Rancho Palos Verdes - Hilltop Central Area

La Cresta is the area of homes East of Crenshaw Blvd. to the border of Rolling Hills and from Del Cerro Park North to the peninsula center, and  south of Crest Road from Crenshaw Blvd. West  to Monaco and South to the top of the ridge above Portuguese Bend, and the developments of Cresta Verde, the Ranch, Rolling Hills Country Estates, Vantage Point, Hillcrest Manor and Hillcrest Meadows. This area includes the newer developments known as Island View, Ocean Terrace and Sea Breeze, where most home sites are about 1/2 acre. The 59 acre Sea Breeze development has been completed with 63 homes on 32 acres with 24 acres of open space. The 31 acre Vantage Point development on the former site of the Northrop Research Center  has 68 homes.

Palos Verdes College opened in 1947 on a 55 acre parcel along Crest Road and operated for eight years before closing due to financial difficulty in 1954. The campus consisted of portable buildings although there were plans for an elaborate campus and facilities to accommodate 350 students. The Palos Verdes Peninsula continuation school (Rancho del Mar) is located on this site. St. John Fisher church is also located in this community.

Los Verdes is an area of older tract homes West of Hawthorne Blvd. to the border of Palos Verdes Estates and between just East of Granvia Altamira to just past Hesse Park. Hesse Park and Vista Grande elementary school are located here. Hesse park has trails, playgrounds and a community hall.

Crest is the area of homes east of Hawthorne Blvd., south of Peninsula center, and north of Indian Valley and also includes the large tract at Whitley Collins Drive between Highridge and Crest Road. Communities include Wallace Ranch, Armaga Springs, Seaview, Stonecrest, Mesa Verde, Mira Verde town homes (gated), Ridgegate town homes, Hilltop town homes (gated), and also includes the Rolling Hills Estates communities of the Terraces town homes (gated) and Highridge town homes. Ridgecrest Intermediate school is located in this area.

Peninsula Center is a tract of homes just North of the peninsula center down the hill to the city of Rolling Hills Estates and Academy Hills. The community of Blackhorse is also part of this area. Soleado elementary school is located in this neighborhood and Peninsula High School is located on a 52 acre campus just across Hawthorne Blvd. on Silver Spur Road. Peninsula High School is located in the city of Rolling Hills Estates.

Silver Spur, also known as Grandview, is a large tract of older homes Northwest of Hawthorne Blvd. to the communities just North of Palos Verdes Drive North. Silver Spur elementary and Cornerstone at Pedregal elementary, are located in this community.

Eastview is the annexed community located along the streets West of Western Avenue from Summerland North through Green Hills Memorial Park, and a strip East of Western between Toscanini and Caddington Drive east to Mount Rose. Residents in this area have the choice of enrollment in the Palos Verdes Peninsula school system or the Los Angeles school system.