Santa Monica highlight
Santa Monica Pier
A National Historic Landmark that has welcomed visitors to the Pacific since 1909, operated by the Santa Monica Pier Corporation as a public gathering place.
The Santa Monica Pier opened on September 9, 1909, as the Municipal Pier—a long, narrow structure built as a public utility for the city. Two years later, the Pleasure Pier was added to the south, creating the iconic double-pier structure visible today. The pier is managed by the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, which oversees daily operations, events, tenant management, and the thousands of visitors who walk across it each week.
The pier hosts Pacific Park, an amusement park featuring the Pacific Wheel and West Coaster rides, along with games, food vendors, and street performers. Walking the pier offers ocean views, historical walking tours available on weekends, and a sense of continuity with Santa Monica's recreation-centered culture. It is registered as a National Historic Landmark, recognized for its enduring significance to the city and the region.
For families in Santa Monica, the pier is often part of childhood memory and tradition: a school field trip, a first ride on the Ferris wheel, or a regular weekend walk. That continuity across generations is what term life insurance aims to protect—coverage that would help your family maintain the traditions and stability they depend on if your income were suddenly gone.