Long before the road or the pier, this stretch of coast was home to the Tongva (Gabrielino) people, who lived along Santa Monica Bay for centuries. A Spanish expedition camped nearby in 1769 and left the name of a saint on the place; through the Mexican era the land was ranch country, part of the great Sepulveda grant. The Tongva remain part of the Los Angeles region today, and the bay they knew is still the heart of the city that grew here.
Then, in 1926, a number was painted onto the map that gave Santa Monica its most enduring identity. Route 66 — the highway that carried the country west from Chicago through eight states — was routed to end here, at the edge of the continent. The 'End of the Trail' became a destination in its own right: the place where the great American road trip finally runs out of road. For travelers who have driven the whole 2,448 miles, the Santa Monica Pier is the finish line, and that is a story Santa Monica has worn proudly ever since.
Why People Visit Santa Monica
Santa Monica rewards visitors with a rare mix — a historic amusement pier, the western end of Route 66, miles of beach, and a walkable downtown, all on a bright Pacific bay. People come for the pier and the End of the Trail, for sunsets off the bluffs of Palisades Park, and for an easy California beach day with a long history behind it. It is iconic, friendly, and unmistakably Southern California.
