Los Angeles County · CA
Santa Monica
The end of Route 66, at the end of the pier.
- Population
- 93,076 (2020 census)
- Founded
- 1875
- Pier built
- 1909
Then
- 1769
Gaspar de Portolá's party camps near the Tongva lands here, the first outsiders to arrive.
- 1875
John P. Jones and Robert Baker found the town. It incorporates in 1886.
- 1909
The Santa Monica Pier is built. Its Looff Hippodrome carousel is now a National Historic Landmark.
- 1922
Donald Douglas opens an aircraft plant at Clover Field.
- 1948
RAND, born as a Douglas project, becomes an independent think tank.
Now
Santa Monica is the western end of historic Route 66 and a busy resort city.
This stretch covers Santa Monica Bay, from the pier south past El Segundo to King Harbor in Redondo Beach.