What makes Pasadena so desirable? (Alameda, Arcadia: lease, violent crime, lawyers)

[JohnG72]

Location first, schools second.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by yowps3

So what gives?

It is charming, very diverse, somewhat upscale and the homes (overall) are filled with old time memories. The town has great restaurants, a delightful downtown area and is close to Los Angeles without being part of the city. I wouldn't want to have my kids in school in Pasadena I don't think, but other than that I can't think of too much bad to say about the city. Think beautiful, large homes and wonderful smaller ones, wide tree lined streets, The Rose Bowl, the Huntington Library, lovely old churches, the east and west combined and you get Pasadena.

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by SalParadise

I don't think it's been mentioned yet but Pasadena is also home to one of the top private research universities in the world: Cal Tech. And that is no exaggeration.

California Institute of Technology

I was going to put Cal Tech on my list as well.

[DynamoLA]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

Location first, schools second.

Not when it comes to South Pasadena. Talk to any real estate agent (we did) and they'll tell you it's the schools that drive the housing prices in that particular city.

[ragnarkar]

Pasadena has a small-town feel without the small-town close-mindedness.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by DynamoLA

Not when it comes to South Pasadena. Talk to any real estate agent (we did) and they'll tell you it's the schools that drive the housing prices in that particular city.

Actually its location first....its proximity as the closest "safe" suburb to DTLA. What puts it over the top in pricing is the schools....making it more expensive than nearby areas with subpar schools like Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, and Pasadena. But all those areas are expensive due to proximity.

Theres actually equally good schools in La Canada and Temple City both of which are less expensive and just as safe as South Pasadena. But South Pasadena is closer to Downtown.

[DynamoLA]

South Pasadena does not have much of a "location" advantage to Pasadena.

But we are arguing semantics. My point was that if Pasadena had very good schools, the home prices would look more like South Pasadena's (on a $/sq. foot basis). Pasadena actually has larger homes than South Pasadena, so there are probably more high-end $ homes in Pasadena than South Pas.

And La Canada is actually quite expensive, even though it's "way out there".

[Wing Feathers]

Originally Posted by yowps3

So what gives?

Old money. It is a great town for the independently wealthy. But to those on the lower end trying to advance, it can be very discouraging.

[drshang]

I would argue that most of Pasadena (except NW) is nicer than South Pasadena. A lot of the housing stock in South Pas is pretty run down, small houses, small lots, etc. Given equivalent schools, I would argue Pasadena would actually cost more than South Pasadena for equivalent sized house/lot/etc.

The reason we chose to settle in Pasadena after an east coast relocation is the proximity to LA, all the great food in the SGV, proximity to job centers (ex-WLA), the overall friendly people and livable cityscape, and the fact that it's cheaper than other places that we found equally desirable in the city of LA or on the westside.

[True Freedom]

I agree with drshang when comparing South Pas and Pasadena. We are currently looking for a new home and can afford most anything in S.Pas, but are restricting our search to north San Marino and Pasadena for the reasons drshang mentioned. Additionally, in Pasadena it seems we are closer to major shopping, yet *feel* removed from it..

With respect to a good school district increasing property values... here are my thoughts. First, it's a chicken/egg thing. First, demographics are a major driver in a school's perceived efficacy. There have been instances where a fantastic school is able to overcome demographics, but this is rare...

The schools here would have to improve dramatically to have any effect on housing prices. We have Arcadia, La Canada, and San Marino all next door with high performing districts. Additionally, if PUSD improves, I think it would only improve the low to mid-range house values. Folks that live in, or would buy houses in the upper end of the market (say $1.2M and up) already make enough to send their kids to private school... so PUSD's performance is not a factor in a home purchase. If they could afford that much house, but were not able to go to private, I contend they'd choose one of the neighboring cities.