The Venice Canals community is located in Venice, CA, 90291 and is part of the City of Los Angeles. We are south of the City of Santa Monica and north of the Marina del Rey small boat harbor, and a few minutes from the Pacific Ocean and the renowned Venice Beach Boardwalk.
The Canals are comprised of six canals, approximately one and a half miles in length, and fifty feet in width. They are laid out in a grid: Carroll, Linnie, Howland, and Sherman Canals run in an east to west direction, Eastern and Grand run north and south (See map below). The one-way vehicular entrance to the Canals is at 28th Ave. and Dell Avenue. Dell Avenue traverses four bridges in a south to north direction. Access to the homes from Dell Ave. are provide by Courts A, B, C, D, and E.
Nine footbridges provide access within the canals. The canals’ ocean water comes from the Marina del Rey. Tidal gates at the Marina del Rey jetty and at Washington Blvd. control the water. The Washington Blvd. gates are opened twice a week to the natural flushing of the ocean tides to maintain the quality of the water. The Canals are listed on the National and City of Los Angeles Registry of Historical Places.
The canals are a designated wildlife preserve where you can see Herons, Egrets, Mergansers, Coots, Cormorants, Sea Gulls, Pelicans, sometimes the Least Tern, and domesticated Mallard ducks. Occasionally a seal and even a leopard shark will accidentally swim into the canals during a flushing cycle. The canals also provide a valuable nursery for fish.
Early development was comprised of small one-story cottages used mainly in the summer. Starting in the late 1970’s a major change in the canals began and continues today. In 1976, more than 30% of the 375 parcels were vacant. Today less than three are vacant. You will see a mix of one, two, and three story homes with a variety of architectural styles. Ideal growing conditions produce wonderful flowers. For many it is a paradise tucked away in a much too crowded suburban setting.
Venice Canals 1926
Venice Canals subdivision in 1926 looking northeast. Dell Avenue, the street with the bridges, crosses the canals in the center. Grand Canal is at the bottom left.
Canals Today
Contact: venicecanalsinfo@pobox.com