Situated on the westernmost cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the
city of Palos Verdes Estates continues to fulfill former landowner and
developer Frank Vanderlip's vision of the area as the nation's most
fashionable and exclusive residential colony, and it remains one of Los
Angeles County's most affluent cities. Development of open land began in
1922 under the direction of landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.
One of the first master-planned communities in the United States, Palos
Verdes Estates (PVE) became the first of the four peninsula cities to be
incorporated, in 1939. Early community life revolved around the Palos
Verdes Golf Club, La Venta Inn, Malaga Cove School, and the charming
Malaga Cove and Lunada Bay commercial areas, both of which have been
graced by their own distinctive fountains. The Malaga Cove Library, a
fine example of Early Californian design executed by architect Myron
Hunt in 1930, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in
1995.