Life at the beach is heating up. With numerous new businesses and restaurants opening their doors in Venice over the past year, along with several to come in 2012, life in Venice is certainly changing. Abbot Kinney and the surrounding areas have made Venice a destination for shops and restaurants, and the tech industry has moved in as well. All signs point to this momentum carrying over, and strengthening, throughout the coming year.

Back in November, Google moved 500+ employees into new office space in the Frank Gehry-designed Binoculars Building on Main, and news that several other tech companies have been opening doors in and around Venice has given the area its latest nickname “Silicon Beach“.

Restaurants along Abbot Kinney, such as The Tasting Room and Gjelina, and Axe, have made Venice a culinary destination around the city. Downtown favorite Wurstkuche,  which opened their second restaurant in September on Lincoln, often has lines of people waiting outside their doors.

Slated to open next week is a new juice bar, Moon Juice, on Rose Avenue, and Cafe Gratitude is hoping to open later this year also on Rose Ave, just down the street. Three new properties are being developed at Lincoln & Venice with Deus Ex Machina, a bike, skate and surf shop taking over the former florist space, a new owner at the car wash, and new retail space opening up should help revamp the rundown, yet busy, intersection.

Additionally, the real estate market in Venice has improved over this time last year. The numbers from the second half of 2011 all showed increases over the earlier part of the year, showing that even the real estate market is gaining momentum.

Life in Venice is good right now, adding to the appeal of the community that is both bohemian and chic, a beach city unlike any other in Los Angeles.

What are your thoughts on life in Venice? What new business would you like to see open in the neighborhood? Please share your thoughts and comments below.