Palisades Highlands Homes for Sale

About the Neighborhood

The Canyon Community Above the Palisades

The Highlands is the Palisades' newest large neighborhood, and its history is one of scaled-back ambition. Developer W. Charles Chastain acquired 3,550 acres above Santa Ynez Canyon in 1964, donated roughly 1,500 acres to parkland, and renamed the project Palisades Highlands in 1966. An initial master plan for more than 7,000 units met sustained community opposition and shrank repeatedly; entitlements came in 1968, construction of Palisades Drive followed, and the first condominiums and houses sold in 1971. Building continued in phases for three decades — Country Estates in 1976, then SeaRidge, Alta Mira, the Peninsula, and finally the Summit and Enclave.

About 1,800 homes make up the community today, split among single-family houses, townhomes and condominiums, with several guard-gated enclaves among them. Most sub-neighborhoods carry homeowners association dues, design review and shared amenities such as pools and tennis courts, and a small commercial plaza on Palisades Drive handles daily errands. The architecture reflects the build-out years — 1970s contemporary through 1990s and 2000s Mediterranean — on streets that terrace up the canyon walls. Topanga State Park wraps the neighborhood, with the Santa Ynez Canyon trailhead starting inside it, and Sunset Boulevard sits roughly two miles downhill from the first homes.

In January 2025 the fire burned through the parkland surrounding the Highlands, and outcomes inside the neighborhood were far better than in the flats below: most homes survived, though homes were lost, particularly near open-space edges, and many surviving houses needed smoke and ash remediation. The neighborhood's standing inventory made it one of the busiest corners of the post-fire market, leading Palisades sales in some months, while a modest stream of rebuild permits reflects the losses that did occur. Any individual property's history — untouched, remediated or rebuilt — should be established through records and inspection rather than assumed from the neighborhood's overall story.

One geographic fact shapes life here: Palisades Drive is the single public road in and out, climbing from Sunset Boulevard up the canyon. The January 2025 evacuation drew wide attention to congestion on that route, and buyers should weigh the single-access reality in their own planning — evacuation logistics, insurance pricing and everyday driving all reflect it. The neighborhood sits within the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, with brush-clearance obligations along park boundaries, hillside grading rules on steeper parcels, and association design review layered on top of city processes for exterior changes in most sub-neighborhoods.

Diligence here runs through the associations as much as the parcels. Review HOA documents for master insurance renewal terms, deductibles and any special assessments adopted since the fire, particularly for townhome and condominium buildings where the association insures the structures. For houses, ask for remediation records, defensible-space compliance and any claims history. Confirm the status and rebuild timeline of Marquez Charter Elementary, the zoned school, which returned to its site in temporary classrooms in September 2025 while a full rebuild targeted for 2028 proceeds. And as everywhere in the Palisades, price insurance early — quotes vary sharply by carrier, construction type and slope.