| Marina del Rey, California | |
|---|---|
| — CDP — | |
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| Coordinates: 33°58′46″N 118°27′10″W / 33.97944°N 118.45278°WCoordinates: 33°58′46″N 118°27′10″W / 33.97944°N 118.45278°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Los Angeles |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.5 sq mi (3.8 km2) |
| - Land | 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2) |
| - Water | 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2) |
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 8,176 |
| - Density | 9,289.5/sq mi (3,586.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 90291, 90292, 90295 |
| Area code(s) | 310, 424 |
| FIPS code | 06-45806 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1852255 |
Marina del Rey is a seaside unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, California. Its population at the 2000 U.S. Census was 8,176. Its Fisherman's Village offers a view of Marina del Rey's dominant feature as one of the largest man-made small boat harbors in the U.S., with 19 marinas with capacity for 5,300 boats. The harbor, the Los Angeles Times said in 1997, is "perhaps the county's most valuable resource."[1]
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Marina del Rey is southeast of Venice and north of Playa del Rey near the mouth of the Ballona Creek. It is located four miles (6 km) north of Los Angeles International Airport.
It is bounded on all sides by the City of Los Angeles. The beach-style homes, the strip of land against the beach, and the beach itself (see photo), west of the harbor, are within the City of Los Angeles limits, with a Marina del Rey address. The name of this strip is the Marina Peninsula. Via Dolce and the southern portion of Via Marina are the boundaries between L.A. City and the unincorporated area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Marina del Rey has an area of 1.5 mi² (3.8 km²). Nine-tenths of a square mile (2.3 km²) is land and 0.6 square mile (1.5 km²) is water (40.14%).
The marina itself, a specially designed harbor with moorings for pleasure craft and small boats, is surrounded by high-rise condos, hotels, apartments, shops, and restaurants. The area also includes the University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which regulates the Internet's address and domain name systems.
The community is served by the three-mile-long Marina Freeway (State Route 90), which links Marina del Rey directly to Interstate 405 and nearby Culver City.
Marina del Rey is in area codes 310 and 424. Its ZIP code is 90292.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 8,176 people, 5,315 households, and 1,520 families residing in the Census Designated Place (CDP). The population density was 3,587.2/km² (9,289.5/mi²). There were 6,321 housing units at an average density of 7,181.8/mi² (2,773.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.46% White, 4.68% African American, 0.16% Native American, 8.21% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.34% of the population.
There were 5,315 households out of which 6.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.7% were married couples living together, 3.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 71.4% were non-families. 57.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.54 and the average family size was 2.31.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 6.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 50.4% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 108.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $68,447, and the median income for a family was $84,390. Males had a median income of $66,928 versus $51,854 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $58,530. About 6.5% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
In 2009, the Los Angeles Times's "Mapping L.A." project supplied these "Del Rey" neighborhood statistics (reflecting that part of the larger Marina Del Rey neighborhood within the Los Angeles city limits): population: 29,895; median household income: $63,317.[3]
Marina del Rey is governed and serviced by the County of Los Angeles and rests under the management of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors. All of the area's lands and waters are owned by the County of Los Angeles and are leased to private leaseholders on long-term agreements.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the Marina del Rey Station in Marina del Rey.[4]
Residents are represented by their local elected Supervisor to the Fourth District of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, represented by Don Knabe. In the State legislature Marina del Rey is located in the 28th Senate District, represented by Democrat Jenny Oropeza, and, in the 53rd Assembly District, represented by Democrat Ted Lieu. Federally, Marina del Rey is located in California's 36th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +11[5] and is represented by Democrat Jane Harman.
Businesses in the area are represented by the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce and the Venice Chamber of Commerce.[citation needed] ICANN has its headquarters in Marina del Rey.[6]
Prior to its development as a small craft harbor, the land occupied by Marina del Rey was a salt-marsh fed by freshwater from the Ballona Creek, frequented by duck hunters and few others. Burton W. Chase, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, referred to the area as mud flats, though today the area would more properly be referred to as wetlands.
In the mid-1800s, M.C. Wicks thought of turning this Playa del Rey estuary into a commercial port. He formed the Ballona Development Company in 1888 to develop the area, but three years later the company went bankrupt.
In 1916, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revisited the idea of a commercial harbor, but declared it economically impractical. In 1936 the U.S. Congress ordered a re-evaluation of that determination and the Army Corps of Engineers returned with a more favorable determination, however the Marina del Rey harbor concept lost out to San Pedro as a commercial harbor and development funding went to the Port of Los Angeles instead.
In 1953, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors authorized a $2-million loan to fund construction of the marina. Since the loan only covered about half the cost, the U.S. Congress passed and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Public Law 780 making construction possible. Ground breaking began shortly after.
With construction almost complete, the marina was put in danger in 1962-1963 due to a winter storm. The storm caused millions of dollars in damage to both the marina and the few small boats anchored there. A plan was put into effect to build a break-water at the mouth of the marina, and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors appropriated $2.1 million to build it. On April 10, 1965 Marina del Rey was formally dedicated. The total cost of the marina was $36.25 million for land, construction, initial operation.
The Marina Expressway, California state route 90, terminates in northeastern Marina del Rey and links the CDP with Culver City. A water shuttle service, WaterBus, is operated between several points throughout the harbor and offers service for $1 per person.
Traveling on SR-90, approaching the end of the Marina Expy., this is how the street layout appears:
The Marina Expy. terminates and flows into SR-1, marked additionally as Lincoln Bl. Traveling north on SR-1/Lincoln Bl., the first junction reached is that of Maxella Avenue, a major east-west thoroughfare. Traveling south on SR-1/Lincoln Bl., the first junction reached off the Expressway is that of Bali Way, which connects to Admiralty Way, which encircles the Northern Marina as a whole. Admiralty Way terminates at Via Marina on its western end. Most major businesses and buildings in the Marina are situated along Admiralty Way, which is, in some ways, the Marina's Main Street.
As part of the man made design of the boat harbor, there were seven basins built and there are 7 respective jetouts from those basins, each of which has at least one street. From the northeastern end of the Marina, going clockwise, these streets are: Bali Way, Mindinao Way (terminates at Burton Chace Park), Bora Bora Way, Tahiti Way, Marquesas Way, Panay Way, and Palawan Way. Panay Way, Marquesas Way, Tahiti Way, and Bora Bora Way are all on the western side of the Marina and all terminate at Via Marina. Palawan Way is also on the west side, but it terminates at Washington Bl.
As for Washington, this major thoroughfare is present in the northwestern Marina, and then heads into Venice, where it intersects with SR-1/Lincoln Bl.. Washington Blvd. marks the northern terminus of Palawan Way and Via Marina.
Fire protection in Marina del Rey is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The LACFD operates Station #110 at 4433 Admiralty Way as a part of Battalion 1.[7] Public safety services within Marina del Rey are provided by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.[citation needed] The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services SPA 5 West Area Health Office serves Marina del Rey.[8]
There are no schools located within Marina del Rey; the community is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The area is within Board District 4.[9] As of 2009 Steve Zimmer represents the district.[10] Its students are within the attendance areas of Coeur d'Alene Avenue Elementary School, Marina del Rey Middle School, and Venice High School.
County of Los Angeles Public Library operates the Lloyd Taber-Marina del Rey Library. The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors opened the library, then known as the Marina del Rey Library, in 1976 to serve clientele of the marina. In 1999 the Marina Foundation, the County of Los Angeles Public Library, and the County Board of Supervisors had the Greg and Mimi Wenger Community Room added to the library. The library was renamed after Lloyd Taber, the main donor to the project. The library has a nautical collection to serve small boaters in the area.[11]
Marina del Rey [1] is a seaside town on the West Side of Los Angeles. Marina del Rey is the largest constructed small yacht harbor in the world, with room for over 7000 boats. It's less than four miles from LAX, walking distance to Venice Beach, and less than 10 minutes to Santa Monica. Tropical street names like BoraBora, Bali and Fiji Way reflect the community's casual feel.
Marina del Rey, like much of the City of Angels, has a rich and colorful history -- it's just not all that old. The harbor at the heart of the community of Marina del Rey is an example of a successful Army Corps of Engineers project; funded and planned cooperatively by the Federal government, Los Angeles County and private developers, it is the largest man-made marina in the United States with over 5,300 small-boat slips.
The ancient Gabrieleno Indians were likely the region's first residents, living along the bluffs above the ocean, the neighborhood's first fishermen and hunters. Eventually they shared the land and sea, the good duck hunting and fishing, with the Spanish and then first Angelenos. Marina del Rey, much to the relief of current locals, lost several bids to become Southern California's main port and shipping harbor.
Until the 1950s, early automotive races were held here, running from Playa del Rey to Venice along a roadway on the Marina peninsula now appropriately known as Speedway. Beneath the race tracks and marshes it turned out there was black gold and plenty of it. Beginning in the early 1930s, oil rigs came pumping to rhythmic life, dotting the landscape with iron skeletons as far as the camera could see.
In the 1950s, construction began on the current harbor and district of Marina del Rey.
Getting to Marina del Rey from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is easy.
Driving; take Century Blvd. east to Sepulveda Blvd., north. Follow Sepulveda Blvd. to where it merges with Lincoln Blvd., veering left. Take Lincoln to Mindanao, turn left.
Public Bus; take the free LAX Shuttle from any of the terminals to Parking Lot C. Then walk the short distance to the LAX Transit Center. Take the Santa Monica Blue Bus #3 (North) to the corner of Mindanao & Lincoln; fare is currently $ 0.75, exact change needed.
Various Shuttle/Shared Ride Van Services; proceed outside and look for the overhead orange "Shared Ride Van" signs on the outer island and speak with a curbside representative for the current fare.
Taxi Service; there are various companies from the airport. Again, proceed outside the terminal and look for the overhead "TAXI" signs. The fare will run about $20, including the airport service charge.
If you are traveling by train into Union Station, the easiest way, and most cost effective, will be to board a "Flyway Bus" which offers service to LAX every half hour from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., and then every hour between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. for $6 one-way for adults and free for children under age 2. Then continue from LAX to Marina del Rey.
With its compact area and easy layout, traveling around Marina del Rey is a breeze.
During the summer months (weekends, holidays and concert nights), the Marina WaterBus operates between Fisherman's Village, Waterfront Walk, Marina Beach, Chace Park, and several other stops. This water taxi is just a dollar for each boarding and is a convenient way to leave the car in one place and visit several other areas in the Marina. Also during the summer months, there is a free Beach Shuttle bus that runs from Playa Vista (south of the Marina) to Marina del Rey and then to Venice Beach Pier; again leave the car in one place and take this shuttle bus all around the Marina area. Buses run every half hour on Fridays to Sundays starting at 11am and go into the evenings; on the Thursday concert nights they run from 5pm to 10pm.
Public transit is provided by three systems -- MTA #108 takes visitors to Venice Pier; Santa Monica #3 Big Blue Bus takes you to Santa Monica via the Lincoln Blvd. corridor north, or to LAX south, where you can also transfer and take a Metro Line into the Los Angeles downtown area and beyond; and the Culver City Green buses (#2 and #7) to points east such as Foxhills and Culver City proper. In addition, these three public bus systems connect the Marina to all L.A. area attractions.
Most major rental car companies have offices in town. Public parking is plentiful and inexpensive.
Ample taxi and shuttle services will whisk you to and from the airport and L.A. attractions, and several hotels offer complimentary airport transfers. Be sure to ask when you make your hotel reservation.
The Marina del Rey Visitors Center is open daily and can provide additional suggestions for activities 310/ 305-9545.
Biking and skating are popular in Marina del Rey thanks to the flat, well marked bike trails through the Marina. Whether you have a couple of hours or a whole afternoon, the South Bay Beach Bicycle Trail provides over 20 waterfront miles of biking paradise.
If you have just an hour or two, ride along the trails through Marina del Rey. Have more time? Pack a picnic lunch (many of the hotels will gladly help in this area) and ride through the Marina, then head south to Playa del Rey Beach or north to world famous Venice Beach. The bicycle trail extends as far south as Torrance Beach and as far north to Will Roger State Beach in Santa Monica. Along the way there are hourly bike rental locations, restroom facilities, water vending machines and food concessions.
Boating, sports fishing, kayaking and whale watching top the list of aquatic pursuits in Marina del Rey. You'll find an array of rental operations strung along the waterfront with many conveniently located at Fisherman's Village. With nearly 20 Private Charter companies in the Marina del Rey area, they offer everything from bareboat rentals to yacht and sailing charters, corporate teambuilding events to social events and parties, to scattering ashes at sea.
If you're looking for a little sand and sun, try Marina Beach, also known as Mother's Beach for its safe features. This non-ocean facing sandy beach offers 12 acres of a public swimming, windsurfing and non-motored boating lagoon for kayaks and such. Staffed by County lifeguards, the beach has no surf and is a safe and pleasant spot for family outings. This sunny spot features a children's play area, public picnic shelters with barbeques, benches and tables, restaurants and bicycle rentals are nearby. A specially built ramp accommodates wheelchairs, and beach wheelchairs are also available.
Soaking up the sea air and sunshine is a way of life in Marina del Rey. Start with a stroll along Waterfront Walk, beginning at Mother's Beach, to get a feel for the community. Stroll pass waterfront hotels, restaurants, picnic areas, bike rentals and yacht clubs. View the boats, both large and small.
Along Admiralty Way is the Yvonne Brathwaite Burke Park, which features a walking path and an exercise par course area. Every hundred feet or so there are exercize boards to challenge your fitness level.
At then end of Via Marina lies the tiny gem of Aubrey E. Austin Park where the North Jetty Promenade begins. You'll fine a lovely peaceful hideaway to walk along the North Jetty, watch the community sailing regattas at several of the outposts' benches, or to enjoy a picnic. There are several platform areas from which you can fish. Or, go a block north to the Marina Peninsula Neighborhood and follow the walking trail. This interesting coastal residential community is separated from the mainland by Ballona Lagoon, and is an attractive area to explore on foot. Besides the interesting architecture, there are residential gardens to admire and of course, bird watching.
There are several local events that occur yearly and should not be missed. They include:
For more detailed information on these and other events, call or visit the Marina del Rey Visitors center, 310/305-9545.
Marina del Rey offers neighborhood shopping within walking distance from local hotels.
If you're looking for a special treat for your body and soul, look no further than any of a number of day spas in the Marina del Rey area. From skin care, massages, artistic make-up for that special occasion, to yoga classes and health workshops, they are all here.
One of the best things about Marina del Rey is the numerous restaurants and cafes that are clustered around the waterfront. Offering a rich diversity of gourmet cuisine, this could be the one place where eating out at every meal is a joy rather than a chore.
The casual environment of the Marina lends itself to coffee shops and cafes, which can be found in abundance. The normal complement of Starbucks and other chain stores are present, as well as places with more local flavor:
Marina del Rey's most popular restaurants become the city's epicenter for nightlife. Live music, dancing and lively bars spring to life at night.
| Routes through Marina del Rey |
| Santa Monica ← Venice ← | N  S |
→ El Segundo → Long Beach |
| This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow! |
Category: Usable articles
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