southern california – Page 5

December 29, 2015

Venice Homes For Sale

VENICE HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Venice is a boho beach town and has been longtime haven for artists, new agers, road-weary tramps, freaks and free spirits. This is where Jim Morrison and the Doors lit their fire, where Arnold Schwarzenegger pumped himself to stardom, and the place the late Dennis Hopper once called home.

In the early twentieth century, crowds thronged to this ‘Coney Island on the Pacific’ to be poled around by imported gondoliers, walk among Renaissance-style arcaded buildings and listen to Benny Goodman tooting his horn in clubs.

These days, tech and entertainment dollars have fueled a hard charging gentrification that is changing this once low-key enclave with a strong sense of community. Still there are more indie boutiques and cafes than chains, and there’s plenty of innovative architecture and public art.

The Boardwalk, the bike path and the beach are the traditional attractions here, but the whole area’s worth a wander.

Residences and streets

Many of Venice’s houses have their principal entries from pedestrian-only streets and have house numbers on these footpaths. (Automobile access is by alleys in the rear.) The inland walk streets are made up primarily of around 620 single-family homes.

It lies 2 miles away from the nearest freeway, and its unusually dense network of narrow streets was not planned for modern traffic. Mindful of the tourist nature of much of the district’s vehicle traffic, its residents have successfully fought numerous attempts to extend the Marina Freeway (SR 90) into southern Venice.

The Venice Canal Historic District is noteworthy for its man-made canals built in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney as part of his Venice of America plan. Kinney sought to recreate the appearance and feel of Venice, Italy, in Southern California.

The canals are roughly bounded by Eastern Court on the east, Court A on the south, Strongs Drive on the west, and Court E on the north. There are four east-west canals (Carroll Canal, Linnie Canal, Howland Canal, and Sherman Canal) and two north-south canals (Eastern Canal and Grand Canal). The beautifully lit canals with gondoliers and arched bridges drew widespread publicity and helped sell lots in the development.

The canals were renovated in 1992, with the canals being drained and new sidewalks and walls being built. The canals re-opened in 1993 and have become a desirable and expensive residential section of the city.

The residential district surrounding the remaining canals was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. However, in recent years, there has been extensive renovation work on many of the old houses, and many large, modern houses have been built.

VENICE HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 29, 2015

Los Feliz Homes For Sale

LOS FELIZ HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Feliz means “happy” in Spanish and it’s an accurate name for such a pleasant and livable area of L.A. It’s hard to be down when you’re in walking distance of coffee shops, theaters, boutiques, and sidewalk cafes on Vermont Avenue, between Franklin and Hollywood, or the Hillhurst corridor between Los Feliz Boulevard and Prospect Avenue.

Twenty years ago, when Swingers (film) mania tore through LA like a proto-hipster storm, Los Feliz, emerged as LA’s next great neighborhood. For it was here, north and a touch east of Hollywood, on the clean-swept, tree-lined streets in the shadow of Griffith Park, that packs of aspiring actors and writers lived in one-room apartments housed in old Hollywood relics, and gathered in bars and coffeehouses cracking wise, and dreaming and flirting big. What gave it depth was the fact that Los Feliz has history.

This whole area was once one enormous ranch, called Rancho Los Feliz. In fact, the adobe ranch house, built in the 1830s, still stands. In 1882 Colonel Griffith Jenkins Griffith bought the majority of the ranch and later bequeathed it to the city of LA, forming what became Griffith Park, LA’s largest municipal open space. Early movie studios sprouted in the flats, along with mansions in the hills. These days, however, the hipster hub has migrated east to Echo Park and into Downtown, and Los Feliz is still way too cool to care.

Nestled up against the southern border of Griffith Park, is Hillhurst Avenue. This is one of those big city avenues that is just crammed with cool restaurants, boutiques and watering holes (mostly of the lounge variety here in Los Feliz). For example, you can dine at the Vinoteca Farafalle, a upscale Italian restaurant with an excellent selection of wines; or get Japanese food at Mako; or get really delicious Mexican food at Yuca’s—which is just a shack.

In terms of boutiques, you have Little Boutique of Los Feliz good for clothing. Of course, since you are in Hipster Heaven, you have a number of vintage clothing stores like American Vintage and Oou, both good places to go to keep your wardrobe from getting fresh.

There is also a great indie bookstore, Skylight and a great movie theater, Vista.

But where Los Feliz really shines is the cool lounges. The Good Luck Bar (a lounge that makes you feel like you are in China), Covell—a very sophisticated wine bar that makes you feel like you are in a Post-Modern version of Madmen, the Drawing Room, a great dive bar, and, of course, the Dresden—the joint that you may know from Swingers. It is definitely worth a visit in and of itself.

In terms of living in the area, North of Los Feliz Blvd., nestled up against the hills by Griffith Park are some really beautiful homes from various architectural styles, but all exuding a feeling of wealth. You get everything from really cool looking Tudors to Spanish Revival, to Ranch Homes up in this area.

There is one odd section of the neighborhood built on a horseshoe set up that just has a plethora of these homes that most anyone would consider themselves lucky to live in. There is also a section of the neighborhood that has a high percentage of wonderful Fairytale Cottages.

Most people who live in the area will also tell you that it is a very walkable neighborhood in way that few LA neighborhoods are. If you want to take an early evening walk, check out the sunset and the Hollywood sign, and some of the Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the area, you can spend a pleasant evening doing so.

Lots of people from the creative professions live here and many people from different cultures. Overall, it is a gem hidden right in the middle of Los Angeles.

LOS FELIZ HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 29, 2015

Santa Monica Homes For Sale

SANTA MONICA HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

There are literally a million and one different reasons that you would want to call Santa Monica your home. Maybe the biggest reason that so many people are looking at different Santa Monica homes for their next big move is strictly because of the caliber of weather. You would be hard pressed to find even a single person that was unhappy with the day to day weather of southern California, and would have just as difficult a time finding people in Santa Monica homes that didn’t count it as a major reason for their move.

You’ll be able to jump into the Ocean inside of just a few minutes no matter where your new Santa Monica home is, the kind of access that people dream of almost every single day.

LAX is just miles away to make hitting any spot on the planet a possibility. You can be out of your door and on a flight around the world inside of an hour, which is the perfect thing to do from time to time to really help you better appreciate just how incredible the Santa Monica homes really are!

The last thing you need to know about why people make the move to Santa Monica is that it has as much to do with an inner change than an outer one. Sure, we’ve all dreamed of how our lives would be different if we could live on a beach house in a world class town like Santa Monica, but the residents there actually get to see what happens when they make the shift. People become more alive, more awake, more caring – it’s a whole mindset shift that can take you to another planet without ever having to leave the country you love so much.

Modern Santa Monica

Santa Monica has a dramatic setting over 200 feet above the beach with rugged cliffs that drop-off along the shoreline. The city enjoys fresh sea breezes coming in from the Pacific Ocean with an average year round temperature near 70 degrees Fahrenheit. For surfers and skateboarders, Santa Monica also borders funky, world famous Venice Beach.

Santa Monica features world class hotels, restaurants and shopping. It is really a place to be, if you want to have fun in the sun playing beach volleyball, biking, rollerblading or “people watching” to your heart’s content. For the more adventurous, a hike in the near by Santa Monica Mountains will be a rewarding experience.

For the Earth-loving, you will be delighted to know that Santa Monica is a “green” city with bicycle-friendly streets. The people in Santa Monica believe in creating a healthier, cleaner, safer and more beautiful city.

Shopping, Parks, and More

Santa Monica has three main shopping districts, Montana Avenue on the north side of the city, the Downtown District in the city’s core, and Main Street on the south end of the city. Each of these districts has its own unique feel and personality.

Montana Avenue is a stretch of luxury boutique stores, restaurants, and small offices that generally features more upscale shopping. The Main Street district offers an eclectic mix of clothing, restaurants, and other specialty retail.

The Downtown District is the home of the Third Street Promenade, a major outdoor pedestrian-only shopping district that stretches for three blocks. Third Street is closed to vehicles for those three blocks to allow people to stroll, congregate, shop and enjoy street performers.

Santa Monica Place, featuring Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom in a three-level outdoor environment, is located at the south end of the Promenade. After a period of redevelopment, the mall reopened in the fall of 2010 as a modern shopping, entertainment and dining complex with more outdoor space.

The oldest movie theater in the city is the Majestic. Also known as the Mayfair Theatre, the theater which opened in 1912 has been closed since the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

The Aero Theater (now operated by the American Cinematheque) and Criterion Theater were built in the 1930s and still show movies. The Santa Monica Promenade alone supports more than a dozen movie screens.

Palisades Park stretches out along the crumbling bluffs overlooking the Pacific and is a favorite walking area to view the ocean. It includes a totem pole, camera obscura, artwork, benches, picnic areas, pétanque courts, and restrooms.

Tongva Park occupies 6 acres between Ocean Avenue and Main Street, just south of Colorado Avenue. The park includes an overlook, amphitheater, playground, garden, fountains, picnic areas, and restrooms.

The Santa Monica Stairs, a long, steep staircase that leads from north of San Vicente down into Santa Monica Canyon, is a popular spot for all-natural outdoor workouts.

SANTA MONICA HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Santa Monica Beach Culture

It’s a small city with forward-thinking social and environmental ideals and fascist parking codes. Here, you’ll navigate a landscape of surf rats, skate punks, string bikinis, yoga freaks, psychics, street performers and a prodigious homeless population. Here’s a place where real-life Lebowskis sip white Russians next to martini-swilling Hollywood producers, celebrity chefs dine at family-owned taquerias, and soccer moms and career bachelors shop shoulder to shoulder at abundant farmers markets.

Most, if not all, of which can be found along a stretch of sublime coastline that cradles the city to the west, and laps at the heels of an undulating mountain range that defines the entire LA area to the north. This is Santa Monica – LA’s cute, alluring, hippie-chic little sister, its karmic counterbalance and, to many, its salvation.

The Santa Monica Pier

Once the very end of the mythical Route 66, the Santa Monica Pier dates back to 1908, and is the city’s most compelling landmark. There are arcades, carnival games, a vintage carousel, a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, and an aquarium, and the pier comes alive with free concerts (Twilight Dance Series) and outdoor movies in the summertime.

The thing here is the view: extending almost a quarter mile over the Pacific, you can stroll to the edge, hang out among the motley anglers, and lose yourself in the rolling, blue-green sea.

Kids get their kicks at Pacific Park , a small amusement park with a solar-powered Ferris wheel, kiddy rides, midway games and food stands.

Peer under the pier the Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Sea stars, crabs, sea urchins and other critters and crustaceans scooped from the bay stand by to be petted – ever so gently, please – in their adopted touch-tank homes.

South of the pier is the Original Muscle Beach, where the Southern California exercise craze began in the mid-20th century, and new equipment now draws a new generation of fitness fanatics. Close by, the search for the next Bobby Fischer is on at the International Chess Park .

SANTA MONICA HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 23, 2015

Echo Park Homes For Sale

ECHO PARK HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Echo Park is, depending on your point of view: the poor man’s Silver Lake, the rich man’s Highland Park, the Williamsburg of the West Coast, a 40,455-person working-class burg full of diversity and a wee bit of gang violence. Or, it’s that strange little neighborhood you drive through getting to Dodger Stadium.

Echo Park, is near practically everything that matters, save for the Pacific Ocean and the Museum of Jurassic Technology. It’s a stone’s throw from Chinatown, a short bike ride from Downtown L.A., Silver Lake and Los Feliz. It’s also surrounded by four major freeways, the 5, The 2, The 110 and The 101.

Echo Park the park has a placid man-made reservoir-turned-lake, circa 1860 that’s undergone a massive cleaning and renovation and features a charming bridge leading to a teensy island, ducks, palm trees, a jogging path.

Echo Park is a historic and diverse neighborhood where you’ll find everything from Dodger Stadium, the home of our beloved Los Angeles Dodgers, to Echo Park Lake, which reopened recently after a $45-million renovation. Locals and visitors alike enjoy paddle-boating around the lake, while the surrounding area continues to experience a retail, recreation and restaurant renaissance.

BAXTER STREET STAIRS

There are over two dozen sets of stairs all over Echo Park, with some dating back to before automobiles and even paved streets. Thanks to their ultra-high vantage point, the Baxter Street Stairs provide some of the most breathtaking views in Los Angeles. Beginning at 1501 Baxter St. and ending at 2101 Park Dr., the 231-step ascent will treat you to views of Downtown L.A., the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign. If you want to continue your urban hike, there are numerous walking trails at Elysian Park, located across the street.

CARROLL AVENUE

Step back in time on Carroll Avenue, located in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Angelino Heights. This historic street is lined with Victorian manors that date to the 19th century.

Note the Victorian architectural features as you stroll down Carroll Avenue, including the distinctive lamp posts as well as hitching posts that secured horses back in the day. The entire 1300 block of Carroll Avenue was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and several homes have been named Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments.

CHAVEZ RAVINE ARBORETUM

Located in Elysian Park just north of Dodger Stadium, the Chavez Ravine Arboretum is the first and oldest arboretum in Southern California. Founded in 1893 by the Los Angeles Horticultural Society, the arboretum features over 100 varieties of trees from all over the world. Many trees are the oldest and largest of their kind in the state, and in some cases in the United States. Admission to the unfenced arboretum is free, and during your visit you’ll be treated to sightings of birds, including woodpeckers, hummingbirds and ravens.

ECHO PARK HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 22, 2015April 1, 2020

Eagle Rock Homes For Sale

EAGLE ROCK HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Eagle Rock is a neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles in the San Rafael Hills, Los Angeles County, California.

Eagle Rock is named after a large rock outcropping, resembling an eagle with its wings outstretched.

Eagle Rock maintains a low-key vibe despite its soaring accolades as northeast LA’s most lavishly rooted-in-bohemia neighborhoods. Jukeboxes still jam in the neighborhood’s returned-to-trendy diners and vinyl still spins in its used bookstores. This imperceptibly discerning destination is so copacetic, you’ll forget you’re in the movie-making capital of the nation until you see a film crew along its quintessentially quaint main boulevards. Take five, hike to the top of its eponymous rock, and breathe in crisp nostalgia.

Today it is an ethnically diverse, relatively high-income neighborhood known for being the home of Occidental College and for a counterculture element among its 34,000+ people.

The neighborhood is home to many historic and architecturally significant homes, many done in the Craftsman, Georgian, Streamline Moderne, Art Deco and Mission Revival styles.

The neighborhood is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups and the creative class. Over the past decade the Eagle Rock and neighboring Highland Park have been experiencing gentrification as young urban professionals have moved from nearby neighborhoods such as Los Feliz and Silver Lake. A core of counter-culture writers, artists and filmmakers has existed in Eagle Rock since the 1920s.

Eagle Rock is an area of L.A. in the midst of a major boom. As urban professionals and families are increasingly priced out of areas like Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Echo Park, Eagle Rock with its hipster vibe, mix of class levels, and neighborhood feel becomes home. Discuss the community and find other info on our Facebook page: Eagle Rock

EAGLE ROCK HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 22, 2015

North East Los Angeles Homes For Sale

NORTH EAST LA HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Northeast Los Angeles is an area of the city of Los Angeles, northeast of Downtown Los Angeles, east of the Los Angeles River, bounded on the north by the cities of Glendale and Pasadena, and bounded on the east by several cities of the San Gabriel Valley.

The area is home to Occidental College located in Eagle Rock. The bulk of the area closer to Pueblo de Los Angeles-Downtown Los Angeles was part of the original Spanish and Mexican land grants of Rancho San Rafael and Rancho San Pascual when the city incorporated in 1850. One of the first annexations of the city was the city of Highland Park in 1895. Other cities in Northeast Los Angeles were soon annexed to the city: Garvanza (1899), Arroyo Seco (1912) and Eagle Rock (1923). Its development was served by the Los Angeles Railway “Yellow Cars.”

According to the Mapping L.A. survey of the Los Angeles Times, Northeast Los Angeles consists of a 17.18-square-mile region comprising seven neighborhoods, which are:

Atwater Village
Cypress Park
Eagle Rock
El Sereno
Glassell Park
Highland Park
Mount Washington

Other neighborhoods within the region are:

Arroyo Seco
Elysian Valley
Silver Lake north of Sunset Boulevard
Echo Park north of Sunset Boulevard
Garvanza
Heritage Square

Transportation In North East Los Angeles

The area well-served by freeways and public transportation. California’s first freeway, the 1940 Arroyo Seco Parkway (CA SR-110) connects the area with Downtown and Pasadena. The Interstate 5 and Interstate 10–San Bernardino Freeway lie directly to the south of the district.

The Metro Gold Line light-rail’s four Gold Line stations (Lincoln/Cypress, Heritage Square, Southwest Museum, Highland Park) connects Northeast Los Angeles with Downtown and Pasadena.

NORTH EAST LA HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 21, 2015

Boyle Heights Homes For Sale

BOYLE HEIGHTS HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Boyle Heights is a working-class, youthful neighborhood of almost 100,000 residents east of Downtown Los Angeles.

Boyle Heights is one of its oldest communities. It covers 6.5 square miles and is isolated from downtown and the greater LA area by the LA River and several converging freeways. Boyle Heights is one of LA’s most densely populated neighborhoods.

Boyle Heights is a vibrant community whose cultural richness is matched by its culinary richness, Boyle Heights is a mainly residential neighborhood that provides convenient access to livelier locales like Downtown and the Arts District. Watch the day unfold in the neighborhood’s favorite plaza or take yourself on a taco truck tour.

Mariachi Plaza

Since the 1930s, mariachi musicians have gathered in hopes of being hired by visitors who are looking for a full band, trio or solo singer. The plaza resembles Mexico’s famed Plaza Garibaldi in both form and function and draws people form all over Los Angeles. This plaza is also an historic gateway to the neighborhood.

Day or night, one can find many musicians waiting around the plaza and hotel across the street to be hired for work. Local leaders hope to promote the plaza and for it to remain a sanctuary for musicians. There is a small kiosk located in the plaza, similar to those found in Mexico, donated by the Mexican State of Jalisco, the birthplace of mariachi music.

BOYLE HEIGHTS HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 16, 2015

Silver Lake Homes For Sale

SILVER LAKE HOMES FOR SALE | FOR LEASE | NEW LISTINGS

Since the 1990s, Silver Lake has become the center of the alternative and indie rock scene in Los Angeles. Since the indie rock music scene is particularly prominent in this neighborhood, Silver Lake, known as one of “the city’s hippest neighborhoods”, is sometimes referred to as the “Williamsburg (NY) of the West”.

In the community of Silver Lake lies the namesake reservoir composed of two basins, within the grounds of the reservoir are several popular recreational facilities — the Silver Lake Recreation Center, which includes an adjacent city park; the Silver Lake Walking Path, which circumnavigates the reservoirs (2.25 miles); and the Silver Lake Meadow, modeled after N.Y.C.’s Central Park Sheep Meadow.

There is certainly nothing cookie-cutter about Silver Lake, CA — it’s as diverse as the people living in it. Silver Lake is home to many artists, writers and musicians, like Beck and the late Elliot Smith, just to name a few.

Thanks to its neighborhood feel, Silver Lake is the perfect area for young people looking for an eclectic spot, and diverse families seeking out good schools and a community vibe.

Silver Lake is continually growing — with an ever-increasing mix of stylish boutiques, restaurants, bars, coffee shops and everything in-between. But it’s managed to hold on to its unique charm.

Silver Lake is flanked on the northeast by Atwater Village and Elysian Valley, on the southeast by Echo Park, on the southwest by Westlake, on the west by East Hollywood and on the northwest by Los Feliz.

SILVER LAKE HOMES FOR SALE | FOR LEASE | NEW LISTINGS

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 13, 2015January 24, 2018

Glendale Homes For Sale

GLENDALE HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Glendale lies on the south-eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, bisected by the Verdugo Mountains, and is a suburb in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The city is bordered to the northwest by the Sun Valley and Tujunga neighborhoods of Los Angeles; to the northeast by La Cañada Flintridge and the unincorporated area of La Crescenta; to the west by Burbank and Griffith Park; to the east by Eagle Rock and Pasadena; to the south by the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles; and to the southeast by Glassell Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The Golden State, Ventura, Glendale, and Foothill freeways run through the city.

Public Safety

In 2014, Glendale was named the ninth-safest city in America in a report published by 24/7 Wall Street based on violent crime rates in cities with more than 100,000 people. Also in 2014, real estate company Movoto used FBI data crime data from 2013 to conduct a study of 100 U.S. cities with populations between 126,047 and 210,309 residents and concluded that Glendale was the safest mid-sized city in America.

Homes

Glendale has many homes that include the styles of both Spanish and Craftsman. Including the homes that are representative of the styles of mid-century California, Glendale has a large selection of modern homes.

Shopping

The Americana at Brand

Glendale has a wide selection for shoppers, one being the Glendale Galleria, which is anchored by Macy’s, Target, J. C. Penney, and Bloomingdales, and the Americana at Brand, which is an upscale outdoor mall (similar to the Grove at Farmers Market in L.A.) which includes stores such as Tiffany & Co.,H&M, Armani Exchange, True Religion, Forever 21, and Urban Outfitters. The Americana at Brand is home to a Nordstrom, which was previously located inside the Glendale Galleria. Another shopping area is the Glendale Fashion Center, which is anchored by Ross, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack, Staples, andPetco. Shopping can also be done at Montrose Shopping Park in North Glendale. The shopping park runs down Honolulu Avenue and is filled with many stores and restaurants.

Parks

The city has nearly 50 public parks, from Deukmejian Wilderness Park in the north to Cerritos Park in the south.

Deukmejian Wilderness Park was charred in the 2009 Station Fire, but it’s back–along with the giant 200-year-old McFall Oak protected by firefighters. An easy 2-mile hike along the freshly restored Dunsmore canyon trail gives knockout views of Crescenta Valley below. Wild Canterbury bells, California poppies, yellow monkey flowers, and lupines are in bloom.

GLENDALE HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Copyright © This free information provided courtesy SoCal Home Blog with information provided by Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449 We are not associated with the homeowner’s association or developer. For more information, contact 888-240-3500 or visit NewHomesInLA.com Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker.

December 8, 2015

Highland Park Homes For Sale

HIGHLAND PARK HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Highland Park is a historic neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles. It is inhabited by a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Highland Park is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, located in the San Rafael Hills and along the Arroyo Seco. It is situated within what was once Rancho San Rafael of the Spanish/Mexican era.

Its boundaries are roughly the Arroyo Seco Parkway (California Route 110) on the southeast, the city limits of Pasadena on the northeast, Oak Grove Drive on the north, and Avenue 51 on the west.

Highland Park is building a reputation as a mecca for artists, with trendy shops, galleries, bars and restaurants opening throughout the neighborhood. The continuation of several long-time businesses lend credibility to the neighborhood’s hipster status and add to its charm.

The trendy clothing chain Forever 21 was founded in Highland Park in 1984. The first store continues to operate in its original location bears the original name of the company, Fashion 21.

New hipster clubs have joined the local dive bars, with all become trendy gathering places. The Old LA Certified Farmers Market opened in 2006, operating adjacent to the Highland Park Gold Line Station and providing a new nexus of community activity. A number of shops selling vintage clothes and boutiques offering hip home-decor accessories have opened along York Boulevard.

Highland Park has a legacy of local businesses, some that have been a staple in the Highland Park community for over 20 years. The first of such businesses is Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. Galco’s has been family owned and operated for more than 100 years.

In addition, another cultural landmark in Highland Park is Avenue 50 Studio. Avenue 50 Studio is a nonprofit community-based organization grounded in Latino and Chicano culture.

Highland Park is served by the Highland Park (LACMTA station), along Metro’s Gold Line light rail line. Highland Park is served by the historic Arroyo Seco Parkway (California State Route 110), formerly known as the Pasadena Freeway.

HIGHLAND PARK HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED