For nearly 4,000 years Malibu, California was inhabited by Chumash Indians. They named the stretch of beach at the mouth of Malibu Creek "Humaliwo" or "the surf sounds loudly." It was here in 1542 that Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo may have stopped to get fresh water on his journey north. Cabrillo saw a large Indian village at the foot of the canyon, where the Malibu city offices stand today. The Cabrillo expedition observed that the Chumash had bustling towns of considerable prosperity and sophistication.

The first legal claim to land in Malibu was made in 1802 by Spanish Settler Jose Bartoleme Tapia. Tapia, given grazing rights by the King of Spain, established a ranch and built a large adobe in Malibu Canyon. These property holdings became known as the "Rancho Topanga Malibu Simi Sequit." Passed down through family inheritance, the rancho was eventually sold by Henry Keller to Frederick Hastings Rindge in 1891 for the reputed figure of $300,000. As one of the last Spanish Land Grants to remain intact, it served as the ideal country home for the Rindge family. This cultured and wealthy New England family fiercely guarded their private domain. In fact, Rhoda May Rindge, Frederick's widow, spent her fortune in court costs to keep the Southern Pacific Railroad, the State and neighboring homesteaders from encroaching. The stories of May and her cowhands, rifles at the ready, facing down the representatives of the County of Los Angeles, are part of Malibu's folklore. After 17 years of litigation, the State of California was victorious and the Roosevelt Highway (now Pacific Coast Highway) was open for through traffic to the public between Santa Moncia and Oxnard in June 1929, ushering in a new era.

Coastline to County line, Malibu faces south and adjoins the city of Los Angeles to the east and now comprises some 45,000 acres, 27 miles long and from one to eight miles wide. Pepperdine University and the Hughes Research Lab are located in the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There is no major industry in the area so employment opportunity is within the small businesses dotting the coastline. Within these boundaries are a variety of climates and terrains including beaches, mesas, and canyons that create a unique and extremely beautiful environment.