Mar Vista, Los Angeles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mar Vista
Neighborhood of Los Angeles
Mar Vista signage located at the intersection of Rose Avenue & Walgrove
Mar Vista Location in Western Los Angeles
Country	United States of America
State	California
County	Los Angeles
Time zone	Pacific
Zip Code	90066
Area code(s)	310

Mar Vista is a cool neighborhood located on the Westside of Los Angeles, California. It became part of Los Angeles in 1927. In 2006, it was officially named a city neighborhood.

History of Mar Vista

Mar Vista was first known as Ocean Park Heights from 1904 to 1924. It grew around a train line, the Venice Short Line, which was built in 1902. This train line connected downtown Los Angeles to Venice Beach and is now Venice Boulevard.

"MAR VISTA" - "Mar Vista stands at the intersection of two important traffic arteries; Venice and Grandview boulevards. An original sign, bearing the name of the community, is suspended above the roads at this point. Thousands of motorists and passengers in the P.E. cars have become familiar with the community building that is proceeding there, through this sign." (Venice Evening Vanguard, June 22, 1926)

In 1927, Mar Vista officially joined Los Angeles. The neighborhood grew a lot from the 1950s to the 1970s. Many single-family homes were built, especially north of Venice Boulevard. You can still see many cool mid-century modern houses on streets like Beethoven, Meier, and Moore. These homes were once simple and affordable. But as the area around Mar Vista became more popular, property values went way up. By 2020, even older homes that needed to be torn down were selling for over $1 million!

In 2006, the city put up signs to officially mark Mar Vista as a neighborhood. The area south of Venice Boulevard has more apartment buildings. This part of Mar Vista is home to many dingbat apartment buildings. These buildings are often protected by rent laws, which helps many people stay in their homes even as prices rise.

Historic Areas in Mar Vista

• Mar Vista Oval District - This area was planned around 1912. It was called Palm Place and was located north of Washington Boulevard.
• Mormon Hill

Geography of Mar Vista

Century-old Canary Island palms of the Mar Vista Oval District

City of Los Angeles Boundaries

On February 21, 2006, the Los Angeles City Council officially set the borders for Mar Vista. These borders are:

• The Santa Monica city line between I-10 and Walgrove Avenue.
• Walgrove Avenue between the Santa Monica city line and the Culver City border.
• The Culver City border between Walgrove Avenue and I-405.
• I-405 between the Culver City border and I-10.
• I-10 between the Santa Monica city line and I-405.

Signs were put up at several places to show where Mar Vista is. These include:

• Venice Boulevard at Beethoven Street
• Venice Boulevard at Sawtelle Boulevard
• Centinela Avenue at Mitchell Avenue
• Rose Avenue at Walgrove Avenue
• Barrington Avenue at National Boulevard
• Centinela Avenue at Airport Avenue

Some schools, like Venice High, Mark Twain Junior High, Walgrove Elementary, and Beethoven Elementary, are in an area that serves both the Venice and Mar Vista communities. The official city map (ZIMAS) shows Venice High School as part of Venice, not Mar Vista.

Mapping L.A. Project Boundaries

The Los Angeles Times has a project called Mapping L.A.. According to them, Mar Vista's borders are:

• The San Diego Freeway to the Culver City boundary at Venice Boulevard (northeast).
• The Culver City line (southeast).
• Walgrove Avenue (southwest).
• The Santa Monica city boundary (northwest).

The northernmost point of Mar Vista is at the San Diego Freeway and National Boulevard. The southernmost point is at Washington Boulevard and Tivoli Avenue. The Zip Codes for Mar Vista are 90066 and 90034.

Mar Vista is next to Palms (northeast), Culver City (east, southeast, south), Venice (west), and Santa Monica (northwest).

Climate in Mar Vista

People of Mar Vista

Population and Diversity

In 2000, about 35,492 people lived in Mar Vista. The neighborhood is about 2.9 square miles. This means there were about 12,259 people per square mile, which is typical for Los Angeles. By 2008, the city estimated the population grew to 37,447. The average age of residents was 35.

Mar Vista is a very diverse place. In 2000, the population was:

• White: 51.3%
• Latino: 29.1%
• Asian: 12.8%
• Black: 3.5%
• Other: 3.4%

Many residents were born outside the United States (33.5%). The most common birthplaces were Mexico (36%) and Korea (6%).

Education and Income

In 2000, 42% of Mar Vista residents aged 25 and older had a four-year college degree. This is a high number for both the city and the county. Many also had a bachelor's degree or a master's degree.

In 2008, the average yearly household income was $62,611. This is about average for Los Angeles. The average household had 2.3 people. About 60.6% of homes were rented, and 39.4% were owned by the people living there.

Services in Mar Vista

Emergency Services

• The Los Angeles Fire Department has Station 62, which helps Mar Vista and parts of Venice.
• The Los Angeles Police Department has its Pacific Division Police Station serving the neighborhood.

Community Council

The Mar Vista Community Council is a group that helps the neighborhood. It is approved by the city. This council also helps other small areas like Hilltop, Westdale, and North Westdale.

Transportation

Mar Vista has a new shared-ride service called LAnow. It started in May 2019. You can book a ride using a smartphone app, online, or by phone. The shuttle pick-up and drop-off points are always close by, usually within a quarter-mile.

Public Libraries

The neighborhood is served by the Los Angeles Public Library system. There is one branch in Mar Vista:

• Mar Vista branch - located at 12006 Venice Boulevard, Mar Vista

Education in Mar Vista

Venice High School

Here are some of the schools in Mar Vista:

• Mar Vista Elementary School, LAUSD, 3330 Granville Avenue
• Walgrove Avenue Elementary School, LAUSD, 1630 Walgrove Avenue
• Beethoven Street Elementary School, LAUSD, 3711 Beethoven Street
• Mark Twain Middle School, LAUSD, 2224 Walgrove Avenue
• James J. McBride Special Education Center, LAUSD, 3960 Centinela Avenue
• Venice Senior High School, LAUSD, 13000 Venice Boulevard. This school started in 1910. Classes were first held in an old bathhouse near the beach. Ten years later, it moved to its current building.
• Venice Community Adult School, LAUSD, 13000 Venice Boulevard
• Phoenix Continuation School, LAUSD, 12971 Zanja Street
• Grand View Boulevard Elementary in School, LAUSD

• 

  Mar Vista Elementary School

• 

  Walgrove Avenue School

• 

  Mark Twain Middle School

Since 2014, parents in Mar Vista can send their children to schools in the Wiseburn School District through special transfers.

Parks and Recreation

Mar Vista Recreation Center

The Mar Vista Recreation Center is a great place for fun! It has:

• An auditorium
• Barbecue pits
• A baseball diamond (not lit)
• Indoor basketball courts (lit)
• Outdoor basketball courts (lit)
• A children's play area
• An indoor gym (no weights)
• An outdoor roller hockey rink
• An outdoor AstroTurf soccer field
• Picnic tables
• A tennis court (lit)
• An outdoor pool
• A volleyball court (lit)

Famous People From Mar Vista

Many interesting people have lived in Mar Vista, including:

• Fatty Arbuckle - an actor
• William Basinski - a composer known for his unique music
• Lloyd Bridges - an actor
• Neil Denari - an Architect
• Jimmy Fallon - the host of the Tonight show
• John Frusciante - a musician
• Kesha - a Singer and Songwriter
• Belita Moreno - an Actress, who played Benita Lopez on the George Lopez show
• Jennifer Steinkamp - an Installation artist
• Tim Considine - a former Disney, TV, and film actor, and a famous racing author