Long before the road or the pier, this stretch of coast was home to the Tongva — the Gabrielino people — who lived along Santa Monica Bay for centuries, fishing its waters and trading along the shore. A Spanish expedition under Portolá camped nearby in 1769 and left the name of a saint on the place; through the Mexican era the land lay in ranchos, and Tongva Park downtown now carries the first people's name at the center of the city.
The waterfront made the city famous. A string of amusement piers rose along the bay in the resort decades, and of them all, the 1909 Santa Monica Pier is the one that survived — the municipal pier and its pleasure-pier twin, carrying the 1916 Looff Hippodrome, a National Historic Landmark whose hand-carved carousel horses still circle under the old dome. Pacific Park's rides came later; the wooden deck, the anglers at the rail, and the long walk over the water are the originals.
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 state beach, and one of America's great walking downtowns, all on a bright Pacific bay. People come for the pier and the End of the Trail, and stay for the sunsets off the bluffs and the easy, salt-aired grace of California's beach city.
