Venice Communities

VENICE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Originally a seaside resort area, Venice CA real estate beckons Venice home buyers looking for an active lifestyle and a salient culture. Venice CA homes lining pedestrian-only streets add to the ambiance of this area once known as Venice of America.

History

In 1905, Venice was founded by a tobacco millionaire and developer named Abbot Kinney. The south end was marshland and Kinney excavated canals to develop a residential area. He also constructed a pier designed to emulate Venetian architecture, and populated it with arcades, dancing halls and eateries. Tours were conducted from miniature railroads and gondolas.

The town became part of the city of Los Angeles in 1926. The poets, artists and musicians of the beatnik era converged in Venice during the 1950s and early 1960s. Rock legends followed. The Doors band was formed in Venice in 1965. During the 1980s and 1990s, street performers made their mark on the town; jugglers, acrobats and comics. To this day, many creative types look for homes for sale in Venice. Famous residents have included sculptor Robert Graham and his wife, actress Angelica Huston.

Attractions and activities

Canals, beaches and a promenade alongside the Pacific Ocean are choice attractions for owners of Venice properties as well as tourists. The Venice Beach boardwalk is world-renowned. Vendors and eclectic street performers, including fortune tellers and snake charmers, transform this one-and-a-half-mile boardwalk into a stage of convivial entertainment. Lining the boardwalk are shops, arts and crafts vendors, restaurants and juice bars.

Parks and recreation

Within close proximity to Venice CA homes is Venice Fishing Pier, Venice Beach and Muscle Beach. Activities include basketball, handball, paddle tennis, skate dancing, biking and surfing. Venice real estate owners flock to the weekly Farmers Market on Venice Boulevard for fresh produce. Dog lovers escort their pets to the Westminster Off-Leash Dog Park.

Events

Enterprises along Abbot Kinney Boulevard include stores, restaurants, bars and art galleries. An Abbot Kinney Festival is held every year. The Venice Arts Annual Gala includes a silent auction, caricature artists, wine and jazz. The Venice Art Crawl is an ongoing event that promotes the arts so deeply entrenched in this town’s culture.

Venice Realtors may assign some credit for the rising value of real estate in Venice to Google, Inc. The company opened an office in Venice in 2011, staffed with engineering and marketing teams. Venice homes for sale also attract members of the arts and a bohemian crowd. Both buyers and sellers gain from a Venice real estate agent who has an appreciation for the diversity that makes this town so notable and dynamic.

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