Malibu, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Image:Malibu pier.JPG Image:HALLOWEENDAWN CA18.jpg Image:Malibupacificcoasthighway.jpg

Image:Paradise cove.JPG Malibu is a city located in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 12,575.

The City of Malibu is a 27-mile strip of Pacific coastline; 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 (California State 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.

Popular Malibu bumper stickers include, "Malibu: A Way of Life", "Where the mountains meet the sea", "27 miles of scenic beauty", or "Malibu - life is too short to live it elsewhere".

90265 is an actual ZIP code in Malibu. Although most of 90265 actually lies outside incorporated area of the city, the U.S. Postal Service considers all addresses in that ZIP code to be Malibu addresses. Real estate agents designate these adjoining areas "Malibu Post Office".

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Education
5 Politics
6 In the media
7 Famous residents
8 External links

[edit] History

Malibu was a part of the territory of the Chumash Nation of Native Americans. They named it "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. The 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 Hastings 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 an offshorefreeway, a nuclear power plant, and several sewerline plans. Actor Martin Sheen was named honorary mayor in 1989.[1]

[edit] Geography

Image:CAMap-doton-Malibu.pngMalibu is located at 34°1′50″N, 118°46′43″W (34.030450, -118.778612)^GR1.

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 topography and geography placed it at the mercy of numerous natural and man made disasters, namely floods, fires, and mudslides. Steep slopes and Mediterranean-type vegetation located in an area of high rainfall rates (100-200 mms per 24hrs) creates a high potential for slides and flooding. Poor grading practices and over irrigation of landscapes often exacerbates the tendency for landslides.

A common and deeply-ingrained misconception amongst Californians is that their coastline is uniformly north-south. Around Malibu (and Santa Barbara) the coastline runs almost entirely east-west, as does its main artery, Pacific Coast Highway. While travelling northbound on the PCH through Malibu one is actually travelling west. Likewise, the Pacific Ocean is due south and the inland Santa Monica Mountains are north. Malibu residents often feed into this misconception by referring to areas near the Ventura County line as "North Malibu" and areas near Santa Monica as "South Malibu," even though they are on virtually the same latitude.

Carbon Beach, Surfrider Beach, Broad Beach, Pirate's Cove, Westward Beach, 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 the 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). However, property in this area is some of the most expensive in the United States, and is subject to stringent development limitations imposed by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Coastal Commission and the City of Malibu.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 12,575 people, 5,137 households, and 3,164 families residing in the city. The population density was 244.4/km² (632.9/mi²). There were 6,126 housing units at an average density of 119.0/km² (308.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.48% of the population.

There were 5,137 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $102,031, and the median income for a family was $123,293. Males had a median income of $100,000+ versus $46,919 for females. The per capita income for the city was $74,336. About 3.2% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

Malibu High School provides secondary public education. Pepperdine University, an independent college affiliated with the Church of Christ, is located in the heart of Malibu. It has its own ZIP code of 90263. [2] The community of Malibu is also served by Santa Monica College, a community college in the neighboring city of Santa Monica.

[edit] Politics

Malibu is a liberal city, like much of Los Angeles County. John Kerry won 60% of the vote in Malibu in 2004, compared to 39% for George W. Bush. Ironically, Pepperdine University, in Malibu, is considered to be one of the most conservative colleges in the Western United States.

[edit] In the media

Malibu has been used as a location for countless films and television programs. It is the home of Charlie Harper, his brother and nephew of the popular television series Two and a Half Men. It was home to Gidget, and surfing movies of the 1960s. Important scenes in the Planet of the Apes series were filmed at Point Dume. The hero's trailer in The Rockford Files was parked by Malibu Pier. Love American Style and the Mod Squad are among many TV series and commercials filmed in Paradise Cove. In the 1990s and 2000s it was the setting for MTV Beach House, Malibu's Most Wanted, the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana, and Nickelodeon's Zoey 101. In the Cohen Brothers 1998 motion picture The Big Lebowski, the fictional chief of police describes it thus: "We've got a nice, quiet beach community here, and I aim to keep it nice and quiet."

In 2006, Bravo television aired Million Dollar Listing, a real-estate related show based on million dollar listings in Malibu, as well as Hollywood, including real-life Malibu agents such as Chris Cortazzo, Scotty Brown, Madison Hildebrand, and Lydia Simon. [3]

Many products have been named for Malibu or its neighborhoods, none of which are made in the city or environs: Chevrolet Malibu, Malibu Barbie, Piper Malibu, Malibu Grand Prix, and Malibu Rum.

Courtney Love wrote a song entitled Malibu, which was a single included in Hole's third album Celebrity Skin.

Also, Cat Stevens had his famous near-death experience there in 1976 when he nearly drowned while he was swimming. The accident led him to embrace Islam in 1977.