Malibu, California
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Malibu is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 12,575.
The City of Malibu is 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 (Calif. 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." Another slogan is "Where the mountains meet the sea".
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History
Malibu was a part of the territory of the Chumash tribe of Native American Indans. 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. 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 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 once served on the Malibu City Council.
Geography
Malibu is located at 34°1'50" North, 118°46'43" West (34.030450, -118.778612)Template:GR.
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.
Surfrider Beach, Broad Beach, Pirate's Cove, 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 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).
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 12,575 people, 5,137 households, and 3,164 families residing in the city. The population density is 244.4/km² (632.9/mi²). There are 6,126 housing units at an average density of 119.0/km² (308.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 5.48% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,137 households out of which 25.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% are married couples living together, 6.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% are non-families. 27.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 2.86.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 43 years. For every 100 females there are 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $102,031, and the median income for a family is $123,293. Males have a median income of $100,000+ versus $46,919 for females. The per capita income for the city is $74,336. 7.6% of the population and 3.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.8% of those under the age of 18 and 1.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Education
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District provides public education at the elementary and secondary levels. Until the 1980s, students from Malibu were required to bus into Santa Monica for grades 10-12. The former Malibu Park Junior High is now Malibu High School.
Pepperdine University, an independent college affiliated with the Church of Christ, is located in the Malibu area, though outside city limits. [1] (http://www.ci.malibu.ca.us/index.cfm?fuseaction=nav&navid=3)
External links
- Malibu official website (http://www.ci.malibu.ca.us/)
- California Heritage Museum: Malibu Pottery (http://www.californiaheritagemuseum.org/curr2.php)
- Serra Retreat (http://www.sbfranciscans.org/communities/retreats/serra/)
- Tennis courts and the highway from maps.google (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Los+Angeles&ll=34.032866,-118.688146&spn=0.009227,0.012724&t=k&hl=en)
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