6 Reasons to Move to Santa Monica, CA

2. Economy

Many notable businesses have their headquarters in Santa Monica, including Fatburger, TOMS Shoes, Hulu, Universal Music Group, Lionsgate Films, the RAND Corporation, Beachbody, and Macerich. Supermarine (now Atlantic Aviation) is at the Santa Monica Airport while the National Public Radio member station KCRW is located at the Santa Monica College campus.

Santa Monica is also home to multiple game development studios, and that’s why the city is a major location for the industry.

Among these type of businesses we find: Activision Blizzard, Treyarch, Cloud Imperium Games (Creators of Star Citizen), Naughty Dog (Creators of Crash Bandicoot (1996–1999), Jak & Daxter and Uncharted franchises), SCE Studios Santa Monica, Studio Santa Monica (An in-house studio of SCE and creators of God of War), Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends is located just outside the eastern city limit.

The top employers in the city are: City of Santa Monica, Santa Monica – UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica College, Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, RAND Corporation, Universal Music Group, Activision Blizzard, ET Whitehall (Shutters and Casa del Mar) and Lionsgate Entertainment.

According to Wikipedia.com Santa Monica recently has emerged as the center of the Los Angeles region called Silicon Beach, and serves as the home of hundreds of venture-capital funded startup companies.

Fundera ranked the city the 6th best city for small business in a 2016 study, due to the city’s strong small business community.

The 2015-16 SM Travel & Tourism Fiscal Year Report estimates that:

1. The total visitors in Santa Monica are nearly 7.3 million (48.2% International; 51.8% Domestic).

2. The total annual visitor spending is $1.84 billion.

3. The average daily spending is $359 (hotel visitor); $94 (day visitor).

4. The retail sales tax revenue generated from Visitors is $11.9 million.

5. The visitor hotel occupancy tax revenue is $46.6 million

4. Education

4.a Public Schools

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) is located in Los Angeles County and it serves the coastal communities of Santa Monica and Malibu.
SMMUSD has a population of 11,000 students in Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade in 10 elementary schools, two middle schools, one middle / high school, one comprehensive high school, a continuation high school and a K – 8th grade alternative school.
SMASH –Santa Monica Alternative School House– is an optional K-8 public school with team teachers and multi-aged classrooms.
The district also manages 11 early childhood education centers and an adult school.
Some of the SMMUSD’s public elementary schools located in Santa Monica are: Edison Language Academy, Franklin Elementary School, Grant Elementary School, John Muir Elementary School, McKinley Elementary School, Santa Monica Alternative School House [SMASH], Roosevelt Elementary School, Will Rogers Learning Community Middle schools.
The district also manages these three public middle schools: John Adams Middle School, Lincoln Middle School and SMASH; and these two high schools: Olympic High School and Santa Monica High School.
Academic scores of the SMMUSD’s schools are consistently in the top tier of districts in both, Los Angeles County and the State of California.
Institutions such as Franklin Elementary School, McKinley Elementary School, Point Dume Elementary School, Roosevelt Elementary School, Webster Elementary School and Lincoln Middle School have been recognized as California Distinguished Schools; while Olympic High School has been named a Model Continuation High School in California – only one of some 25 schools out of nearly 500 continuation schools in the state.

4.b Private Schools

Among the private schools located in the city we find: Carlthorp School, Santa Monica Montessori School, Crossroads School, Saint Monica Catholic Elementary School, Concord High School, Pacifica Christian High School, St. Anne Catholic School, Saint Monica Catholic High School, New Roads School and PS1 Pluralistic School

4.b Area Colleges & Universities

For the residents pursuing higher education, there are several options in the city and in the nearby areas including: The Art Institute of California, Los Angeles; Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine, Mount St. Mary’s College, Santa Monica College (SMC), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Phoenix, Culver City Learning Center, University of Southern California (USC) and Rand Graduate School.

4.c Library

The Santa Monica Main Library is located at 601 Santa Monica Blvd, and it also manages these four branches: Fairview Branch, Montana Avenue Branch, Ocean Park Branch and Pico Branch. All of them situated in Santa Monica.
These facilities are equipped with a variety of workstation configurations such as:

a) The Online Catalog and E-Source Workstations equipped with access to the Library’s online catalog and over 30 premium subscription databases.

b) E-Source/Word Stations equipped with access to the Library’s online catalog, subscription databases, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and these Microsoft Office 2010 applications: Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. E-Source Plus stations are available at the Main Library near the 2nd Floor Reference Desk.

c) Internet Stations equipped with access to the Web via Internet Explorer and also access to the Library’s online catalog, subscription databases, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and these Microsoft Office 2010 applications: Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

d) Teen Stations are available for use by visitors registered with a Teen Library Card. These stations are equipped with access to the Web via Internet Explorer and also equipped with access to the Library’s online catalog,subscription databases, Photoshop Elements, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and the following Microsoft Office 2010 applications: Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.
The Ocean Park Branch has a total of five stations for youth, which are shared by both teens and children.

e) Children’s Stations available for use by visitors registered with a Juvenile Library Card. These stations are equipped with access to the Web via Internet Explorer and also are equipped with access to the Library’s online catalog, subscription databases, interactive educational games, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and the following Microsoft Office 2010 applications: Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

The Ocean Park Branch has a total of five stations for younger visitors.
The Main Library and Branch Libraries offer rental meeting rooms with a wide variety of room setups and capacities such as the s study rooms (7 of them), YS Study Room Youth Services (for small groups of children or teens who need space to work together on projects), and a Quiet Study Room ( on the northeast corner of the 2nd floor for those who are seeking a quiet environment with tables for reading or studying).
These rooms are rented for a fee and can be reserved up to two months in advance by contacting the library directly.
In order to promote universal access to its collections and services, the Santa Monica Public Library offers multiple assistive devices such as DirectEar (Assistive Listening Devices available for use at programs held in the Main Library Multipurpose room and Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium); Large Print Keyboard (for the online catalog workstation adjacent to the 1st floor Fiction, with labels that have been enlarged and enhanced for easier visual recognition); a Roller Plus Joystick (an adaptable mouse substitute with a joystick); Magnifying Sheets (8.5 x 11 inch magnifying sheets can be signed out for use in the Library at the Main Library, in the 2nd floor Reference Desk, only during the hours that the Library is open); Telescope Viewer ( a very powerful closed-circuit television magnifying reading system that assists visitors who have low vision by magnifying text, pictures, and other physical items); a TTY/TTD Terminal equipped with public access telephone is available at the Main Library, on 2nd floor Reference desk, during the hours that the Library is open. A TDD/TTY which is an electronic device used by people with speech or hearing disabilities to text communication via the telephone lines.
Sign Language Interpreters, Translators and materials in alternate formats such as taped text, Braille, audio-description and captioning can be reserved for Library programs. For Reservations you can call the Library Administration at 310/458-8606 at least one week prior to the program.
The California Library Services for People with Print Disabilities in association with the Library of Congress provide free Braille and audio books, magazines and playback equipment to all residents unable to read standard print.
Free instructional classes are held in the Computer Training Room in the Main Library (601 Santa Monica Blvd) and at the branch libraries. The class teach how to use the Internet and the Library’s electronic resources.

6. Point of Interest

Santa Monica is the perfect beach town with plenty of things to do. Some of the top attractions and activities include:

• The Santa Monica Pier

When one thinks of activities to do in Santa Monica, the number one attraction is clearly the Santa Monica Pier with its amusement park and the famous nine story Pacific Park’s Ferris wheel, which is also solar-powered. One of its kind in the region!
The park also features the historic Looff Hippodrome Carousel, a five-story West Coaster roller coaster, the nine-story Pacific Plunge tower ride and the only over-water miniature golf course.
But the Pacific Park’s offers many other amenities apart from a full-service amusement park, because there are also 7 restaurants ranging from fine seafood to classic American food (where costumers enjoy great views of the ocean); an aquarium, bars, souvenir shops, as well as an entertaining arcade with more than 200 games; street performers, live local music, outstanding views of Malibu and the South Bay, and much more.
The Trapeze School of New York (TSNY) is also located at the Pier, and offers up a high-flying, fun-filled experience for intrepid visitors, even with no prior experience. Classes are two hours long and are taught in groups of up to 10 people.
The Santa Monica Pier definitely sets Santa Monica apart as an ideal destination for people of any age. Over 6 million people a year visit this iconic attraction, that is also a popular photo spot.

•  Santa Monica Beach

Santa Monica Beach stretches 3.5 miles long, providing plenty of room for hundreds of visitors – specially during summer time–, as well as for practicing multiple fun activities such as beach combing, swimming, surfing, paddle boarding, sunbathing, fishing and much more.
At the beach you are going to find not only that both, the sand and the ocean are clean and beautiful, but also, numerous attractions and services such as lifeguard stations, a row of volleyball courts, paved walkways, restrooms, multiple restaurants and fiery beachside sunsets.
Bay St. located just south of Hotel Casa del Mar is a popular surf and paddle boarding spot because of its easy accessibility.
Biking along the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, also known as The South Bay Bicycle Trail or The Strand, is another popular activity in Santa Monica.
The Strand consists of a 22-mile long, paved trail that starts in at Will Rogers State Beach (the northernmost point of Santa Monica), and finishes at the Torrance County Beach. It runs also through Venice, Hermosa and Redondo Beach. The Strand is indeed, the world’s longest oceanfront bike path!

Bicycle rentals, bike tours and hotel loaner programs are available for visitors.

• Shopping

Located just two blocks from the beach and steps away from the famous Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place features multiple luxury and specialty shops such as Tiffany & Co., Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Michael Kors and Emporio Armani, as well as a third-floor rooftop deck where visitors enjoy gorgeous ocean views and an entire floor of restaurants, including ‘The Market”.
At the Market diners will find a wide arrange of fine food such as artisanal cheese, wines, chocolates, olive oils, fresh produce, flowers and much more.
Santa Monica features other walkable shopping neighborhoods, offering great sales and designer threads.
The Third Street Promenade is a pedestrian-only, open-air shopping destination, located only two blocks from the city’s beaches. It is well known for its weekly farmers market, ample dining options, street performers and terrific stores.
The best farmers markets in the county are located in Santa Monica, and that’s why they attract hundreds of residents, visitors and local chefs with the fresh produce, flowers, meats, cheeses, nuts, fish, and much more.

• Arts & Culture

Santa Monica is a city that embraces culture with its abundance of public art and sculpture, as well as street performers. There are more than 75 museums and art galleries in the city.

L&M Arts (a branch of the New York City gallery by the same name) and Bergamot Station (an old train depot containing some 35 galleries) are both, extraordinary places to visit.

•  Tongva Park

Tongva Park was Designed by James Corner Field Operations, and the inspiration for its design was the Southern California arroyo landscape, characterized by washes and ravines that once defined the site.
This seven-acre park, located in the heart of the city, features an abundant and ambitious plant scheme, contemplative walking paths, soothing water elements, and two viewing platforms for great views of the Pacific Ocean.