| Will Rogers State Beach | |
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| Location | Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°2′23″N118°33′37″W / 34.03972°N 118.56028°W /34.03972; -118.56028 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
| www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=625 | |
Will Rogers State Beach is abeach park on theSanta Monica Bay, at thePacific coast ofSouthern California. Located in thePacific Palisades neighborhood ofLos Angeles, the beach is owned by theCalifornia Department of Parks and Recreation; it is managed and maintained by theLos Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors.
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The beach extends one and three quarters miles along the coast. It has many facilities, including volleyball courts, gymnastic equipment, restrooms, a playground, and a bike path. The bike path is part of theSouth Bay Bicycle Trail and extends 19.1 miles (30.7 km) along the shore toTorrance.[1] The beach is also a popular surf spot.
A section just south of the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Entrada Drive (34°01′34″N118°31′08″W / 34.026053°N 118.518824°W /34.026053; -118.518824 (Los Angeles Gay Beach)) is popular within theLGBT community[2] and is therefore considered Los Angeles' unofficial gay beach;[3] this section is often referred to as Ginger Rogers Beach.[4][5]
Many films and television shows have been filmed at the beach, includingCreature from the Black Lagoon,The Kiss,La Belle dame sans merci,Summer Children,Holidays with Heather, andHangman.[6] Also, the television showBaywatch was shot at the beach before it moved toHawaii.[7][8]
In the sea near Will Rogers State Beach atSunset Blvd., there is the grounding electrode of thePacific DC Intertie.[9]
The Will Rogers State Beach lifeguard headquarters is the site of the formerPort of Los Angeles Long Wharf, aCalifornia Historical Landmark, site number 881.[10]
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The beach is named after actor, commentator and humoristWill Rogers, and partly originated with his property. In the 1920s, Rogers bought the land and developed a ranch along the coast and upland past today's Sunset Boulevard. He owned 345 acres (140 ha) in all, in what is now Pacific Palisades, beginning with about 1300 feet along the beach. Rogers died in a plane crash in 1935. Before his widow Betty's death in 1944, she developed a plan to gift their oceanfront to the state as the core of the original Will Rogers State Beach, which then ran 6,300 feet (1,900 m) of coastline in total. The beach was dedicated on July 26, 1942, with California GovernorCulbert Olson and Los Angeles MayorFletcher Bowron on hand.
The nearbyWill Rogers State Historic Park north of Sunset Boulevard, was formed from a similar gift byBetty Rogers of 186 acres (75 ha) of the original contiguous Rogers ranch deeded on June 8, 1944, two weeks before her death.[11]
Places adjacent to Will Rogers State Beach | |
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