Palos Verdes

Palos Verdes is often used to refer to a group of coastal cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the Los Angeles/South Bay area of California.

Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates are the larger cities in the area.

History
The peninsula was originally inhabited by Native Americans belonging to the Tongva (sometimes referred to as "Gabrielino") tribe, and first described in 1542 by Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo.  

Schools
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District has one of the highest rated API scores in California 
, and has one of the highest average SAT scores  and one of the highest percentage of students successfully completing the advanced placement exams  in the county.  

Trivia
Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean films were partly photographed on and off the coast of Palos Verdes Peninsula. A tent city for production was constructed in the Redondo Beach Marina. The Black Pearl and several production vessels were seen on the waters daily as were helicopters filming for overhead shots. 

The name "Palos Verdes" is Spanish for green sticks.

Notable residents
George Takei - actor, famous as Hikaru Sulu from Star Trek
Chuck Norris - Walker, Texas Ranger, owns several properties in the region
Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee - who sold U.S. secrets to the Soviets and were portrayed in the book and movie The Falcon and the Snowman
Body Glove - co-founder Bob Meistrell, who invented the first "practical" wet suit
John Tu Billionaire
Pete Caroll - USC Head Football Coach
Gary Wright - Musician 
Angelyne - Billboard model
Michael Dudikoff - Actor 
Scott Shaw - Author, actor and filmmaker 
Sasha Vujacic and Elden Campbell - Former pro basketball players 
Deepak Chopra - Writer

References

 Other websites 
History of Palos Verdes 
Palos Verdes Chamber of Commerce 
Welcome to Palos Verdes California 
Marymount College 
Palos Verdes Library District

Category:Settlements in California
Category:Geography of Los Angeles County, California