Are you confused about what neighborhood Angelenos (or home listings) are referring to when they say “Silicon Beach?” If so, you’re not alone!
The term Silicon Beach is a nod to Northern California’s Silicon Valley, which is a region in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, came to be known as silicon, due to the density of companies that made silicon-based computer chips in the area (e.g. Intel, Applied Material, etc). The area became a hub for technology innovation, leading to software startups and of course personal computers (Apple) and though startups expanded far broadly out of chip making, the “silicon” stuck.
Here’s a map of Silicon Beach
Despite there not being much chip manufacturing in Los Angeles, that didn’t stop tech company startups from helping to brand a part of the city as Silicon Beach, which isn’t even on the beach! Are you thinking, “hold up, so there’s no silicon and it’s not necessarily on the beach in LA’s Silicon Beach?!?” The short answer is, you’re right, but then again, it’s LA, and this is a city known for dressing things up to be not exactly what they are in reality.
The reality is, Silicon Beach has evolved. When Google first set up shop with an office in LA, they did so in Santa Monica, near-ish the beach. From there, other smaller tech companies and investors followed suit. It’s like how huge whales attract small fish and barnacles. But then the whale swam to Venice and took over the legendary Frank Gehry designed binoculars building, and so many guppies followed.
As the tech industry in LA expanded over the past 10 years, so did the neighborhoods that include what we now call Silicon Beach. Other companies that have joined the herd include Google’s YouTube (now in Playa Vista), Facebook, AOL, EA, Amazon (Culver City), Apple, Scopely (Culver City), Snapchat (Venice), and many many others. Personally, we think it’s a stretch to call any part of WeHo or frankly anything east of the I-405 to be Silicon Beach… sorry, it’s just not!
Google has since expanded, keeping its now iconic Venice location and as mentioned above includes offices in Playa Vista, where they have taken over the Spruce Goose hangar (where Avatar was once filmed) and there are confirmed reports that Google has taken over the former mall (yes, mall) Westside Pavillion to build new offices in West LA. So will West LA now be Silicon Beach?
Here’s our take, the epicenter of Silicon Beach has shifted. If Santa Monica was once the hub, many of smaller companies have been priced out as they had to grow. We see Silicon Beach as including parts of Culver City, Del Rey, Marina del Rey (where Dollar Shave has HQ), Playa Del Rey, Venice, and yes, still Santa Monica.
And we love the idea of living close to these tech giants, because let’s face it, like it or not, the so-called FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google) cohort of companies aren’t going away anytime soon. In fact, they’re GROWING, so living in proximity to these companies means there will be investment pouring into them. Now are there certain areas that are more promising than others, and have better value? You bet your atari 3000! For example, look at Google’s Venice office. Despite it being a stone’s throw from our favorite (if not super pricey) restaurant Gjusta, there is also a severe homeless (unhoused) people situation on the same block. Regardless of where you fall on the complex issue of homelessness, it’s hard to argue that having hundreds of unhoused folks on the sidewalk nearby your house is not a desirable aspect of the neighborhood.
This is in part why we're huge fans of neighborhoods like the sleeper neighborhood of Del Rey for example. It’s quiet, clean, family-friendly, packed with starter homes and a bike ride away from the amenities of say, Playa Vista or Marina del Rey. So, in short, not all Silicon Beach pockets are the same -- there’s lots of nuance.
We could go on for days breaking down the pros and cons of Silicon Beach areas, but this is just a taste. If you’re interested in chatting more, we’re here to talk shop, even if it’s talk coffee shop (speaking of Sachi.LA in Del Rey is the bomb!). We’re here to advise and guide you through any housing or design needs you may have.