A Slice of Heaven Behind the Gates of Rolling Hills

Nestled between the Palos Verdes Peninsula's red-tiled roofs and multistory mansions is a fiercely private community frozen in time.

Drivers must yield to horses. Resident dogs roam freely--those that don't bite, that is--as per a city ordinance.

Single-story ranch homes, the only kind around, are painted white as decreed by developer A.E. Hanson 75 years ago. The color, Hanson once wrote, was "to fit in with the emerald green of the new grain in the spring and would harmonize with the bare earth after the hay was baled in the fall."

"Can you beat this?" asked resident Jim Roberts on a recent afternoon, waving an arm toward quiet canyons beyond his gazebo. "When I walk there at night and look straight up, I can actually see the stars."

Such is life in Rolling Hills, and to Roberts the city is like a slice of heaven--a slice that is reserved for him and 1,870 other residents who live within gates that since 1936 have kept everybody else out.

The city's simple architecture and laid-back lifestyle also understate its wealth, a wealth evidenced by its large lots, seclusion and some sweeping views. Based on median home prices, Rolling Hills is the richest municipality in Southern California, according to an annual survey by Worth magazine. The city ranks 10th nationwide, trailed distantly by Beverly Hills, which ranks 46th.

"The minute you go through those gates you feel like you've returned to paradise," said Mayor Jody Murdock. It's strictly a bedroom community, she adds. There are no businesses or schools--only homes.

Even City Hall--Rolling Hills incorporated in 1957--and the Rolling Hills Community Assn., which maintains the city's privately built roads and strict architectural standards, are outside one of the three staffed gates. Added Murdock: "It's about being a beautiful place to live and having open space around you and privacy."

But Rolling Hills residents' emphasis on preserving the status quo occasionally rankles their neighbors. For example, public transit, including that for area high school students, must go around Rolling Hills rather than through it, adding 20 or more minutes to a trip. A major Rancho Palos Verdes street--Crest Road--is divided by Rolling Hills.

The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council is expected to ask Rolling Hills this fall to replace septic tanks with sewers to reduce the risk of landslides in an area long known for slipping earth. But officials from both cities say Rolling Hills is likely to say no.