
Santa Monica
Homes in Santa Monica
Coastal architectural living by the pier.

Santa Monica
Coastal architectural living by the pier.
Overview
Santa Monica is the Westside's coastal terminus — an incorporated city of beach, bluff, and boulevards where residential architecture meets the Pacific and the civic identity is its own.
Founded in 1875 around a wharf and railroad terminus, Santa Monica grew as a resort town and then a full city, incorporating in 1886. The pier (1909), the Miramar, and the successive densification of downtown Santa Monica have made it a model of urban coastal living.
Residential streets hold craftsman, Spanish Revival, and Mid-Century Modern houses, particularly north of Montana and in the Ocean Park area, with a wave of architect-designed contemporary houses lining the bluffs and walk streets near the beach.
The beach, the Pier, the Third Street Promenade, and the Montana Avenue retail strip define daily life. It is the most self-contained of the coastal cities, with its own schools, governance, and a famously engaged civic culture.