Venice Canals
April 22, 2021
The Venice Canals neighborhood is one of the most unusual and eclectic in all of Los Angeles, possibly in the United States. This community is known for its man-made canals and was the brainchild of a developer named Abbot Kinney. In 1905, when the development first began offering homes for sale, the canals were originally employed to drain the marshy area. But Kinney recognized that this feature could also be used to market his community, which he called Venice of America. So he brought in gondolas to ferry potential homebuyers around his new community. The 16 miles of canals also functioned as a means of transportation since this was still pre-Model T days. Venice of America was also designed to be very walkable.
Over time, some of the canals were paved over and others were allowed to fall into disrepair. During the 1950s and 1960s, the decaying neighborhood became especially popular with artists and musicians, including Jim Morrison of The Doors. For a while, things didn’t look so good for the Canals. Then, in 1992, work began on renovating the man-made waterways. It cost approximately $6 million, but it turned out to be money well spent. After the six remaining canals reopened in 1993, the neighborhood became one of the most desirable and expensive in the area. In April 2018, for example, the median listing price for a home in the Venice Canals neighborhood was $3.3 million. The district is also listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the Venice Canals are a beautiful, very walkable and bike-able neighborhood with houses lining picturesque canals. Several arched bridges cross the canals, and some of the homes have rowboats and kayaks moored on the waterway. The architecture in the neighborhood, which is located roughly between Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Palms, Mar Vista, Culver City and the Venice Boardwalk, is varied and range from cute California Bungalows to stunning contemporaries. Although, prices for homes in this neighborhood are high, the Venice Canals still have a Bohemian, artistic vibe.
This neighborhood is within easy walking and driving distance to numerous restaurants, ranging from ones that specialize in cheap eats to several that have earned Michelin stars. The Venice Canals community is also convenient to shopping and Venice’s world-famous boardwalk.
Schools
- Coeur D’Alene Avenue Elementary School, 8/10 Great School Rating and a Five-Star rating from parents
Parks
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- Linnie Canal Park, 2401 Dell Avenue, Venice, CA 90291
