Early Santa Monica (CA) (Images of America)

As west as metropolitan Los Angeles's trendy Westside gets, Santa Monica has enjoyed a colorful history as both a resort community and a bedrock hometown on the Southern California coast. As a playground and ready-made set for Hollywood, traditional hotbed of progressive politics, and amorphous fun zone for a greater century of visitors, the city of Santa Monica has remained at the forefront of the evolution of California culture. Prior to World War II, Santa Monica was a collection of distinct neighborhoods--Santa Monica Canyon and Ocean Park among them--and its pier, built in 1909 beneath the bluffs of Palisades Park, became a regional draw, especially after the nation's largest dance emporium, La Monica Ballroom, was built on it. The vintage photographs in this tour through Santa Monica's beginnings and its growth through the early 20th century were selected from the archives of the Santa Monica Historical Society Museum.