Rocky Beach

Rocky Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located on the Pacific West Coast 12 miles east of Malibu and 19 miles west from Santa Monica on the Santa Monica Bay. The city has a population of 30.000 and three of its probably most famous inhabitants are the Three Investigators, also known as the hobby detectives "The Three ???".

## Geography

Rocky Beach lays in a flat plain between the Pacific Ocean in the South and the Santa Monica Mountains in the North. Parts of the city are situated on the cliff coast, on the surrounding hills and in outlying canyons, such as the *Remuda Canyon.*

## History

The foundation of Rocky Beach dates back to Spanish expedition and mission in North America. In 1542 Spanish conquerors took California, which was incorporated into a new Spanish colony from 1697 to 1821. Spanish missionaries built mission houses in order to convert the existing tribes to christianity, of which one stands near the Coast Highway of today´s Rocky Beach.

In 1769 the Spanish king ordered Gaspar de Portolà to start a military expedition in California. One of his chaperones, Rodrigo Alvaro, recieved 5.500 acres land from the Spanish governor as a reward for his merit in 1784.

The region of the 1805 founded Rocky Beach soon became a place of the war between Spain and Argentina in 1818, as a village in a small bay nearby was plundered by pirates, giving the bay the name "Pirate Bay".

In 1846, the Spanish built a military fort in Rocky Beach in order to defend the settlement from advancing American troops, as the Mexican-American war was staged. After Mexico lost California in a peace treaty to the United States in 1848, many American settlers and gold diggers began to move to Rocky Beach. The Gold Rush in California (1848-1854) caused the city to flourish from trade.

Nevertheless, the region of Rocky Beach remained only sparsely populated in the 19th century, with the majority of settlers inhabiting the surrounding canyons.

Up to modern times, the city of Rocky Beach developed in many ways from a cluster of streets and houses to an important coastal city with an unique flair.

## Infrastructure

Rocky Beach is linked with the metropolitan area of Los Angeles as well as with the rest of the Pacific coast through the Pacific Coast highway, crossing the city from east to west. The second, most important axis of the city is the Sunset Boulevard, which continues into the back country of the mountains. The city´s borders encompass also a small river and a water reservoir.

The city has its own marina and a railway / bus connection, as well as several bus lines and taxis.

## Cityscape

Rocky Beach is divided in different (not administrative) districts:

* Downtown: heart of the city with most of Rocky Beach´s attractions, commercial area, services
* Mansion District: wealthy, residential area on the hills east of downtown
* Latino Quarter: located near the harbor, colorful houses and cafés, mostly inhabited by Hispanics
* Little Tokio: in the northwest hills, many japanese inhabitants
* Little Rampart: poor, dubious quarter with run-down bungalows, high crime rate
* Seven Pines: residential area for the upper middle-class, development area in the north
* Harbor Area: mostly industrial and commercial district, dubious pubs and bars

There are not many high buildings in Rocky Beach, the architecture spreads from old, spanish mansions and ranches to American buildings from the 1900s and simple bungalows.

## Attractions and Culture

Rocky Beach has some museums, such as the *Villa Markels*, the *Art Gallery Hall* and the *museum of asian art.* In its center, there is an old theatre and a cinema, as well as the privately owned Opera *Califa.* In terms of amusement, the city has many bars and restaurants, the disco *Planet Evil* and, due to its location near the coast, a beach with watersport possibilities. In addition to that, the *Palisades Park,* a skatepark and a soccer stadium is located in Rocky Beach.

Outside the city, you can find a fairground and an abandoned amusement park.

The teenagers Jupiter Jones, Peter Shaw and Bob Andrews live in Rocky Beach and form the detective trio "The Three Investigators" famous for their achievements in solving mysteries, crimes and riddles for clients all across their hometown and Hollywood.

## Sources

* Rodenwald, C.R..Die Welt der drei Fragezeichen [The world of the Three Investigators]. Munich, riva, 2018, pp. 111-140.
* https://threeinvestigators.fandom.com/wiki/Rocky\_Beach
* https://diedreifragezeichen.fandom.com/wiki/Datei:Rocky-beach-location.png