NationalGeographicPersonalExplorer

As one climbs into the Santa Monica Mountains, it is easy to forget that a sprawling metropolis is pulsating only a few miles away. Marking the border between the native Tongva and Chumash tribes, ancient rock carvings can still be found in remote hiking areas of Topanga Canyon. The first homestead settlements date from the late 1800s; by the Roaring Twenties, the landscape was dotted with private cottages owned by affluent Los Angeles residents. Topanga Canyon eventually became known as an artist community, and became a popular hangout for hippies and musicians in the 1960s: Neil Young, Etta James and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys are a few of the famous faces that have lived in the canyon. At the end of that decade, Charles Manson and his “family” kicked off their horrific string of murders on July 31, 1969, by killing Gary Hinman, a local Topanga Canyon music teacher. Though some wealthy, mainstream people have moved in to this unconventional neighborhood, there are still many remnants of bohemian culture.