Maureen Megowan

Hermosa Beach is a beach community in the South Bay of Los Angeles, bordered on the north and south by Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. The city consists of 1.3 square miles and has a very interesting history.

People live in Hermosa Beach for the seaside beach lifestyle. The fact is, it is just plain fun to live here. Besides the great beach, there is so much to do here, particularly with the many great restaurants here and in nearby Manhattan Beach. For those with kids, the schools are also very good.

Neighborhoods:

Sand Section: This neighborhood is adjacent to the ocean and is bordered by Herondo Street on the north (the northern boundary of the city adjacent to Manhattan Beach), Valley Drive to the East, and the southern border of the city. The area to the west of Hermosa Avenue is particularly desireable, and has alternating streets either open to traffic or closed to traffic (known as walk streets). The beachfront properties are adjacent to the Strand, a promenade that runs the length of the city's beachfront. There are three parks in this area, South Park, Cypress Park and Valley Park, all on the western side of Valley Drive.

Valley Section: This neighborhood is bordered by Valley Drive to the West, Pacific Coast Highway to the east, and the northern and southern borders of the city. This area is primarily hilly in terrain.

Hermosa East: This neighborhood is bordered by Pacific Coast Highway to the west, Prospect Avenue to the east, Artesia Boulevard to the north, and Anita to the south.This area has flatter terrain, and since it is furthest from the beach, the home prices here tend to be lower than the other two areas of Hermosa Beach.

Entertainment & Culture:

Hermosa Beach is home to the Hermosa Beach Playhouse, a 502 seat venue for local stage theatre. The theater is used for professional theatrical productions, amateur ventures, community theater groups, dance recitals, film premieres, as well as conferences and seminars. The Comedy and Magic Club is located on Hermosa Avenue and is part owned by Jay Leno, who performs there on a regular basis. There are numerous restaurants in the vicinity of the Hermosa Pier, several of which are on the Plaza area in front of the Pier, which is closed to traffic

Schools:

The Hermosa Beach City School District consists of only two elementary school sites, one for grades K-2 and the other for grades 3-8. High school students attend one of two high schools outside the city limits. High school students who reside in Hermosa Beach have the choice of which high school they may attend -- Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach or Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. This choice is guaranteed through legislation that was enacted in 1993 and will not change. These schools maintain very high test scores on state standardized tests.

Sports, Parks and Recreation:

The City has numerous small neighborhood parks, and a jogging/walking trail adjacent to Valley Drive constructed in a previous railroad right of way. Youth sports include little league baseball, AYSO soccer, basketball leagues, etc.

Property Taxes: The property tax rate for the fiscal year 2011-2012 is 1.037488% (computed by the standard 1.0% of the property's assessed valuation (in accordance with Proposition 13, a property's assessed valuation is the original purchase price, plus the cost of improvements, based on the value of permits pulled, plus an increase in valuation of 2% per year) plus additional tax rates for voted bonded indebtedness) plus direct assessments of approx. $200-$300 per parcel for such items as school parcel taxes, etc..

El Segundo is a small town trapped in a big city. El Segundo is a tale of two cities. The residential neighborhood bordered by Imperial Highway to the north, Sepulveda Boulevard to the east, El Segundo Boulevard to the south, and the ocean to the west, has a rural feeling to it, with a very home town "Mayberry" quality. The neighborhood has many tree lined streets and feels far removed from the LAX airport immediately north, the commercial and industrial part of the city east of Sepulveda Boulvard, and the Chevron refinery to the south of El Segundo Boulevard and east of Sepulveda Boulevard.

The citizens of El Segundo are proud of its relatively small residential community, its excellent schools, and enjoys a strong tax base due to its commercial, office and industrial base. It also enjoys easy access to the LAX airport.

El Segundo is bordered by Imperial Highway (with LAX Airport to the north), Aviation Blvd. to the east, and Rosecrans Blvd (with Manhattan Beach to the south). The area bordered by Imperial Highway, Vista del Mar, and Grand Avenue to the west of the residential area of El Segundo (in the northwest quadrant of the city) is the location of the Hyperion Treatment Plant, which is owned by the City of Los Angeles and treats the waste water for the City of Los Angeles. Dockweiler State Beach is just to the west of the Hyperion Treatment Plant, and El Segundo Beach is south of Grand Avenue and north of Manhattan Beach. The Chevron refinery is bordered by Rosecrans on the South, Vista del Mar on the west, Sepulveda Boulevard on the east, and El Segundo Boulevard on the north.

The City has numerous neighborhood parks, the largest of which is El Segundo Rec Park, which includes several baseball fields. The city also has a teen center, a skateboard park,a dog park and runs an extremely active youth sports program. This includes little league baseball, soccer, tennis, ice hockey and ice skating.

Golf is available at the Lakes Golf Course on Sepulveda Boulevard. This course is a nine hole executive course, with a restaurant facility and driving range. Resident Golf passes may be purchased by residents for $32 per month. Swimming is available at the Urho Saari Swim Stadium at 219 W. Miraposa.

This area is between the Miraleste/Palos Verdes Drive Eat area and the Palos Verdes Drive South area, and is primarily accessed by the southern portion of Palos Verdes Drive East (south of Crest Road) until it ends at Palos Verdes Drive South. Many homes in this area enjoy spectacular views of the ocean and Catalina Island, which is the primary attraction of this neighborhood. Marymont College is located in the Mira Catalina neighborhood.

The main problem with this area is the difficult access to the two high schools on the Peninsula. The drive is a good 20 to 25 minute drive to either Palos Verdes High or Peninsula High school. The two schools are among the highest rated in the State, so they are well worth the drive.Access to the amenities and shopping at the Peninsula Center, which is essentially the downtown of the Palos Verdes Peninsula is also very difficult

This neighborhood on the eastern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula is bordered by the City of Rolling Hills on the west, the Eastview area to the east, and the Mira Catalina area to the south (south of Crest Road). Although many of the homes here have large lots, the steep terrain restricts the useability of many yards. Many of the homes in this area have city and Harbor views. Palos Verdes Drive East is the main road through the center of the neighborhood. Many of the lots in this area are zoned for horses. Neighborhoods include Miraleste Hills, Colt Road, Coach Road, Bronco, Sunnyside Ridge, Rockinghorse and Roan Road.

The one problem to this area is the difficulty of access. Palos Verdes Drive East is a very narrow two lane road with lots of turns and is generally far removed from shopping areas. The drive to the Peninsula Center area of the Palos Verdes Peninsula is a good 15 minutes, and access to grocery stores are at least 10 minutes away.

The main attraction of the area are the wonderful hiking trails in the area, and the rustic feel to the area. Many of its residents like the feeling of being removed from the city hustle and bustle below.

Access to schools include the local Miraleste elementary for kindergarten, Mira Catalina or Dapplegray elementary and Miraleste Interemediate schools. Access to either Peninsula High or Palos Verdes High are a 15 to 20 minute drive. The school district is one of the highest rated in the State.

Monte Malaga is a wonderful area of Palos Verdes Estates . It is a hilly area above both Malaga Cove and Lunada Bay with many of the homes having spectacular views. The homes tend to be either ranch style or Mediterranean style homes , many with tile roofs. It is relatively centrally located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula , and although it has no local shopping plaza in the immediate area, it has easy access to shopping in the Peninsula Center area of the Hill. The High Schools and Intermediate schools are about a 5 minute drive, and the local elementary school, Monte Malaga elementary, is centrally located for easy access. The schools are among the best in the State.

The City of Palos Verdes Estates has its own police department making for very quick response times in case of a problem. This area is one of the safest areas to live in Southern California as its somewhat remote location and confusing road layout make it difficult for unwanted visitors to find the area.

There are no real parks in the area making the local elementary school the only real place for kids to play. There are very nice regional parks, however, in adjacent Rancho Palos Verdes, such as Hess park and Ryan Park, as well as Ernie Howlett park in Rolling Hills Estates.

Although there is no immediate access to shopping, both community and Regional shopping centers are located a quick drive in the center of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. This is definitely a bedroom community.