Malibu, California
Encyclopedia : M : MA : MAL : Malibu, California
- This article is about the Southern California city. For other uses, see Malibu
Malibu is a city located in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 12,575.
The City of Malibu is a 27-mile strip of Pacific coastline; a beachfront community famous for its warm, sandy beaches, and for being the home of countless movie stars and others associated with the Southern California motion picture and recording industries. Most Malibu residents live within a few hundred yards of Pacific Coast Highway (California State Route 1) which traverses the city; the city is also bounded (more or less) by Topanga and Pacific Palisades to the east, the Santa Monica Mountains to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the south, and Ventura County to the north and west. Its other beaches include Malibu State Beach and Topanga State Beach; its parks include Malibu Creek State Park and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
A popular bumper sticker reads, "Malibu: A Way of Life." Other slogans: "Where the mountains meet the sea", "27 miles of scenic beauty", "Malibu - life is too short to live it elsewhere".
90265 is an actual ZIP code in Malibu. Although, most of 90265 actually lies outside incorporated area of the city, the U.S. Postal Service considers all addresses in that ZIP code to be Malibu addresses. Real estate agents designate these adjoining areas "Malibu Post Office".
History
Malibu was a part of the territory of the Chumash tribe of Native American Indians. It was named "Humaliwo" or "the surf sounds loudly."Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo is believed to have moored at Malibu Lagoon, at the mouth of Malibu Creek, to obtain fresh water in 1542. The Spanish presence returned with the California mission system, and the area was part of a 13,000 acre (120 km²) land grant in 1802. That ranch passed intact to Frederick Hastings Rindge in 1891. He and his widow, Rhoda May Rindge, guarded their privacy zealously by hiring guards to evict all trespassers and fighting a lengthy court battle to prevent the building of a Southern Pacific railroad line. Few roads even entered the area before 1929, when the state won another court case and built what is now known as the Pacific Coast Highway. By then May Rindge was forced to subdivide her property and begin selling and leasing lots. The Rindge house, known as the Adamson House, is now part of Malibu Creek State Park and is situated between Malibu Lagoon and Surfrider Beach, beside the Malibu Pier that was originally built for the family yacht. The Malibu Colony was one of the first areas settled, and is on the opposite shore of the lagoon.
In 1926, in an effort to avoid selling land to stave off insolvency, Rhoda May Rindge created a small ceramic tile factory. At its height, the Malibu Potteries employed over 100 workers, and produced decorative tiles which furnish many Los Angeles-area public buildings and Beverly Hills residences. The factory, located one-half mile east of the pier, was ravaged by a fire in 1931. Although the factory partially reopened in 1932, it could not recover from the effects of the Great Depression and a steep downturn in Southern California construction projects. A distinct hybrid of Moorish and Arts and Crafts designs, Malibu tile is considered highly collectible. Fine examples of the tiles may be seen at the Adamson House and Serra Retreat, a fifty-room mansion that was started in the 1920s as the main Rindge home on a hill overlooking the lagoon. The unfinished building was sold to the Franciscan Order in 1942 and is operated as a retreat facility. It burned in the 1970 fire and was rebuilt using many of the original tiles.
In 1991 Malibu, long an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, achieved cityhood in order to allow for exercise of local control. Prior to incorporation the local residents had fought proposed developments including a freeway, a nuclear power plant, and several sewerline plans. Actor Martin Sheen was named honorary mayor in 1989.[link]
Famous Residents
- Shannon Marketic - Model; Miss USA 1992
- Dominique Swain - American actress
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 261.5 km² (101.0 mi²). Thus, Malibu is one of the largest cities in California and the United States in terms of land and water area. 51.5 km² (19.9 mi²) of it is land and 210.0 km² (81.1 mi²) of it is water (the city boundaries extend three miles into the ocean). The total area is 80.32% water. Malibu has a population density of 632.9 persons per square mile of land area.
Throughout its history, Malibu's unique geography placed it at the mercy of numerous natural disasters, namely floods, fires, and mudslides.
A common and deeply-ingrained misconception is that the coastline in California is uniformly north-south. In Malibu the coastline runs almost entirely east-west, as does its main artery, Pacific Coast Highway. While going north on PCH through Malibu one would actually be travelling west. Likewise, the Pacific Ocean is due south and the inland Santa Monica Mountains are north. Malibu residents often feed into this misconception by referring to areas near the Ventura County line as "North Malibu" and areas near Santa Monica as "South Malibu," even though they are on virtually the same latitude.
Carbon Beach, Surfrider Beach, Broad Beach, Pirate's Cove, Westward Beach, Zuma Beach, and Trancas are places along the coast in Malibu. Point Dume forms the northern end of the Santa Monica Bay, and the public park there affords a vista of stretching to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Santa Catalina Island.
The term Malibu Ozarks is sometimes used derogatorily to describe real estate and property over the first mountain range (and lacking an ocean view). However, property in this area is some of the most expensive in the United States, and is subject to stringent development limitations imposed by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Coastal Commission and the City of Malibu.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 12,575 people, 5,137 households, and 3,164 families residing in the city. The population density was 244.4/km² (632.9/mi²). There were 6,126 housing units at an average density of 119.0/km² (308.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.91% White, 0.90% African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.49% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.48% of the population.There were 5,137 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 32.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $102,031, and the median income for a family was $123,293. Males had a median income of $100,000+ versus $46,919 for females. The per capita income for the city was $74,336. About 3.2% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District provides public education at elementary and secondary levels. Malibu High School provides public secondary education for the Malibu community.The community of Malibu is served by Santa Monica College, a community college in the neighboring city of Santa Monica.
Pepperdine University, an independent college affiliated with the Church of Christ, is also located in the heart of Malibu, though technically outside city limits. It has its own ZIP code of 90263. [link]
In the media
Malibu has been used as a location for countless films and television programs. It was home to Gidget, and surfing movies of the 1960s. Important scenes in the Planet of the Apes series were filmed at Point Dume. Love American Style, The Rockford Files, and the Mod Squad are among many TV series and commercials filmed in Paradise Cove. In the 1990s and 2000s it was the setting for MTV Beach House, Malibu's Most Wanted, the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana, and Nickelodeon's Zoey 101.Many products have been named for Malibu or its neighborhoods, none of which are made in the city or environs: Chevrolet Malibu, Malibu Barbie, Piper Malibu, and Malibu Rum.
External links
- [Malibu official website]
- [California Heritage Museum: Malibu Pottery]
- [Serra Retreat]
- [Tennis courts and the highway from maps.google]
- [Malibu Hindu Temple]
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