Abalone Cove
January 21st, 2022
So what is it about houses for sale in Rancho Palos Verdes that makes them so special? Why would you want to live in this city, south of Los Angeles International Airport by approximately 14 miles, located on the coast of Southern California?
For starters, the Palos Verdes School district is one of the best in the country. In fact the two high schools rank among the best in California as well as for the entire United States. Palos Verdes Peninsula High is ranked 29th within California. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® course work and exams. The AP® participation rate at Palos Verdes Peninsula High is 80 percent. The student body makeup is 48 percent male and 52 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 58 percent. Palos Verdes Peninsula High is ranked #207 in the National Rankings and earned a gold medal. Schools are ranked based on their performance on state-required tests and how well they prepare students for college. Nationally, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School is ranked 130th in STEM Schools, these are schools that are considered superior in science, technology, engineering and math schools. To put these accomplishments in perspective, understand that there are over 26,000 public high schools in the United States!
As you can see by the map, houses for sale in Rancho Palos Verdes are blessed by some of the best weather and cleanest air in all of Southern California. Prevailing ocean breezes make the area fresh. And so many of the houses for sale in Rancho Palos Verdes have outstanding ocean views that just make you cry in wonder.
Rancho Palos Verdes homes for sale are surrounded by parks and right on the coast is the Point Vicente Interpretative Center where seasonal whale watching occurs during migration. If you’ve not experienced this, you’re really missing something. The area is home to vast expanses of dedicated nature space stewarded the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy. Beautiful hiking trails abound and did you know there’s actually over 70 miles of hiking and horse trails wandering throughout the area?
What is it about Rancho Palos Verdes that makes it so special as compared to the other cities within the Greater Los Angeles area? I’m often asked that question by Buyers that are new to the area of Southern California especially when up to now, they’ve not really been exposed to the 4 cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula; Rancho Palos Verdes being one of the four municipalities. We’ve talked about Palos Verdes schools and the weather; what about safety?
Let’s talk about “Safety” first. If you were to pull up a map of Southern California, you will find that the Palos Verdes Peninsula juts out from the rest of California into the Pacific Ocean. Just south of Los Angeles International Airport by about 14 miles, the Palos Verdes Peninsula was actually an island eons ago. Within the topic of “safety” we can address two benefits of owning any of the Rancho Palos Verdes homes. First, since I brought up the issue of an “island”, allow me to share with you that the geological makeup of the Palos Verdes Peninsula is more like that of the Channel Islands which in many Rancho Palos Verdes homes, are visible within the context of the ocean views many of our homes enjoy. The reason why this geological makeup is so important is because of earthquake safety. The Palos Verdes Peninsula is founded in bedrock which tends not to be in existence in the Los Angeles basin, areas which are more of sandy soil and thus more susceptible to damage from earthquakes versus the stability of bedrock. I have the geologic maps which I can provide upon request to document this.
Another interpretation of “safety” is low crime. Again, looking at a map of Southern California and seeing the position of the Palos Verdes Peninsula relative to the freeway systems in the rest of Los Angeles, you can immediately see that in a sense, the Palos Verdes Peninsula still is somewhat of an “island”. Bad guys don’t like going where escaping is difficult. And the Peninsula acts as a natural barrier to crime that is more prevalent in the city of Los Angeles. Add to that the fact that community watch programs are VERY strong in the four cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula along with a strong and cooperative and welcomed police force, all contribute to one of the lowest crime rates anywhere in California!
Once again, Rancho Palos Verdes is ranked as one of the top 50 safest cities in California