The Ocean Park Neighborhood is located in the southwest corner of Santa Monica. This neighborhood has a mix of older smaller homes, condos, apartment buildings and large homes near the beach. The area is bounded by Pico Blvd to the north, Lincoln Blvd on the east, Dewey St on the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west.
The area has a beachy, artsy feel similar in manner to its neighbor Venice Beach, although much cleaner, safer and upscale. Many Santa Monica residents come to shop/browse on Main Street, home of many boutiques and restaurants. Main Street also hosts a weekly farmer's market on Sundays. SMASH (an alternative school) and John Muir elementary schools are located in the neighborhood. Olympic High, an alternative high school, and Santa Monica High School are also located in the area.
One of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, Ocean Park sprang to life with Abbot Kinney’s 1891 Ocean Park Development Company. Kinney bought a sandy strip of land in Santa Monica’s southwestern edge and began building roads, homes, parks and piers. After 1904, Kinney moved his attention to his Venice of America development (also called Ocean Park at the time) , south of the Santa Monica city boundary. The history of Venice and Ocean Park are intertwined.
