Playa del Rey
Playa del Rey is a small oceanside community incorporated into the city of Los Angeles. It borders the Pacific Ocean, Marina del Rey to the north, Westchester to the east, and El Segundo to the south.
Playa del Rey’s history isn’t as glamorous as the history of many other communities in the Los Angeles area. Built on wetlands and protected by a concrete channel, there have been many attempts to turn it into the same type of community as either Venice or Marina del Rey, only to have those attempts thwarted by either natural disasters or city intervention of some sort. Most of the area is inaccessible to driving, although it’s small enough that most people don’t have a need to drive anywhere except to leave and come into the area.
Playa del Rey’s beach is its best feature. It’s as beautiful as other beaches in the area, but seems to be a bit more secluded more subdued than its neighbors. Because of some rocky cliffs, rolling hills, sand dunes and being slightly above sea level, it offers a slight bit of coolness to the area when it’s really hot. The beach does have dangers that other beaches don’t have, though. One danger for beachgoers is the uncontrolled water runoff from Ballona Creek, and the occasional overflow from the Hyperion treatment plant.
The biggest problem in the community, though, is Los Angeles Airport. Because of eminent domain, more than 4,400 homes were destroyed so it could be expanded, which displaced many people to other areas of Los Angeles. Still, many residents are loyal to the community, and see it as their own paradise. There are restaurants in the area, but no local attractions to speak of. The closest thing to an attraction are some of the nature preserves, as there’s an area of Playa del Rey that’s considered a protected habitat of the endangered El Segundo blue butterfly. Still, it’s proximity to many places in Los Angeles, including Marina del Rey and Venice, gives residents many things to do.
Homes in the Playa del Rey area have a large range of prices, depending on which area one lives in. Residences close to the airport cost quite a bit less, and many people can find homes as low as $150,000. At the other end of the spectrum, homes can cost as much as $2.5 million dollars nearer the beach. The three most prominent celebrities to either have homes or lived in the area are Mena Suvari, the late Donda West, and present Los Angeles Lakers basketball coach Phil Jackson.