Welcome to Santa Monica!
Anchoring the Westside of Los Angeles County, Santa Monica is a beachfront city popular with tourists for its expansive beach and its famous pier, which are among the most popular coastal attractions in Southern California. Within the city, visitors will find a number of urban shopping districts and plenty of restaurants and nightlife.
Santa Monica (Spanish for Saint Monica) is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is bordered on five sides by different neighborhoods of the city of Los Angeles: Pacific Palisades to the north, Brentwood on the northeast, West Los Angeles on the east, Mar Vista on the southeast, and Venice on the south. The 2010 U.S. Census population of Santa Monica was 89,736. Due to its favorable climate and proximity to Los Angeles, Santa Monica became a famed resort town by the early 20th century, attracting celebrities such as Marion Davies to build magnificent beachfront homes on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).
The city has experienced a boom since the late 1980s, through the revitalization of its downtown core, significant job growth, and increased tourism. Popular tourists sites include Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier and Palisades Park atop a bluff over the Pacific Ocean.
As in other coastal beach communities, coastal erosion, due to coastal infrastructure and high human usage, is an increasing challenge and will become worse due to sea level rise. Santa Monica has a history of developing environmental and sustainability strategies, with the most recent focus on community-wide carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner.