Dogtown

The skateboarding phenomenon began in the 1970s in the town of Santa Monica, and the name Dogtown was coined in honor of the Z-Boys, a group of teenage surfers who helped make the sport popular around the world. Located between Venice and Santa Monica, the Dogtown area also includes Ocean Park, an abandoned amusement park, which was the perfect spot for a community of prairie dogs.

Founded in 1905, Venice Beach was once called Venice of America. Abbot Kinney, the man who conceived of Ocean Park, built the original town, which was annexed by the city of Santa Monica. Jesse Martinez was born and raised in a gang-infested neighborhood in Venice. After moving to the nearby town of San Francisco, he found salvation in skateboarding. Today, Dogtown is a hip, funky neighborhood with a unique personality. Click for more info.

While the city had long been known for its relaxed attitude toward the homeless and its laid-back lifestyle, some conservative groups were not too pleased with the change. But the city’s rent control policies, compassion for all residents, and efforts to improve the living conditions of the city’s homeless population helped to make the Santa Monica area a hotspot for tech startups. A recent survey showed that more than a quarter of tech companies located in the area are located in Silicon Beach, the area encompassing Venice and Santa Monica. In 2016 Google and Snap Inc. were founded in the region, and together they have a combined revenue of $1.2 billion. Additional info.

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