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History Malibu was a part of the territory of the Chumash tribe of Native American Indians. It was named "Humaliwo" or "the surf sounds loudly." Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo is believed to have moored at Malibu Lagoon, at the mouth of Malibu Creek, to obtain fresh water in 1542. The Spanish presence returned with the California mission system, and the area was part of a 13,000 acre (120 km²) land grant in 1802. That ranch passed intact to Frederick Hastings Rindge in 1891. He and his widow, Rhoda May Rindge, guarded their privacy zealously by hiring guards to evict all trespassers and fighting a lengthy court battle to prevent the building of a Southern Pacific railroad line. Few roads even entered the area before 1929, when the state won another court case and built what is now known as the Pacific Coast Highway. By then May Rindge was forced to subdivide her property and begin selling and leasing lots. The Rindge house, known as the Adamson House, is now part of Malibu Creek State Park and is situated between Malibu Lagoon and Surfrider Beach, beside the Malibu Pier that was originally built for the family yacht. The Malibu Colony was one of the first areas settled, and is on the opposite shore of the lagoon. In 1926, in an effort to avoid selling land to stave off insolvency, Rhoda May Rindge created a small ceramic tile factory. At its height, the Malibu Potteries employed over 100 workers, and produced decorative tiles which furnish many Los Angeles-area public buildings and Beverly Hills residences. The factory, located one-half mile east of the pier, was ravaged by a fire in 1931. Although the factory partially reopened in 1932, it could not recover from the effects of the Great Depression and a steep downturn in Southern California construction projects. A distinct hybrid of Moorish and Arts and Crafts designs, Malibu tile is considered highly collectible. Fine examples of the tiles may be seen at the Adamson House and Serra Retreat, a fifty-room mansion that was started in the 1920s as the main Rindge home on a hill overlooking the lagoon. The unfinished building was sold to the Franciscan Order in 1942 and is operated as a retreat facility. It burned in the 1970 fire and was rebuilt using many of the original tiles. In 1991 Malibu, long an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, achieved cityhood in order to allow for exercise of local control. Prior to incorporation the local residents had fought proposed developments including a freeway, a nuclear power plant, and several sewerline plans. Actor Martin Sheen was named honorary mayor in 1989.* Famous residents See the Seeing Stars website for a continued list. Geography
Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 12,575 people, 5,137 households, and 3,164 families residing in the city. The population density was 244.4/km² (632.9/mi²). There were 6,126 housing units at an average density of 119.0/km² (308.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.91% White, 0.90% African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.49% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.48% of the population. There were 5,137 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 32.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $102,031, and the median income for a family was $123,293. Males had a median income of $100,000+ versus $46,919 for females. The per capita income for the city was $74,336. About 3.2% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over. Education Malibu High School provides secondary public education. Pepperdine University, an independent college affiliated with the Church of Christ, is located in the heart of Malibu. It has its own ZIP code of 90263. * The community of Malibu is also served by Santa Monica College, a community college in the neighboring city of Santa Monica. Politics Malibu is a considerably liberal-leaning city, like much of Los Angeles County. John Kerry won 60% of the vote in Malibu in 2004, compared to 39% for George W. Bush. Ironically, Pepperdine University, in Malibu, is considered to be one of the most conservative colleges in the Western United States. In the media Malibu has been used as a location for countless films and television programs. It is the home of Charlie Harper, his brother and nephew of the popular television series Two and a Half Men. It was home to Gidget, and surfing movies of the 1960s. Important scenes in the Planet of the Apes series were filmed at Point Dume. The hero's trailer in The Rockford Files was parked by Malibu Pier. Love American Style and the Mod Squad are among many TV series and commercials filmed in Paradise Cove. In the 1990s and 2000s it was the setting for MTV Beach House, Malibu's Most Wanted, the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana, and Nickelodeon's Zoey 101. In the Cohen Brothers 1998 motion picture The Big Lebowski, the fictional chief of police describes it thus: "We've got a nice, quiet beach community here, and I aim to keep it nice and quiet." In 2006, Bravo television aired Million Dollar Listing, a real-estate related show based on million dollar listings in Malibu, as well as Hollywood, including real-life Malibu agents such as Chris Cortazzo, Scotty Brown, Madison Hildebrand, and Lydia Simon. * Many products have been named for Malibu or its neighborhoods, none of which are made in the city or environs: Chevrolet Malibu, Malibu Barbie, Piper Malibu, Malibu Grand Prix, and Malibu Rum. Also, the town is the place where Cat Stevens had his famous near-death experience in 1976 when he nearly drowned while he was swimming. This accident led him to embrace Islam in 1977. | ||||||||||||
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