Mar Vista, Los Angeles

Mar Vista is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California. In 1927, Mar Vista became the 70th community to be annexed to Los Angeles.[1] It was designated as an official city neighborhood in 2006. [1]

Mar Vista
Mar Vista signage located at the intersection of Rose Avenue & Walgrove
Mar Vista
Location within Western Los Angeles
Coordinates: 34.00472°N 118.43°W / 34.00472; -118.43
Country United States of America
State California
County Los Angeles
Time zonePacific
Zip Code
90066
Area code(s)310

History

Mar Vista was called Ocean Park Heights from 1904 to 1924. Ocean Park Heights developed along a rail line - the Venice Short Line from downtown Los Angeles to Venice Beach - built in 1902 (present day Venice Boulevard). In 1927, Mar Vista became the 70th community to be annexed to Los Angeles. The neighborhood experienced massive growth in the 1950's through the 1970's. The area north of Venice Boulevard was filled in with suburban single-family development, including many surviving examples of mid-century modern residential architecture along Beethoven, Meier, and Moore street.[2] These developments were originally built as basic, low-cost homes in a relatively far-flung region of the city. But as the surrounding areas of Western Los Angeles have developed into major business and tourism centers, property values rapidly increased to the point where, as of 2020, older homes marketed as tear-downs regularly sell for over $1 million. In 2006, the city designated Mar Vista as an official neighborhood and installed signage. [1]

The section of the neighborhood south of Venice Boulevard is zoned for apartment buildings, and as such it is significantly more densely populated. This section is home to a large concentration of dingbat apartment buildings which are mostly subject to Los Angeles' Rent Stabilization Ordinance, allowing many long-term renters to stay in the area despite increasingly expensive rents and property values.

Geography

City of Los Angeles

Per City Council action on February 21, 2006, Mar Vista was designated as the area bounded by: the Santa Monica City border between I-10 and Walgrove Avenue; Walgrove Avenue between Santa Monica City border and Culver City border on the west, Culver City border between Walgrove Avenue and I-405 on the south, I-405 between Culver City border and I-10 on the east, and I-10 between Santa Monica City border and 1-405 on the north.[1]

At that time, the Department of Transportation was instructed to install signs at the following locations in order to identify "Mar Vista": Venice Boulevard at Beethoven Street, Venice Boulevard at Sawtelle Boulevard, Centinela Avenue at Mitchell Avenue, Rose Avenue at Walgrove Avenue, Barrington Avenue at National Boulevard, Centinela Avenue at Airport Avenue.[1]

The Venice Neighborhood Council has noted an exception to the above boundaries.[3] The area between Walgrove Avenue and Beethoven Street contains schools serving the Venice Community including Venice High, Mark Twain Junior High, Walgrove Elementary and Beethoven Elementary. The grounds of these schools are within the Venice Neighborhood Council [4] and overlap areas with the Mar Vista Community Council.

The City of Los Angeles official zoning map ZIMAS also shows Venice High School as included in Venice, [5] and not Mar Vista. [6][7]

Mapping L.A.

According to the Mapping L.A. project of the Los Angeles Times, Mar Vista's boundaries are: the San Diego Freeway to the Culver City boundary at Venice Boulevard on the northeast, the Culver City line on the southeast, Walgrove Avenue on the southwest and the Santa Monica city boundary on the northwest. The northern apex of the Mar Vista neighborhood is at the San Diego Freeway and National Boulevard and the southern is at Washington Boulevard and Tivoli Avenue.[8] The Zip Code for Mar Vista California is 90066.

Mar Vista is adjoined on the northeast by Palms, on the east, southeast and south by Culver City, on the west by Venice and on the northwest by Santa Monica.[9]

Demographics

The 2000 U.S. census counted 35,492 residents in the 2.9-square-mile Mar Vista neighborhood—an average of 12,259 people per square mile, about the norm for Los Angeles; in 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 37,447. The median age for residents was 35, considered the average for Los Angeles; the percentage of residents aged 19 through 34 was among the county's highest.[8]

The neighborhood was highly diverse ethnically, but the percentage of Asian people was high for the county. The breakdown was whites, 51.3%; Latinos, 29.1%; Asians, 12.8%, blacks, 3.5%; and others, 3.4%. Mexico (36%) and Korea (6%) were the most common places of birth for the 33.5% of the residents who were born abroad—considered an average figure for Los Angeles.[8]

The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $62,611, an average figure for Los Angeles. The average household size of 2.3 people was low for both the city and the county. Renters occupied 60.6% of the housing stock and house- or apartment owners held 39.4%.[8]

Forty-two percent of Mar Vista residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree by 2000, a high figure for both the city and the county. The percentages of residents of that age with a bachelor's degree or a master's degree were also considered high for the county.[8]

The percentages of never-married men (40.8%), divorced men (8.4%) and divorced women (12.5%) were among the county's highest. The percentages of veterans who served during World War II or the Korean War were among the county's highest.[8]

Services

Health

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services SPA 5 West Area Health Office serves Mar Vista.[10]

Emergency services

The Los Angeles Fire Department operates Station 62, which serves a portion of Venice as well.

Los Angeles Police Department operates the Pacific Division Police Station, serving the neighborhood.[11]

Community Council

The Mar Vista Community Council is the city-sanctioned neighborhood council for Mar Vista and other small neighborhoods (referred to as "zones") including Hilltop, Westdale, North Westdale, and others.[12]

Transportation

Mar Vista is served by LAnow a new on demand shared-ride service. Service started in May 2019, users can reserve a ride through the LAnow smartphone app, online or by phone. Once reserved, users can meet the shuttle at the scheduled LAnow pick-up/drop-off point. Within the service area, pick-up/drop-off points are never more than a few blocks (1/4 mile) away.

Public libraries

The neighborhood is served by the Los Angeles Public Library system. There is one branch that serves the neighborhood. [13]

  • Mar Vista branch - located at 12006 Venice Boulevard, Mar Vista

Education

Mark Twain Middle School

The schools within Mar Vista are as follows:[14]

  • Mar Vista Elementary School, LAUSD, 3330 Granville Avenue
  • Walgrove Avenue Elementary School, LAUSD, 1630 Walgrove Avenue
  • Beethoven Street Elementary School, LAUSD, 3711 Beethoven Street
  • Mark Twain Middle School, LAUSD, 2224 Walgrove Avenue
  • James J. McBride Special Education Center, LAUSD, 3960 Centinela Avenue
  • Venice Senior High School, LAUSD, 13000 Venice Boulevard, established in 1910 (then called "Venice Union Polytechnic High School") when classes were held in an old lagoon bathhouse two blocks from the beach. It moved to a new neo-romanesque structure at its present location a decade later.
  • Venice Community Adult School, LAUSD, 13000 Venice Boulevard
  • Phoenix Continuation School, LAUSD, 12971 Zanja Street
  • Grand View Boulevard Elementary School, LAUSD,

As of 2014 the Wiseburn School District allows parents in Mar Vista to send their children to Wiseburn schools on inter-district transfers.[15]

Parks and recreation

Mar Vista Recreation Center

The Mar Vista Recreation Center has an auditorium, barbecue pits, an unlighted baseball diamond, lighted indoor basketball courts, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, an indoor gymnasium without weights, an outdoor roller hockey rink, an outdoor AstroTurf soccer field, picnic tables, a lighted tennis court, an outdoor pool and a lighted volleyball court.[16]

Notable residents

References

  1. "Designation of Mar Vista/Council File: 06-0111". City of Los Angeles. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  2. "The Magnificent Moderniques of Mar Vista - Los Angeles | Eichler Network". www.eichlernetwork.com. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  3. "Venice Neighborhood Council Bylaws" (PDF). Venice Neighborhood Council. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  4. "VENICE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL MAP" (PDF). Venice Neighborhood Council. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  5. "Venice: Community Plan" (PDF). p. 69. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  6. "Mar Vista Zimas Map". zimas.lacity.org. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  7. "Palms-Mar-Vista-Del-Rey Community Map". cityplanning.lacity. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  8. "Mar Vista," Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  9. "Westside," Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  10. "About Us." Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Retrieved on March 18, 2010.
  11. http://www.lapdonline.org/pacific_community_police_station lapdonline.org
  12. http://marvista.org/
  13. "Mar Vista Branch Library." Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved on March 22, 2010.
  14. "Mar Vista Schools," Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  15. "Home" (Archive). Wiseburn School District. Retrieved on April 4, 2014. "Also serving the children of employees from the surrounding aerospace, technology, travel, and entertainment industries, as well as families living in the Westchester, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Mar Vista, and Ladera Heights area on an interdistrict permit transfer."
  16. "Mar Vista Recreation Center." City of Los Angeles. Retrieved on March 22, 2010.
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