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| Rancho Palos Verdes, California | ||
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| City | ||
| City of Rancho Palos Verdes | ||
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| Nickname(s): RPV | ||
 Location of Rancho Palos Verdes in Los Angeles County, California |
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| Country |  United States of America |
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| State |  California |
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| County |  Los Angeles |
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| Incorporated | September 7, 1973 | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 13.465 sq mi (34.875 km2) | |
| • Land | 13.465 sq mi (34.874 km2) | |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.001 km2) 0% | |
| Elevation | 220 ft (67 m) | |
| Population (April 1, 2010) | ||
| • Total | 41,643 | |
| • Estimate (2013) | 42,448 | |
| • Density | 3,092.68/sq mi (1,194.065/km2) | |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) | |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) | |
| ZIP code | 90275 | |
| Area code(s) | 310/424 | |
| FIPS code | 06-59514 | |
| GNIS feature IDs | 255967, 2411516 | |
| Website | rpvca |
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Rancho Palos Verdes (also known by the abbreviation RPV) is a city in Los Angeles County, California atop the Palos Verdes Hills and bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. An affluent suburb of Los Angeles, it is known for large tracts of open space and expansive views of the Pacific Ocean. Rancho Palos Verdes is translated as "Ranch of Green Sticks", probably referring to the willows in the northeastern part of Bixby Slough (now known as Machado Lake) shown on earlier maps.
The history of Rancho Palos Verdes dates back to the Tongva or Gabrielino Indians, who inhabited the site before the Age of Discovery. Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was credited as the first European to navigate the California Coast in 1542, which included the hills of Rancho Palos Verdes. Rancho de los Palos Verdes was established by a Mexican land grant given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico to Jose Loreto and Juan Capistrano Sepulveda.
The city's most notable geographic features are the Palos Verdes Hills and cliffs, with grand vistas of the Pacific Ocean and of Santa Catalina Island. The city incorporated on September 7, 1973. The population was 41,643 at the 2010 census.
The Point Vicente Interpretive Center is a premier whale-watching site provides spectacular opportunities to view the annual migration of the Pacific gray whale from December through April. The center opened in 1984 with a mission to present and interpret the unique features and history of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The almost 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) expanded Interpretive Center, reopened on July 15, 2006, features exhibits on the natural and cultural history of the peninsula, with a special emphasis on the Pacific gray whale. The Point Vicente Lighthouse, built in 1926, is adjacent to the center and is on the National Register of Historic Places. At another location along the coast, Wayfarers Chapel, designed by Lloyd Wright and built between 1949 and 1951, is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Portuguese Bend landslide, one of the largest continuously moving landslides in North America, is located along the southern coastal area. Together with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy in 2009, the city completed the acquisition of a total of two square miles of open space, the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, the largest preserve of coastal open space north of San Diego and south of Santa Barbara. The site of the former Marineland of the Pacific (1954–87) was redeveloped and is now occupied by the Terranea Resort, which opened in June 2009. The city is also home to Trump National Golf Course, one of eleven in the Trump portfolio of courses. The Salvation Army's School for Officer Training is located in Rancho Palos Verdes.
As with other cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the city has had to find ways to control the population of wild peafowl. Frank A. Vanderlip spearheaded a group that bought 16,000 acres (6,500 ha) and began development of the peninsula. He is credited with introducing the birds here around 1910.
Rancho Palos Verdes is located at 33°45′30″N 118°21′51″W / 33.75833°N 118.36417°W / 33.75833; -118.36417 (33.758216, -118.364256).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.5 square miles (35 km2), virtually all of which is land.
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 36,577 | — | |
| 1990 | 41,659 | 13.9% | |
| 2000 | 41,145 | −1.2% | |
| 2010 | 41,643 | 1.2% | |
| Est. 2015 | 42,732 | 2.6% | |
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The 2010 United States Census reported that Rancho Palos Verdes had a population of 41,643. The population density was 3,092.6 people per square mile (1,194.1/km²). The racial makeup of Rancho Palos Verdes was 25,698 (61.7%) White (56.0% Non-Hispanic White), 1,015 (2.4%) African American, 80 (0.2%) Native American, 12,077 (29.0%) Asian, 41 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 748 (1.8%) from other races, and 1,984 (4.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,556 persons (8.5%).
The census reported that 41,303 people (99.2% of the population) lived in households, 313 (0.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 27 (0.1%) were institutionalized.
There were 15,561 households, of which 5,187 (33.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,465 (67.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,218 (7.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 460 (3.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 304 (2.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships and 85 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,936 households (18.9%) were made up of individuals, and 1,810 (11.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65. There were 12,143 families (78.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.03.
The population was diverse in age terms, with 9,248 people (22.2%) under the age of 18, 2,352 people (5.6%) aged 18 to 24, 7,045 people (16.9%) aged 25 to 44, 13,344 people (32.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 9,654 people (23.2%) aged 65 or older. The median age was 47.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
There were 16,179 housing units, at an average density of 1,201.5 per square mile (463.9/km²), of which 12,485 (80.2%) were owner occupied and 3,076 (19.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%. 33,015 people (79.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 8,288 people (19.9%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Rancho Palos Verdes had a median household income of $118,893, with 4.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
