicente and north of Montana Avenue consist of larger family homes and lots. The streets in this portion of Santa Monica are Georgina, Marguerita, Alta, Carlyle, Brentwood Terrace and the "numbered streets" 4th, 7th, Lincoln, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, Euclid (which is where 13th would have been), 14th, 15th (the dividing line for Franklin versus Roosevelt Elementary schools), 16th, 17th (Which is where Gillettes's Regent Square tract begins) 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st St, 21st Place (where Gillette's tract ends), 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th.

Along with the area north of San Vicente and Santa Monica Canyon, this area constitutes the 90402 zip code. Houses are expensive here, among the most expensive in Los Angeles County and the country. The most expensive homes are located just north of San Vicente on La Mesa Drive. Most of the lot sizes are 7500 sqft on 50' X 150' lots. The Gillette's Regent Square tract, developed by King Gillette - the razor blade manufacturer, are 60' wide lots.

North of San Vicente and north of Montana Avenue the streets are La Mesa Drive, La Mesa Way, Gale Place (Developed by one of the original area developers, Cecil Gale), Woodacres Road, Esparta Way, Ermont Place, Foxtail Drive, Larkin Place, Winnett Place and Adelaide Place. West of 7th and East of Ocean Ave is the neighbor hood noted by 100' x 220' foot lots, some of which have been subdivided into 50X 220. Many of Santa Monica's historically significant land marked home are located here, some of which are designated as such in National Registry.

North of Montana is served by 2 highly regarded public elementary schools - Franklin School for the residents on 15th through the west side of 26th and Roosevelt for the families on 14th Street down to Ocean Ave.

During Halloween, the streets near 16th Street and Georgina Avenue are famous for their prevalence of trick or treaters, parties, and sheer amount of people.

Montana Avenue
Montana Avenue is home to two elementary schools, a public library, and hundreds of upscale stores. There are three Starbucks (one inside Pavilions) two of which are located between 7th St. and 9th St., and one Peet's Coffee and Tea among several independently owned cafes and coffee shops, including Caffe Luxxe. The businesses on this street are generally boutiques with a few national markets and banks. Montana Ave. is also home to The Aero Theater which is a repertory theater operated by The American Cinematheque. Every December and June the Montana Ave. Association hosts a neighborhood wide sale and festival where stores give holiday discounts, give free samples of food, or have clearance sales to make room for a new season of clothing. North of Montana(Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.) is also the title of the first book in the FBI Special Agent Ana Grey mystery series, written by Santa Monica resident, April Smith. Continuously in print since 1994, North of Montana became notarious for being a fast-paced thriller that also examines complex relationships between upper class white women and the Hispanic caretakers of their children.

North of Wilshire
North of Wilshire, but South of Montana Avenue, is a primarily residential neighborhood. Laid out on a consistent grid of numbered streets, there are many mid-sized homes and condominiums. On its westernmost end this neighborhood includes a number of well preserved Victorian duplex houses otherwise unique in the city. Smaller Craftsman era bungalows line the east-west avenues like Idaho, Washington, and California. Lincoln Middle School is on 14th Street and California Ave. At the corner of Washington Avenue and 22nd is the original Gehry House, a deconstructivist masterpiece that signaled a dramatic shift in Frank Gehry's architectural style. Real estate is exceptionally expensive in this neighborhood, albeit slightly less expensive than the more stately properties north of Montana.

Ocean Avenue
Ocean Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Santa Monica that runs along the Palisades Park, with a view of the Pacific Ocean. Ocean Avenue real estate is highly prized, as all residences have a full view of the beach and Pacific Ocean. South of California Ave are several hotels, restaurants, businesses, and homes. The Santa Monica Pier is located at Ocean Ave and Colorado Ave.

Downtown Santa Monica
Downtown Santa Monica is located south of California Avenue. The streets that make up downtown Santa Monica are Wilshire Boulevard, Arizona Avenue, Santa Monica Boulevard, Broadway, and Colorado Avenue from 2nd street to 14th street. The Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place are located in the heart of downtown. Many restaurants, tourist sites, and hotels are in downtown Santa Monica. In particular, Santa Monica Boulevard has an abundance of car dealerships.

Midtown Santa Monica
Comprising most of the 90404 zip code Midtown Santa Monica stretches from 14th street to Centinela at its westernmost and easternmost extremities, and Wilshire Boulevard to Olympic Boulevard in its north and south. Alternating between major thoroughfares and quieter residential lanes, Midtown is less congested than many other parts of the city. Planned on a regular grid, Midtown Santa Monica was once home to a number of picturesque Craftsman houses and brightly painted Victorians, though only occasional examples of these can still be found. In the early 1940s the first wave of suburbanization overtook this part of the city and many preexisting structures were razed and replaced with tiny square California Bungalows with green lawns and small, private backyards. In the 1960s a large number of these increasingly dilapidated structures were demolished in favor of four and five unit condominium complexes and apartments. The easternmost edge of Midtown Santa Monica, often referred to as the "college streets" where Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Berkeley intersect with Wilshire Boulevard, represents one of the city's primary gateways. Commemorating the spot where the cities of Santa Monica and Los Angeles (Brentwood neighborhood) share a border is the "Wave" a sculpture by Tony De Lap arching over Wilshire Boulevard near Franklin.

Pico District
Before the 1960s, the neighborhood was much larger and was an important African-American enclave on the Westside, but when the Santa Monica Freeway opened in the 1960s, it resulted in the destruction of many residences and the relocation of a large number of families. Its boundaries are Lincoln Blvd to the west, Centinela Ave to the east, Colorado Ave to the north and Pico Blvd to the south. The Santa Monica Freeway runs through the area with access near both Lincoln Boulevard and Olympic Blvd. Santa Monica High School and Santa Monica College are both on Pico. Pico Blvd in Santa Monica has traffic lights at nearly every block, as well as local and middle class businesses. This is the most ethnically diverse area of Santa Monica, but this diversity is under threat as the area is rapidly becoming gentrified. While the city of Santa Monica has a very low crime rate compared to surrounding communities, this neighborhood is viewed by certain local activists as being the center of a modest, but growing, gang culture. The City of Santa Monica has been accused of ignoring the Pico District in the past, particularly when it came to issues regarding crime and gang activity.

Ocean Park
Located in the southwest corner of Santa Monica is the Ocean Park neighborhood. This neighborhood has a mix of older smaller homes and apartment buildings and condos. Several housing towers are located along the beach. The area has a funky, artsy feel similar in manner to its neighbor Venice Beach. Many Santa Monica residents come to shop/browse on Main Street, home of many boutiques and restaurants. Main Street also hosts a weekly farmer's market on Sundays. SMASH (an alternative school) and John Muir elementary schools are located in the neighborhood. Olympic High, an alternative high school is also located in the area.

Sunset Park
Sunset Park is a residential neighborhood located between Pico Boulevard and the southern city limits and Lincoln Boulevard and eastern city limits. It is composed primarily of single-family housing. Most of the homes are small one-story houses built in the 1940s for workers at the Douglas Aircraft Factory. Remodeled or rebuilt homes are upscale.

Sunset Park is part of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Will Rogers and Grant elementary schools and John Adams Middle School are located in the neighborhood. Santa Monica College, a two-year community college, is also located in Sunset Park.

Santa Monica Airport, one of the busiest single-runway airports in the nation, is located along the southern borders of the neighborhood.

Clover Park is a large park in the area with recreation facilities.

Thoroughfares
Major east/west thoroughfares in Santa Monica are San Vicente Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, Olympic Boulevard, Pico Boulevard,  and Ocean Park Boulevard. All of these streets are four lanes in width; however, about half of Ocean Park was recently reduced to two lanes in order to accommodate left-turn lanes. Wilshire Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd contain the most traffic. It is fairly easy to travel east/west in Santa Monica.

Traveling north/south in Santa Monica is considerably slower and more difficult. Most north/south streets in Santa Monica end relatively quickly or fail to yield traffic lights at intersections, making travel difficult during rush hour. The major streets are Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard which goes to Los Angeles International Airport. These two streets are mostly four lanes and considered major thoroughfares. In particular, Lincoln Blvd becomes congested since it is a main route that leads to the Santa Monica Freeway, Venice, Marina del Rey, and the Los Angeles International Airport. A number of smaller residential streets allow north/south travel through Santa Monica. These streets are: 7th Street from Olympic Blvd to the Pacific Coast Highway, 11th Street from San Vicente Blvd to Marine Street on the border of Venice, 14th Street and 20th Street from San Vicente Blvd to Ocean Park Blvd, and 26th Street from San Vicente Blvd to Olympic Blvd, where most traffic diverts to Cloverfield Blvd. 17th Street runs from San Vicente Blvd to the entrance of Santa Monica College on Pico Blvd. All of these streets are only two lanes (with the exception of a brief portion of 20th Street). However, all of these streets encounter traffic lights at all intersections, making travel plausible. One alternate route to reach the Santa Monica Freeway going eastbound is to take Cloverfield Blvd, a short four lane street that begins off Santa Monica Boulevard. To go westbound, the alternate route is 20th Street.

Neighborhood associations

 * Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition, or Wilmont
 * Friends of Sunset Park
 * Ocean Park Association
 * Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association
 * List of Santa Monica Neighborhood Associations