Pacific Palisades

Pacific Palisades is an affluent neighborhood and district in the Westside of the City of Los Angeles, California.  Just south of the Santa Monica Mountains the Palisades is surrounded by other charming localities such as: Brentwood, Malibu, Topanga, and the city of Santa Monica.  

The area currently has about 27,000 residents. It is primarily a residential area, with a mixture of large private homes, small (usually older) houses, condominiums, and apartments. It is home to a great charter school district, a very family-centric community, and breathtaking ocean and mountain views and lifestyle. 

Pacific Palisades: where the mountains, meet the sea.

The Huntington Palisades is one of the two most prestigious areas in Pacific Palisades. 

It’s known for its wide streets, large lots, beautiful traditional estates, and of course the ocean bluff-top breeze. This region is nestled between Potrero Canyon on the west and Chautauqua Boulevard on the east. The Huntington is also within walking distance to the Village, and has ocean views the closer you get to the bluffs. 

The lot sizes in the Huntington range from 7,000 sq ft to 30,000 sq ft; growing in size the closer the proximity to the bluff. 

It is difficult to find anything in this area for under $5 million. Most homes are in the $6-$11 million range, while the larger ocean view estates can sell well into the $20+ million range.

The Alphabet Streets are a well-known area of Pacific Palisades that belongs to the North Village neighborhood. North Village is composed of two parts: The Alphabet Streets and Upper North Village. 

The Alphabet Streets are one of the most popular neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades due to its quaint neighborhood charm and walking distance to the commercial Village area. This area, also known as “North Village”, has streets named after the Methodist Bishops who helped found Pacific Palisades. The streets are named in a consecutive order beginning with A, B, C, etc. – proving to be quite the appropriate moniker. 

The New Palisades Village area has lots from as small as 4,500 sq ft to 8,000 sq ft. However the majority of the lot sizes are 5,200 sq ft or 6,500 sq ft.

Upper North Village is comprised of a vast array of lot sizes, lot topography, and views. Many of these lots can range from 5,000 sq ft. all the way up to 40,000 sq ft with many being hillside lots.

El Medio is defined by two areas: Upper El Medio and the El Medio Bluffs.  It is located north and south of Sunset Boulevard beginning about a quarter mile west of The Village, across Temescal Canyon - just past Palisades Charter High School. 

The Upper El Medio area is at the base of the foothills, and also climbs up the mountain side. Many of these homes are large estates and sit on very large lots, some even multi-acre. Prices vary, but can reach up to $15,000,000+ for the larger lots that have great privacy and feature beautiful views. 

The El Medio Bluff is the area south of Sunset that extends for a long distance from Temescal Canyon all the way to where Sunset Boulevard meets the Pacific Coast Highway. 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. Homes sit on lots that vary from 5,500 to around 10,000 sq ft. The price range usually sits in the $3,000,000 to $8,000,000, with the few exceptional unobstructed ocean view cliff-side properties reaching the low $10,000,000’s.

The Bienveneda area runs both north and south of Sunset, with the majority of the higher valued properties north of Sunset. 

Lower Bienveneda features mostly smaller, traditional one-story homes, with an in-the-canyon type foliage and overall feel. Price points can be in the low $2,000,000 to low $3,000,000 the closer you come to Sunset from both north and south directions. 

Upper Bienveneda offers larger homes with canyon views and larger lots with hilly terrain. Included in the Bienveneda area are some gated communities, the most well-known being Ridgeview Country Estates. This area has giant estates, some with extremely dramatic city, mountain, and ocean views. Prices in the Upper Bienveneda area vary, but in securing a nice view expect to pay at least $3,000,000.

The Marquez area consists of the upper and lower Marquez Knolls area. 

Upper Marquez Knolls offers some absolutely stunning views heading up the mountain side and along Lachman Lane. Earl Lachman developed many homes in the early 1950s and 1960s, many of the homes cannot have second stories so many original single story mid-century homes still remain in this area. The views offered are debatably the best in the Palisades because of the enigmatic city, ocean, and mountain views it offers. Price points hover in the mid $3,000,000 to $10,000,000+. 

Lower Marquez Knolls offers many homes located in the flats and on lots from 5,000 sq ft to 10,000 sq ft. Prices usually hover between $2,000,000 to low $3,000,000 range in this area, with new construction in the $4,000,000s. This area is desirable because of its quiet streets and walkability to a small shopping center and elementary school, Marquez Elementary, both located on Marquez Street. 

The Highlands weather is typically warmer and sunnier than the neighborhoods below it because of the altitude the development is located at. The Palisades Highlands is a community near the end of Sunset Blvd., bordering Topanga, about 5 minutes away from the center of Pacific Palisades (The Village). and an additional 5 minutes up a large hill to reach the housing developments. 

The Highlands is the most recent development in Pacific Palisades and offers living arrangements and affordability to all buyers looking to live in Pacific Palisades. Many large and affordable townhomes are in the low $1,000,000’s range with nice views of the mountains. Overall, many regard The Highlands as an area where you can get a lot more for your dollar, with many large properties that double the size of homes in the lower Palisades areas being offered for the similar price points of $2,000,000 - $5,000,000. There are some gated communities such as the Enclave and Palisades Country Estates that offer huge estates with awesome canyon and ocean views that can reach $10,000,000 as well. 

Paseo Miramar is an area with many homes that offer spectacular views of the Santa Monica Bay or as some call it, “the Queen’s Necklace”. The homes in this area lack the “tract home” feeling and are more unique in stature. This area is notorious for hillside properties with great ocean and mountain views.

Home prices vary in this area, with the most expensive reaching close to $10,000,000 and the smaller and older homes in the $3,000,000’s that offer views. Paseo Miramar offers close proximity to the ocean and hiking trails making this area highly desirable for outdoor enthusiasts.

The Castellammare area is Italian for “Castle by the Sea”. It is located along the Pacific Coast Highway on small bluffs much closer to sea-level, just north of where Sunset Boulevard meets the PCH. 

The Castellammare area has two main neighborhoods: Castellammare and Castellammare Mesa. The Castellammare neighborhood is the home of the Getty Villa and the narrow, winding streets in this neighborhood reminiscent of the Italian coastline for its names and ocean breezes. 

Castellammare Mesa is the neighborhood that sits on the bluff top above the Castellammare neighborhood. This area has recently become very sought after because of its neighborhood feeling and tremendous sunset and ocean views from every street. It also offers itself as a very nice neighborhood vibe with many residents knowing each other for many years. Properties start here from $2,000,000 - $6,000,000 with a few properties right below the $9,000,000.

The Sunset Mesa area is unique because of its bluff top neighborhood setting and strong community vibe. It is also unique because 1/3 of the area is considered Los Angeles City and the other 2/3 is considered unincorporated Los Angeles County. 

The neighborhood that is within LA city limits is called Pacific View Heights or the Pacific Riviera. Many of these homes offer nice large lots with city and ocean views and large homes built in the mid-1960s. Price points here start around $3,000,000 and go up to $7,000,000. 

The Malibu city side holds the majority of homes in Sunset Mesa. These homes belong in the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District as well. The Sunset Mesa homes were built with four floorplans in mind. Since their original build, many of these floorplans have been remodeled and customized to the owner’s desires. 

The Las Casas Area and Bay Club Bluff offer sleepy neighborhoods with some smaller homes, and large estates as you get closer to the bluff-side. Las Casas has a few narrow streets with smaller lots and single story homes, with properties gaining in size as you approach the bluff. 

The homes in the Bay Club Bluff are nestled South of Sunset Blvd. and north of PCH and the Bel Air Bay Club, but offer tons of privacy and serene ocean views. 

Price points range from low $2,000,000- $4,000,000 with some spectacular estates priced well into the $15,000,000 range.

The Via Bluffs is the neighborhood that is directly southwest of the Palisades Village and is extremely sought after in the Palisades community. The walkability of The Village and the Bluffs makes many of these homes quick to sell, with many interested parties. 

The majority of the homes are on lots from 5,000 sq ft to 10,000 sq ft. Some properties located closer to the bluffs tend to go in the high $4,000,000 - $7,000,000 range. 

Some streets in this area are very narrow with older homes; however the location of the homes keeps the price points high even for homes that have much deferred maintenance. 

This area also has Palisades Elementary school in walking distance from every home in the Via Bluffs neighborhood as well as the main park and recreation in the Pacific Palisades, Palisades Park.

Rustic Canyon is the neighborhood east of Chautauqua Boulevard that dips into Santa Monica Canyon and includes areas of the Will Rogers State Historic Park. Rustic Canyon has neighborhoods that are considered Los Angeles City and others that are considered Santa Monica City. These neighborhoods have many beach style homes, but also have many homes that are on larger lots and unique architecture that convey a strong feeling of nature and earth. 

There are some spectacular estates in this area that command price points above $15,000,000. The majority of homes are from $3,500,000 to $6,000,000. 

Inventory in Rustic Canyon is hard to come by because of its location between Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica and Brentwood. This area is also home to Canyon Elementary, one of the most sought after schools on the Westside.

Will Rogers State Park is known for its Polo Fields, wildlife and natural preserve, and cabins developed as second homes and weekend retreats. With that said, it is also home to the Villa Woods neighborhood that is a small pocket of post-war homes with a variety of architecture on nice sized lots and Rivas Canyon. 

Rivas Canyon features giant estates on multi-acre lots. You would be hard pressed to find a home in Rivas Canyon under $7,000,000 with some properties with asking prices of $20,000,000+.

The Riviera is the most known and sought after area of the Palisades located approximately two miles east of The Palisades Village and central to Brentwood. 

This area features the Riviera Country Club and streets named after various locations in the French and Italian Riviera. Many celebrities live in this area with the majority of homes being priced from $5,500,000 to $10,000,000 and up to $50,000,000+. 

The neighborhood is divided into north and south sections by Sunset Boulevard. Properties located on the Riviera Rim overlook the country club and are extremely valuable. Many of the homes in the Upper Riviera have ocean views and giant lots with extravagant homes that are mostly gated.