Taking a detour to RPV

I've spent a fair amount of time singing the praises of the original Palos Verdes Project, a great deal of which was realized in the city of Palos Verdes Estates.  Its larger, more populous neighbor, Rancho Palos Verdes, didn't enjoy quite the same development path as its smaller sibling.  Much of the land that was part of the original 16,000 acre Palos Verdes Project was sold off to other developers and builders.  A lion's share of that land, nearly 8,750 acres, became the city of Rancho Palos Verdes, incorporated in 1973.

RPV, as it is more commonly known, is the largest city on the Peninsula by both land and population.  In fact, the population of RPV is greater than the sum of the populations of PVE, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates  combined (the "90274") - by a factor of two!  It also has its own zipcode - 90275 - one of the two zipcodes of the Peninsula.  Unlike other Peninsula communities, RPV is very much a large collection of smaller neighborhoods and developments.  Some are charming, like the Miraleste section to the southeast or the Portuguese Bend area on the coast, and others are less so, resembling the large, ranch-style tracts of the 1960s and 1970s that are found on the much less exclusive grounds of Torrance, Gardena, Lawndale and other parts of the South Bay.

Grandview Estates, RPV

 (Source: Bing Maps)

Portuguese Bend, RPV

(Source: Bing Maps)


RPV is home to some of the more expensive homes on the Peninsula, as well as the cheapest homes, including a large number of condominiums and townhomes.  It is also home to the only public 18-hole golf courses on the Peninsula (and Beach Cities): Los Verdes and Trump National (the only two other courses are private - the Palos Verdes Country Club in PVE, and the Rolling Hills Country Club in RHE).  The Terranea Resort is also located in RPV (and includes a 9-hole golf course).  RPV borders Palos Verdes Estates to the north, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates to the east, and the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles to the south.

 (Source: Bing Maps)

The contrast between RPV and other neighboring towns can be quite pronounced in certain areas - take for example, the distinct difference in street layout and overall feel between the upper Lunada Bay area of PVE on the left and the abutting neighborhood of RPV on the right.

 (Source: Bing Maps)

All that said, I'm a fan of a number of the areas of RPV (although I think my heart is in PVE).