West Covina/Walnut residents: What's it like? (Monrovia, Industry: real estate, rental)

[tillymonster]

I am looking for your input on these two particular cities. I realize Walnut is the *nicer* option but West Covina is adjacent and the rental costs seem to be much LOWER.

Can you tell me what these two cities are like? I have a small family and will be moving to be close to new job in Monrovia. Thanks!

[advancedhispanic]

Well if it isn't too late I can tell you Walnut is very clean and spacious but a much farther commute if you compare west covina mall area to walnut, but if you live in the 91792 area of west covina that's basically adjacent to walnut thus making it a similar commute. I prefer west covina because of the diversity and nice views of downtown LA from south hills, however walnut has better schools because well, you'll see why.

[tillymonster]

Thanks for the great info advanced! Would you say WC is a family-friendly area in most respects? Is it all concrete or are there lots of trees and parks? It looks gorgeous there to me!

[advancedhispanic]

Originally Posted by tillymonster

Thanks for the great info advanced! Would you say WC is a family-friendly area in most respects? Is it all concrete or are there lots of trees and parks? It looks gorgeous there to me!

Yes it is family friendly because there's lots of youth in the city of West Covina. Living here for 18 years I can tell you I feel safe and satisfied. Walnut is always going to be considered nicer because it's wealthier, however walnut does not have the neighborhood unity (your neighbors won't even look at you if you choose walnut) because the Asian people there keep to themselves which is perfectly fine with me, but I prefer knowing my neighbors, especially if there's a natural disaster like an earthquake. Walnut schools are better however, it really depends on the student if they want to be successful or not.

West Covina well every part I've been too is extremely quiet at night which is great for getting a good nights sleep, and if there ever is a rare occasion that someone is partying late at night, you can call the non emergency WCPD number and officers will be there in less than 3 min to quiet down the partiers, that's what I love about west covina, the police are great and so are the quietness. Yes there are trees in many streets in west covina however some streets have more treelined paths then others. West covina has better shopping in my opinion as well with 2 malls and a new shopping center known as the heights. Plus I always thought of west covina as a huge bargain when it comes to real estate, you get your best bang for your buck for being a city with 0 murders for 2011! I've never seen any assualts while living here nor fights, just minor road rage.

Walnut does get affected by crime because grand ave runs along the city bringing many people from other neighborhoods who may indulge in road rage as well, yep it's sad how people can be careless but it happens. Walnut does have some intersections for example grand ave and temple ave where they have photo enforced traffic lights while west covina doesn't have any, (in other words your less likely to get a ticket in west covina thus you save money).

Culture: West covina is mainly hispanic but the hispanics have not taken over the culture everything is diverse and your not forced to live under a certain culture or lifestyle, you can be yourself. Walnut does have a nice walkway/ trail with trees along amar road but that's about it, west covina has over 15 parks which makes it more park friendly as well.

Good Luck feel free to ask any more specific questions.

[verutaus]

Both cities are great. The obvious differences is that Walnut has higher property values and wealthier residents overall, while West Covina has a mix of working, middle income, and wealthy neighborhoods, it all depends on what area you want to buy in. Both cities have shopping centers--Walnut's is relatively newer, since there are many new subdivisions, especially in the areas closer to City of Industry, near the intersections of Grand Ave. and Valley Blvd. where shopping is limited to a few retailers and restaurants--nice, but not a shopping mega center, more like a lunch destination. West Covina though has two established mall areas--Westfield Mall on the western end of West Covina adjacent to the I-10, and the Eastland Center, further east, also adjacent to the I-10. Both cities have pros and cons. Both have a good amount of parks (though Walnut has more open space, trees, and trails), and both also have traffic congestion--in West Covina due to the large malls and the large IKEA at the Eastland center, and Walnut due to Mt. San Antonio College that draws students not only from all over California, but all over the country, and abroad--fall and spring semesters Grand Ave and Temple Ave, turn into parking lots, especially if there is construction. Both cities tend to be quiet at nighttime. If you have the money Walnut is a good choice, especially close to the West Covina border. If you have a little less money West Covina offers similar views and a good bang for the buck--it is also closer to areas of the City of Covina that are affluent as well.