NationalGeographicPersonalExplorer

The Venice Canals are the most historic remainder of Abbot Kinney’s vision for his coastal resort town. With a desire to create the “Venice of America,” Kinney ordained that nearly 20 miles of canals be dug and dredged by mule. When that method proved to be too slow, Kinney brought in "modern" steam-fueled equipment. By the end of the 1920s, most residents had cars; thus, most of the canals were filled in with dirt and later covered in asphalt. Artists and beatniks took over the canals in the 1960s. “Sex, drugs and rock-n-roll” were commonplace—Jim Morrison, lead singer of the popular American rock band The Doors, was one of Venice’s famous residents from that period. In the 1980s, as the canals were cleaned up, real estate prices began to climb. The City of Los Angeles poured $6 million into refurbishing the waterways, and by the turn of the millennium, struggling artists would be hard-pressed to afford housing in the historic neighborhood. Today, it is a gentrified upscale neighborhood with real estate prices rivaling those of Beverly Hills. Some sleepy picket-fenced cottages covered in ivy still sit alongside brand-new, stark multi-story modern houses. Landscaped walkways smelling of jasmine, families of floating ducks, and tiny rowboats line the banks of the canals. Fourteen small, picturesque bridges link the remaining 12 acres of waterways. Feel free to walk about.