Marina del Rey is an area of Los Angeles that contains the largest manmade small boat harbor in the world. It’s only about 1.5 square miles, but offers exclusive shopping, gourmet restaurants, luxury accommodations, lots of boating and fishing, is home to some top industry headquarters, and is one of the fastest growing areas in Los Angeles county.
Marina del Rey began as an enclave for duck hunters, as ducks loved the marshy lands. One man, M. C. Wicks, wanted to turn it into a commercial harbor, but ran out of money three years into the project. It consistently came up for review by the city of Los Angeles to turn it into a major harbor, but it wasn’t meant to be. It took many years, but finally, after lots of negotiation, money, and the building of an offshore breakwater to keep the waves from constantly destroying development, the Marina opened in 1965. It’s said to contain over 6,000 small boats.
Marina del Rey is considered more of an adult community, as less than 7% of the community is under the age of 18, and therefore there are no schools here. But it doesn’t matter because Marina del Rey is within walking distance of schools, shopping, restaurants and entertainment. However, if you want to visit and stay in luxury, the Ritz Carlton is located here as well.
Even though it’s a small community, there’s plenty to do other than going to the beach. There's Fisherman's Village, a replica of a New England seaport and fishing town, which includes the Los Angeles Beaches Bike trail. There's Burton Chace Park, a 10-acre park that juts out into the Marina's main channel and offers many free concerts year round. And there's the Ballona Saltwater & Freshwater Marshes at Playa Vista, a 51-acre habitat to more than 3,000 native trees, 10,000 native shrubs and grasses and more than 73 native bird species. There are also lots of bike trails, which makes both biking and skating a popular thing to do.
And of course there’s the beach, only a little more than half a mile long, but still a wonderful place for families to be. Because of the breakwater, it’s safe to go swimming and kayaking in the area, and of course some people love to fish off the walkways. There are also areas where people can go to watch the boats, and other areas set up for picnics and outdoor gatherings.
There aren’t that many celebrities who live in, or have lived in, the area. One who has is Martin Sheen, who recently put up one of his townhomes for around $675,000. This shows that, even with all the celebrities who may come to town for the shopping or visits to the beach, housing is relatively affordable compared to many areas of Los Angeles. Most of the residents live in high rise apartments and condos, which includes Azzurra, one of the most exclusive condominium communities in the Los Angeles area. The range for living in the area can go from around $250,000 up to just over a million.