Donna Benton, Neighbor

I have lived in Mar Vista for over 9 years, but I started working here 25 years ago at the corner of National and Barrington, at Merrill Lynch Realty. 

That location is called Colonial Corners, because 3 buildings on 3 corners are Colonial in style.  Being from Virginia, I know something about Colonial.  The southwest corner was orignally a nursery. 

My neighborhood is called the Mar Vista Oval because a bird's eye view indicates curvilinear streets.   Many believe it once was a race track, but no historical records indicate that to be true.  So say members in the Mar Vista Historical Society.

Ours is a fabulous community where the weather is moderate all year.  A few days where it can be dramatically hot or cold. 

Currently, I work as a real estate consultant for RE/MAX Estate Properties in Santa Monica.  2012 was a banner year, as I was the number agent in my office and 42 out of 600 agents in our franchise. 

I love to volunteer for the Mar Vista Garden Showcase every year where Mar Vistans show off their sustainable yards and gardens.  I studied landscape Archtitect and Horticulture at UCLA.