Palos Verdes

Palos Verdes is often used to refer to a group of coastal cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the Los Angeles/South Bay area of California.

Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates are the larger cities in the area.

History

The peninsula was originally inhabited by Native Americans belonging to the Tongva (sometimes referred to as "Gabrielino") tribe, and first described in 1542 by Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo.

Schools

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District has one of the highest rated API scores in California ^[1] , and has one of the highest average SAT scores ^[2] and one of the highest percentage of students successfully completing the advanced placement exams ^[3] in the county.

Trivia

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean films were partly photographed on and off the coast of Palos Verdes Peninsula. A tent city for production was constructed in the Redondo Beach Marina. The Black Pearl and several production vessels were seen on the waters daily as were helicopters filming for overhead shots.

The name "Palos Verdes" is Spanish for green sticks.

Notable residents

George Takei - actor, famous as Hikaru Sulu from Star Trek
Chuck Norris - Walker, Texas Ranger, owns several properties in the region
Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee - who sold U.S. secrets to the Soviets and were portrayed in the book and movie The Falcon and the Snowman
Body Glove - co-founder Bob Meistrell, who invented the first "practical" wet suit^[4]
John Tu Billionaire^[5]
Pete Caroll - USC Head Football Coach
Gary Wright - Musician
Angelyne - Billboard model
Michael Dudikoff - Actor
Scott Shaw - Author, actor and filmmaker
Sasha Vujacic and Elden Campbell - Former pro basketball players
Deepak Chopra - Writer

Palos Verdes Media

The Point Vicente Lighthouse on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the National Register of Historic Places.
Don Manuel Domínguez, a signer of the Californian Constitution and owner of Rancho San Pedro, which included all of Palos Verdes until 1846.
In 1846, Rancho de los Palos Verdes was separated from Rancho San Pedro and granted to brothers José Loreto Sepúlveda (pictured) and Juan Capistrano Sepúlveda.
The historic Mediterranean Revival style Malaga Cove Plaza, in Palos Verdes Estates
In this night-time aerial photograph of Los Angeles, San Pedro is in the center and right foreground, including part of the brightly lit Terminal Island. The dark peninsula to the left of San Pedro is Palos Verdes.
The edge of the Palos Verdes Peninsula extending down to the Pacific Ocean.
Aerial view of Marineland of the Pacific, in 1965, on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
The Trump National Golf Course.
Interior of the Wayfarers Chapel.
Remains of the wrecked Greek freighter SS Dominator along the Palos Verdes Peninsula coastline, 1965.