Sunset Park

Sunset Park (sometimes called Sunpark) is an inland neighborhood of Santa Monica, bordering Pico. It has within its borders Santa Monica Airport—a much smaller airport that LAX farther to the south, and one where pilots in training go to log hours, and where smaller private planes make this one of the busiest smaller airports around. This part of Santa Monica used to be an aircraft industry town during WWII before the airplane factory closed down, but the older houses in this area tend to date to that era. Many of these older homes are on the smaller side, but the newer construction is considerably more upscale. The airport noise tends to be a drawback of the area.

The airport itself is trying to fit into the community. They have a small art studio, a restaurant and the Barker Hanger, an interesting venue for those planning meetings or dinners. On the weekends, the airport hosts an antique market which brings antiquers in from all around. They are also working on creating a museum of the history of aviation which should be opening soon.

There is a well-loved park next to the airport as well. Clover Park is a true community park frequented mostly by locals. It has all the major amenities that you might expect, baseball and soccer fields. It has a very good beach volleyball court that is underutilized and a fitness course with a dozen stations. The highlight for the little ones, however is the big metal tower that rise three stories up in the middle of the park, like an airport tower. (Don’t worry parents, it’s safely caged in so no kids will topple out.) Kids love to climb up and look out the telescopes at the top. In addition, because it is right next to the airport it is a great place to watch the planes fly by if you have a kid who is into aviation.

The combination of the airport and the nearby Pico gang problem keep rents capped at about $2K and you can even find some smaller older apartments for about $1K. Overall, it is a steal for the area. You will also find a few Santa Monica College students in the area, even though it is a community college and doesn’t generally attract students to live nearby.

Despite its proximity to Pico, none of the 11 murders that have taken place in Santa Monica have taken place in this neighborhood. This doesn’t necessarily make it safe, but it does speak to the residential feel of the area. In other words, this is one of the few affordable areas where you might consider moving if you can’t afford one of the more highend neighborhoods.