Venice Real Estate | Neighborhood Guide

Welcome to Venice

Venice is an eclectic seaside neighborhood next to Santa Monica on Los Angeles’ Westside. This active and artistic community is famous for the street performers of Venice Boardwalk, trendy shopping and dining on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, and the outdoor gym at Muscle Beach. Since Google moved into the neighborhood in 2012, Venice Beach has become a hi-tech hub known by the nickname Silicon Beach.

Venice Beach’s diverse real estate options include traditional single-family homes, daring mid-century modern architectural gems, and chic contemporary properties. There are also condominiums with elevated views over the beach and ocean. The Venice Canal Historic District features modernist homes in a waterfront setting unlike anywhere else in California.

What to Love

Eclectic and creative atmosphere
Abbot Kinney Boulevard shopping
Venice Beach and Boardwalk
Venice Canal Historic District

People & Lifestyle

Venice’s captivating vibe draws in diverse residents. This creative beachfront community has long been a big draw for artists, surfers, bodybuilders, and musicians. The arrival of Google and other tech firms in the 2010s saw a new influx of tech workers into the neighborhood. Rounding it out are Hollywood film stars and other entertainment industry figures who have fallen in love with Venice’s bohemian atmosphere and stylish choice of shops and restaurants. Venice is a vibrant melting pot with a culture all of its own.

Dining, Entertainment & Shopping

Abbot Kinney Boulevard is one of the nation’s hippest shopping streets. Shopping highlights include Burro and Ilan Dei Venice for unique gifts, apparel, and home décor items along with TOMS’ unusual combination of a stylish footwear store and a coffee shop. Felix Trattoria is one of Abbot Kinney’s standout dining choices, serving creative takes on classic Italian cooking with pasta handmade in a glass-cased temperature-controlled laboratory in the center of the restaurant. The cool vibe of Abbot Kinney Boulevard has spread to other streets in Venice, especially since the neighborhood has experienced a contemporary boom as Silicon Beach’s hi-tech hub. Google’s Venice office is located just off Rose Avenue, and this once quiet stretch has now become home to some of L.A.’s coolest eateries. The Rose Café is a long-time artists’ hangout that has been transformed into a multi-concept café and restaurant with two patios, a bakery, a market, a beer garden, a cocktail bar, and an airy main dining room. The Rose opens from breakfast through dinner, offering everything from freshly-baked pastries and breakfast burritos to creative wood-fired pizza and pasta topped with Dungeness crab, nettles, or braised rabbit. Nearby Café Gratitude specializes in vegan cuisine prepared with locally-sourced organic ingredients. Running to the north of Rose Avenue and Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Lincoln Boulevard has seen a similar explosion in chic restaurants and retailers. The General Store encapsulates Venice’s easy-going creative atmosphere with its carefully-curated selection of handcrafted jewelry and home décor items, unfussy apparel, high-end beauty products, and vintage books.

Things to Do

First Fridays on Abbot Kinney Boulevard are the perfect time to explore Venice’s signature shopping street. This lively monthly event sees musicians, A-list food trucks, and arts-and-crafts vendors line the Boulevard. Venice Beach Boardwalk is teeming with activity every day of the week, with a huge variety of street performers and merchants. The Boardwalk runs alongside Venice Beach, a three-mile sandy stretch popular with swimmers, sunbathers, surfers, and beach volleyball players. Muscle Beach Gym at the south end of Venice Beach is renowned for its bodybuilders. The athletic feats of muscled stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno have long made Muscle Beach a must-see for many L.A. visitors. The area surrounding the beach is full of world-class gyms and fitness facilities, including the famous first location of Gold’s Gym. Venice Skate Park is another hotspot for watching impressive feats of athletic performance. Venice takes its name from the waterways of the Venice Canal Historic District, constructed in the early 1900s to emulate the canals of Venice’s Italian namesake. The canals and the bridges that span them are the perfect relaxing counterpoint to the bustling activity on the beachfront.