Years ago, when I was in my late 20s, I had lunch with a friend of a friend who had just moved to Pacific Palisades. I was living in a duplex in Echo Park at the time and expressed surprise that someone my age lived in a part of Los Angeles that felt so out of reach. “Oh honey, you’ll see,” she said airily.
“You’ll get pregnant and move to the Palisades too.” I was stunned. “Oh honey,” I thought.
“If only that’s how the world worked for all of us.” I’m not saying everyone would move to Pacific Palisades if they could afford it (and with an average home price of more than $3.5 million, according to Zillow , very few can afford it), but spend some time in this Norman Rockwell-esque town by the sea and you will surely understand its appeal — and maybe even its price tag.
More suburban than Santa Monica to its south and more cohesive than Topanga to the north, Pacific Palisades offers its mostly well-heeled residents easy access to the sage-scented Santa Monica Mountains and world-class beaches, all while maintaining a small-town feel. The community hosts a Fourth of July parade each year, complete with marching bands and a patriotic pups contest. On warm August nights, up to 1,000 people gather at the rec center for an outdoor movie and free hot dogs.
Many homes have white picket fences. Nobody goes to the local Erewhon without running into someone they know. But you don’t have to live in the Palisades to enjoy its distinctive charms.
Visitors can soa.
