Avalon

Avalon is a beautiful little town located on Catalina Island, 22 miles south of Los Angeles Harbor. Resembling a mixture of Monaco and a quaint seaport village, Avalon is hugely popular with tourists who travel here mostly by ferry, as it is only an hour from any of the five ports scattered around Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

This small island is home to approximately 3,000 residents, yet the population swells to over 1 million throughout the year due to tourism, which is year round. Once here, there is quite a bit to do, despite its size, which is only about 3 square miles though the entire island is approximately 75 square miles. Plan on traveling by foot, taxi, trolley, shuttle bus or rent bikes or golf carts. Cars require permits and are strictly limited.

Avalon really has something for everyone. Obviously, tourism is what drives this town. There are several boutique hotels including some charming bed and breakfasts. You won’t find any chain hotels here. Camping is also popular.

Like other Southern California beach communities, Avalon has mild temperatures. You rarely will find a summer day that gets into the 90’s and evenings can be quite chilly. Winters average around 50 degrees. The beach is nice, though small and you will see some amazing boats in the harbor.

Home prices are naturally on the expensive side and premium homes can go quickly, though the recent real estate slump has affected Avalon as well. There are several condos, yet good luck trying to find any property rentals. They usually go quick when they come up on the market.

Avalon Schools fall under the Long Beach Unified School District. There is one school and it is separated into primary, middle and high school. Private education is also available. The schools are very active within the community and play a regular sports schedule with visiting teams traveling by boat.

Avalon is home to a couple of grocery stores, a hospital and plenty of shopping, which are primarily stores geared toward the tourists. You won’t need to look too hard for a tee shirt or souvenir to take home.

The most popular landmark in Avalon is the Catalina Casino, though don’t expect to do any gambling here, as there is none. Built under the careful guidance of William Wrigley in 1929, today it serves as a theatre, ballroom and museum. Some of Hollywood’s biggest names at the time entertained here, including Gene Autry.

While Avalon is a great place to visit, it does take a certain mindset to live in a very small community and not get island fever.