Big Rock

From Pacific Coast Highway, Big Rock Drive ascends by a series of hairpin turns into the terraced neighborhood of Big Rock Mesa. Some homes are isolated in small pockets of just one or a few houses while others have plenty of neighbors, depending on the curves and folds of the mountian side they share. There is incomparable beauty here with incredible views of the entire Santa Monica Bay coastline, Catalina Island, the Malibu shoreline, as well as the plentitude of trees, shrubs and gardens that are favored here. It is a truly beautiful place to call home and one of the closest to Santa Monica for commuting.

Broad Beach

The Broad Beach neighborhood is one of the most expensive and exclusive in Malibu. Home to many well known celebrities and entertainment industry titans, the 1.1-mile stretch of Malibu coastline includes a community of 108 beachfront homes.  Most property owners have private beaches in front of their home up to the "seaward of mean high tide line".  There are also four public beach access points along broad beach road.

Carbon Beach

Carbon Beach extends from Carbon Canyon Road on the east (just west of La Costa) to the area just east of the Malibu Pier, about a mile and a half. Just over 70 private residences line the beach wall to wall with only two access paths to the sand for the public. The quality of the beach is one of the finest in Malibu (and therefore, one of the finest anywhere in California). Carbon Beach is crescent shaped, tapering to shallower lots at each end. The best lots, with the most sand, are in the center of the arc.

Carbon Mesa

The Carbon Mesa neighborhood can only be reached by Carbon Canyon Road, starting at the Los Angeles County Fire Station 70 at traffic signal at the foot of Carbon Canyon Road where it intersects with PCH. Across the street, on the ocean side, is the eastern end of Carbon Beach.  Carbon Canyon Road becomes Carbon Mesa Road at one of the hairpin turns, then continues its winding path to a cul-de-sac at the end. This neighborhood is no planned suburb of identical houses, rather it is one of widely spaced individualized homes in unique hillside settings. Most of the homes have spectacular coastline views, are surrounded by trees and gardens, and include lots of isolation and privacy. The homes tend to be large and many have been upgraded to include swimming pools, tennis courts, oversized garages and other amenities.

Corral Canyon

Some of Malibu's earliest dwellings were established in Corral Canyon including one home builit in 1927.  Corral Canyon includes El Nido and Malibu Bowl communities.  The regionally significant 340-acre Corral Canyon Park encompasses the last undeveloped coastal canyon in Los Angeles County that flows freely to the ocean.  Approximately half way between Malibu East and Malibu West, many families enjoy calling this canyon their home.

Encinal Bluffs

The Encinal Bluffs neighborhood lies west of Broad Beach and El Matador State Beach. Here you will find large homes on acreage, true estates. The first sale of a Malibu home for more than $10 million was an Encinal Bluffs estate, sold in 1997. Addresses here are on PCH in the 32000-33000 range.

La Costa

The original landside neighborhood is La Costa whose eastern entrance at Rambla Vista and PCH is marked by this fountain. The landside homes in La Costa include the coveted membership in the La Costa Beach and Tennis Club.  The area is predominately single-family residential built along narrow winding streets and on steep hillsides. On the north sides of the roads, structures are built up the hillsides primarily; obvious cuts into the hillside are infrequent. On the south sides of the roads, structures are built down the hillsides or rest on pilings. Most structures have very little or no setback from the roads.

Las Flores

Las Flores Canyon was one of the first residential settlements in Malibu because a guarded Rindge Ranch fence west of the road prevented westward development beyond Las Flores Canyon Road. The Las Flores Inn (now Duke's) served travelers from Santa Monica who had to turn around at the Rindge gate.  The office of Malibu's first justice of the peace -- also a bartender at the Inn -- and some Rindge Ranch bunkhouses were on Las Flores. A few of the buildings near the mouth of Las Flores, easily identified by their architecture and wood siding, are nearly 100 years old. Though close to Pacific Coast Highway, the lower Las Flores Canyon area feels isolated and tranquil.  Outside the Malibu City Limit, Las Flores Canyon Road rises steeply into the Santa Monica Mountains, eventually intersecting Rambla Pacifico just below Saddle Peak. Homes in the upper canyon area cling to the mountain sides individually or form small communities in generally low density development. A few side roads branch from Las Flores along the way. Hume Road is a connector to Rambla Pacifico about half way up the canyon.

Latigo Canyon

Latigo Canyon Road runs ten curvy miles from PCH to its inland intersection with Kanan-Dume Road. It is an old route, the original way to get from the Malibu coast to the Cornell-Agoura area in the Canejo Valley for decades before Kanan-Dume road was constructed and opened in 1970.  As Latigo Canyon Road rises from PCH, there are few dwellings at first but soon homes with magnificent ocean views are encountered on branching streets like Ocean View Drive and Maguire. The great views are on the slopes of canyons that open to the seacoast; valley homes have mountain and canyon views.  Many families find this community perfect for their desires to live in a rural environment with more acreage while still having the convenience of larger shopping areas like Calabasas and Agoura.

Malibu Colony

An original attraction for superstars, today's Colony continues to attract superstars of the entertainment industry plus wealthy business and professional people who appreciate the combination of stellar beach property, privacy, and exclusiveness that the Malibu Colony offers. Its unique position as the "original" Malibu sets it apart from other locations.  Entry to the Colony is controlled by a guard house at the Malibu Road entrance, manned 24x7. On the beach side, where the public can roam "seaward of the mean high tide line", guards are also on patrol to ensure that public visitors to not trespass or otherwise abuse their access.

Malibu Country Estates

Malibu Country Estates is an enclave of single family homes north of Pacific Coast Highway and adjacent to the western border of the Pepperdine University campus. Malibu Country Estates has paved streets, sidewalks, public water supply, public wastewater treatment, storm sewers, street lights - the amenities and look of a suburban community. It consists of 107 lots of which five remain undeveloped. A "Declaration of Restrictions" recorded on August 28, 1972 in the County of Los Angeles and valid at least until January 1, 2010 defines the boundaries of each lot, whether it is for one or two story structures, and specifies a set of restrictions regarding height, setbacks, size of floor area, visual impact, and other conditions.

Malibu Cove Colony

Near the geographic center of Malibu, a little under four miles west of Malibu Canyon Road, is Malibu Cove Colony Drive, a left turn across PCH if you are facing west, then bear left again to this road. Malibu Cove Colony Drive runs from the east side of Escondido Creek to a dead end under the bluffs, just west of Latigo Shore Drive and the Tivili Cove condos. There is no connection. This small, tree-shaded private street runs parallel to and at the level of the beach, well below PCH that runs across the top of the bluff between Escondido Creek and Latigo Shore Road. Escondido Beach is just to the west, across the creek.

Malibu Park

Across from Zuma Beach and nine miles from the Civic Center, this family neighborhood is close to Horseback riding and hiking trails. Many of these properties have ocean views. Juan Cabrillo Elementary, Malibu Middle school, & Malibu High School are located here.  This area, originally developed as "Horizon Hills", features spectacular coastline views sweeping from Palos Verde to Leo Cabrillo and including five Channel Islands. A large number of homes keep riding horses; and goats, chickens, and geese are raised for home consumption.  The rural character of the Malibu Park neighborhood is expressed by the low, ranch-style houses, the large lots, and the agricultural uses of the undeveloped land. It is also reflected in the virtual absence of sidewalks and curbs, and by the minimum use of street and home-security lighting.

Malibu Road

Malibu Road is a two-lane "country road" which runs east-west paralleling the Pacific Ocean for approximately 2.5 miles. Still called "The Old Road", this stretch was the original Roosevelt Highway (now PCH) before PCH was relocated inland, over the bluffs in 1948. The Malibu Colony Plaza shopping center is bordered by Webb Way, PCH, and Malibu Road and is technically located on Malibu Road. There are over 250 living units situated on Malibu Road, the majority of which are two story single family homes located on the ocean side. These beach front lots are approximately sixty feet wide and one hundred feet deep. The land side residences are also mostly two story homes, but sit on larger lots ranging from 1.25 to four acres. At the far north end of Malibu Road there are several multi-family units which offer rentals.

Malibu West

Malibu West is a built-out subdivision of 200 single family homes and 37 condominiums, 148 of which are located within Trancas Canyon (and thus not visible from the highway), and 89 of which are located alongside Trancas Canyon Road and on private streets above the canyon and Trancas Creek (including all of the 37 condominiums). Most single family homes in Malibu West range from approximately 1,600 square feet to 2600 square feet, on lots ranging from less than a quarter acre to more than an acre in size. Most of the homes are one- and two-story 1960s suburban-style tract homes in 5 or 6 basic floor plans. The majority of the homes are owner-occupied, many by families with children drawn by the area's proximity to local schools and the relatively moderate (for Malibu) home prices. Recreational amenities available to residents of the subdivision include two community tennis courts and a private beach club, as well as hiking and riding trails through the adjacent national parklands.

Paradise Cove

The Paradise Cove lower section was built by Frank Wilson and Al Camp, starting with a Club House (Sandcastle restaurant and now the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe) and laundry/restroom building before WW II, but their plans were stalled by the war. They sold to Bill Swanson in 1945 who completed it and opened the trailer park.  The area surrounding Paradise Cove on the ocean side, outside the mobile home park, is developed with single family wood frame homes on approximately 1.5 to 3.0 acre parcels, with homes ranging in size from 1600 square feet on Zumirez Drive, to 9,000 square feet on the beach bluffs. The cliffside homes are some of the most expensive in Malibu, with pools, tennis courts, and beach cottages with private stairs to the ocean.

Point Dume

The essential character of Point Dume is a predominance of single-family homes on lots that are extremely large for parcels on the ocean side of Pacific Coast Highway, together with views from those parcels of and/or proximity and access to the beach. Point Dume has a lack of sidewalks and street lights, as well as roads which are rarely straight or flat, all of which adds to the rural atmosphere prevalent on Point Dume. Many homes have ocean views and/or sounds or mountain views, and the surrounding beaches are both traditional Southern California wide, sandy beaches, such as Westward Beach, as well are more unique beaches, such as the "Big Dume" beach, with its extensive tide pools.

Puerco Canyon

Across from Cher's one-time compound, north of PCH, east of Corral Canyon, is Puerco Canyon Road, leading to a small number of large homes with sweeping views of the coast. The small wall at the PCH intersection carries a sign that says "Malibu Colony Ranch Estates" but that name is little used.  Puerco Canyon Road winds uphill for about one mile to a dead end. The few properties here have very large homes on significant acreage, sited and designed to face the ocean with decks and balconies to utilize the spectacular view.

Ramirez Canyon

At the present time, there are approximately 50 - 60 homes in the canyon, ranging in size from 2000 square feet to 8,000 square feet, but include some much smaller residences. The homes vary greatly in style and architecture, including small, original cottages, medium-sized ranch style homes, and large, modern or Mediterranean structures.  Ramirez Canyon Road is a private road that is gated at the Winding Way and Paradise Cove entrances. The Ramirez Canyon community, through the Ramirez Canyon Homeowners Association collects monies and provides the following services: road repair and maintenance, signage, monitoring of speed limits, maintenance of gate phone, speed bumps, and bridges. Road access can only be provided to residents who have recorded deeded easements.

Serra Retreat

Serra Retreat (also called Serra Canyon) is a wooded canyon area adjacent to Malibu Creek in Lower Malibu Canyon, as well as a portion of Sweetwater Mesa. The approximately 96 property owners of the small, secluded area belong to the Serra Canyon Property Owners Association, which was formed to maintain a protect the privately-owned, country road of the canyon community. Entry to the community is controlled by two guarded drives, one off PCH and the other on Cross Creek Road.  Homeowners can ride bikes, golf carts, and/or horses to the Cross Creek Center within minutes.

Sunset Mesa

Tucked in above Pacific Coast Highway, Sunset Mesa is dotted with 1960s ranch-style homes. With no retail establishments to draw outsiders, it stays off the beaten track.  One local wag calls Sunset Mesa "Baja Malibu," because it is the farthest south a person can live and still have tony Malibu as the mailing address.  Sunset Mesa has a milelong list of attributes that drew people 40 years ago, when the homes were built. That list endures, and it still draws house-hunters moving up from a starter home or condo in West L.A., or perhaps seeking 20 degrees of relief from broiling San Fernando Valley summers.

Sycamore Canyon

Sycamore Park is an overwhelmingly single-family residential hill and canyon area of about 60 parcels reaching from PCH to Winding Way at Escondido Creek. It lies across Pacific Coast Highway from Escondido Beach and Malibu Cove Colony. The area is characterized by relatively dense development, consisting of about one single family home to one half acre, to one home to a maximum of about six acres. Homes in the area are generally from 2000 to 8000 square feet, and are from one to three stories in height.  Most of the homes in the area are two story structures, some are single story, and some are three stories in height. Most of the lots are on hilly terrain, that afford sweeping views of the ocean or land the surrounding hillsides. All the roads are privately maintained by homeowners. Most of the homes feature large backyards. There are several homes which have pools, a few with tennis courts, and some with corrals and/or stables.  The homeowners in this area have the ability to pay for a membership to the tennis court and private beach access.

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