Life on Palos Verdes Peninsula, plus PVP High School? (house, private schools)

[bmh10]

Originally Posted by smokingGun

I've got a couple professional friends who're considering PV because of the relaxed suburban beach vibe similar to Malibu without the glitz & constant name-dropping that you find on the Westside. Actually the commute to downtown isn't all that bad, about the same as from Santa Monica. One thing I've heard (whether true or not) is many of the elite denizens of PV Estates & Rolling Hills send their kids to private schools like Chadwick because public high schools tend to have an overabundance of hypercompetitive Asian kids lol

I'm really curious about the commute to downtown from PVE as I am thinking of moving there with my family in the next 12 months. Seems like you have some good info. I live in Santa Monica right now and I would say on average it is 30-40 mins...worst is maybe 50 mins and only a few times a year does it reach an hour.

I have 2 young kids so worry about a 1.5 hour commute each way. I could likely do a commute where I leave PVE before 6am and then leave for home at 5pm. Any thoughts on just how much of a commute this would be?

[UCLAOcean]

I am also interested in hearing some more pros/cons of living in PV. I have liked all I have heard so far.

A few questions:
- Is there a fire vulnerability problem in PV, some parts of SoCal are especially prone, not sure if PV is one of them.
- Are there any hospitals nearby?
- Is the area rule/regulation heavy for homeowners? I have heard comments about serious restrictions on how your house can look/how you can upgrade it, for example - rules about the height of a backyard fence height for example, or adding an extra room to your house?
- Anyone know about any working restrictions within the home - could a psychologist, for example, see patients within their own house (which is pretty common)?
- Interested to hear more about the people that live in PV - are there a lot of surfer types of snobby types?
- Aside from traffic to leave the area, how about traffic to get around within the area - a lot of traffic? For example to and from school?
- How far must one drive to get to the nearest major super market (if there is not one within PV)?

Thanks!

[BRinSM]

fire is definitely an issue on the peninsula. in fact, there was a pretty large fire in PV a few years back. as for super markets, they exist. there are a few grocery stores and even a TJ's on the hill. everything else can be found in nearby torrance. traffic on the peninsula itself is pretty light, the issue is the distance to the freeways (110 or 405). the people seem pretty down to earth IMHO, however, i would say it's more of a snobby vibe as opposed to a surfer vibe. because PV is more recently developed, i don't think it was ever anything other an affluent community (which isn't the case for all socal beach communities) except for the sections adjacent to the port. i think nearby torrance still holds some of its old school middle-class, surfer roots, but the same can't be said for PV.

[smokingGun]

The main traffic complaint I've heard from friends seems to be the jam getting to the freeway. It can be a slow crawl at the peak of rush hour.

As far as remodeling restrictions/CC&R's, you probably need to ask a local realtor since neighborhoods in PV are varied like Lunada Bay or PVE. And check with an agent about local restrictions on having clients visit. I know that one of my bosses up in the hills of Brentwood shot off a nasty email to her next door neighbor who's a personal trainer.

[UCLAOcean]

Originally Posted by UCLAOcean

I am also interested in hearing some more pros/cons of living in PV. I have liked all I have heard so far.

A few questions:
- Is there a fire vulnerability problem in PV, some parts of SoCal are especially prone, not sure if PV is one of them.
- Are there any hospitals nearby?
- Is the area rule/regulation heavy for homeowners? I have heard comments about serious restrictions on how your house can look/how you can upgrade it, for example - rules about the height of a backyard fence height for example, or adding an extra room to your house?
- Anyone know about any working restrictions within the home - could a psychologist, for example, see patients within their own house (which is pretty common)?
- Interested to hear more about the people that live in PV - are there a lot of surfer types of snobby types?
- Aside from traffic to leave the area, how about traffic to get around within the area - a lot of traffic? For example to and from school?
- How far must one drive to get to the nearest major super market (if there is not one within PV)?

Thanks!

Thanks for these great responses. Any more on the pros/cons?

[banandy]

I grew up in PV - went to Peninsula High. Public schools are excellent and can be very competitive. My graduating class had three people who scored a perfect 1600. One of them was later selected as one of only two students to meet President Clinton for some award (she was the west coast student).

As with most of the south bay, there are lots of engineers who settle down here with their families. There isn't too much snobbery, but there definitely are extremely high net worth people in the area.

One pro I've always heard, but not entirely sure about is that the area lies on bedrock and so is less susceptible to damage caused by earthquakes - again, never really fact checked this sentiment.

For those who love horses and horse trails, there are certain areas that can't be beat. Also, there is often a morning fog in PV...this and the separation from the freeways makes living here really feel like another world.

[banandy]

Originally Posted by UCLAOcean

- How far must one drive to get to the nearest major super market (if there is not one within PV)?

Thanks!

Not more than 5 minutes - there are at least three major supermarkets I can think of...all evenly spaced along Hawthorne blvd which runs through most of the peninsula. I wouldn't really say there is a fire hazard in PV, btw...

[cb2008]

we are retired and moving from the east coast to be near family who live in manhattan beach. while it is pretty i find it bit stressful and am really attracted to the palos verdes area. there are several rentals available - 3 bed 2 bath house which is perfect for us. this way we are still near family. would 30 mts drive be a good guess?

i am confused by this reference to "coming down the hill." is all of the area hill? how steep is this and why does it sound like a negative.

is there a community where i can volunteer, a reading group, writing group? does the city provide lectures, classes, trips? is there a community pool?

what is travelling to pedro like is one wants to shop or go out to eat? are there ethnic places and food shops, like indian food?

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by cb2008

we are retired and moving from the east coast to be near family who live in manhattan beach. while it is pretty i find it bit stressful and am really attracted to the palos verdes area. there are several rentals available - 3 bed 2 bath house which is perfect for us. this way we are still near family. would 30 mts drive be a good guess?

30 minutes is probably more or less reasonable. Might be a little more depending how far back on some of those winding drives you are. Or if you're driving at rush hour, since MB can sometimes get congested. Most of the drive will be getting off the hill.

Originally Posted by cb2008

i am confused by this reference to "coming down the hill." is all of the area hill? how steep is this and why does it sound like a negative.

Yes, all of the area is on a hill. Some of the roads are pretty steep. Once you get up the hill, some of the roads flatten out but there are still little hills and valleys to contend with. Very scenic, but because of the many winding roads on the hill, it can take a while to get anywhere.

Is this a positive or a negative? Depends on how much you'd like to be connected with the rest of the south bay, how much you like scenery, and also how much you like to drive. If you like a quiet atmosphere and scenery, you will love living on the hill. If you love hiking or horseback riding, you'll love the hill. If you want to do things in the beach cities every night you may find driving back and forth to the hill a real PITA.

Originally Posted by cb2008

is there a community where i can volunteer, a reading group, writing group? does the city provide lectures, classes, trips? is there a community pool?

I don't know the answer to all of these, but the Palos Verdes Art Center is very popular and has many programs. Many people love volunteering there. The library is also pretty good. Rolling Hills Covenant Church has lots of programs and volunteer opportunities. There are many retirees on Palos Verdes, so as long as you don't mind being apart from the more lively beach scene I think it's a great place to retire.

Originally Posted by cb2008

what is travelling to pedro like is one wants to shop or go out to eat? are there ethnic places and food shops, like indian food?

Much will depend on which side of the hill you choose. It's a fairly big hill. My guess is you'll want to live on the side closer to Manhattan Beach. So you'd probably go to ethnic restaurants in Torrance, Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan. If you live on the southern San Pedro side you'll do more things in SP. When I lived there I didn't do much in San Pedro, but I regularly went to Torrancece, Redondo, etc. San Pedro just didn't seem as fun or as clean, or as safe, or as appealing as the towns on the north of PV. Not that San Pedro is a terrible place--but I give Manhattan Beach restaurants in general a B+ or A-, and most SP restaurants I'd give a B-.

I know it's hard to tell just by looking at a map, but in general if you are north of Crenshaw Blvd you will probably feel more connected with the northern beach cities.

[Caladium]

One other thing you need to know about PV, if it hasn't already been mentioned, is most of the residents are very wealthy. It's a relaxed group of wealthy people--you'll see more people in jeans and out gardening than going to black tie affairs. And not everyone is super rich; there are also some middle class neighborhoods, especially among the retirees, many of whom bought little ranch houses on the hill back when it was the sort of place the Brady Bunch family would have lived in. In other words, before the billionaires discovered it. Still, if you want to get involved in social groups be aware that most of the other people you'll meet in those groups will have $$$.