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Old 10-07-2012, 11:27 AM
 
8 posts, read 17,589 times
Reputation: 10

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I was hoping to get some information about various neighborhoods in the LA area, because I am thinking about moving. My wife and I already live in the LA area, but we are thinking about upgrading from a townhouse to a single family home. We are a professional couple with a budget of about $2200 - 2300 per month that we can spend on rent. We are not thinking about buying for at least a couple more years. The type of area that I am looking for is somewhat affluent, suburban, quiet, consisting of primarily newer, traditional single-family homes with 2 car garages, and a nice backyard. I am very concerned about safety, as well, so a low crime rate is a must. We do not have children, so school districts are a non-issue. I have found a few areas in LA county that have what we are looking for, but I don't know much about these places. If possible, could you please provide opinions about the following areas:

Walnut
Hacienda Heights
San Dimas
Santa Clarita
Glendora
Diamond Bar
Sunland/Shadow Hills

I work in north Pasadena and my wife will be attending Cal State LA, and I realize that we will probably have to drive a bit. Obviously, less traffic is better, within reason.

Thank you very much for your insight and assistance.
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Old 10-08-2012, 10:31 PM
 
Location: East Bay, San Francisco Bay Area
23,531 posts, read 24,022,219 times
Reputation: 23956
All of these areas above are pretty good neighborhoods. I would say that Santa Clarita is the best, but is the furthest away from Pasadena. Walnut/Diamond Bar would be my second choice and Glendora 3rd. My last choice would be Sunland/Shadow Hills since the city services are provided by the City of Los Angeles. I don't know Hacienda Heights or San Dimas well, but believe that San Dimas would be a better choice between the two.

I would also look at North Glendale (91208) or La Crescenta/Montrose (great schools and safe area) and close to Pasadena.
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Old 10-09-2012, 09:12 AM
 
4,538 posts, read 10,628,669 times
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All those areas are nice areas, but you are both looking at rough rush hour drives. Westbound morning traffic is no joke.

You might be happier living a bit closer. Alhambra, Arcadia, Temple City, parts of San Gabriel or Pasadena might all fit your criteria(particularly Temple City) and be a much closer drive.

For instance...I know this is a bit more than your listed rent, but its a very nice community...

3 BR 2 Bath Ranch Style House with Swimming Pool in Arcadia

A bit close to the 210, but amazing location near old town Pasadena:

Charming 4 Bdrm House

Temple City home for $2K/mo:

Beautiful House for Rent

I'm not a big fan of the San Gabriel Village area, but in your case its a bonus as far as being equidistant from CSLA and Pasadena:

Adorable house in San Gabriel

I love this house in northern Pasadena, but the overall neighborhood may not suit you:

------------------Beautiful Craftsman Home
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Old 10-09-2012, 02:36 PM
 
8 posts, read 17,589 times
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Thank you for the suggestions regarding Temple City, Arcadia,San Gabriel etc. I have looked at these areas, however, and they aren't quite what we are looking for. We actually live in north monrovia now, and we know that the areas of Monrovia and Arcadia north of Foothill are nice, but the type of home we are looking for in these areas is around 3k per month, which exceeds our budget. The homes in temple city and san gabriel are very old and small and they are on tiny lots. Also these areas are very crowded and the highway is really close by and makes a lot of noise. Finally, these communities are not master planned, so it is common to have sonething zoned commercial right next to a home, which wr so not like. If we made a little more money, I would definately consider north monrovia, north arcadia, or sierra madre, though! Apologies for poor grammar. I am using a smartphone.
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Old 10-09-2012, 02:56 PM
 
4,483 posts, read 9,292,219 times
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Glendora and Walnut both are known to have good schools - which you don't care about. However, the amount of rent you pay will be driven in part by the reputation of the schools. You can get more for your money in an area that doesn't have that "great school" reputation. If you were buying, you'd get the money back when you sold. As a renter, you gain nothing. One of those may end up being your top choice, which is fine, but you'll pay for it.

I don't know the Sunland/Shadow Hills area, but it's got the best location on the map. Here are some opinions on it:
Shadow Hills pros and cons
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Old 10-09-2012, 04:47 PM
 
8 posts, read 17,589 times
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Thank you for the information about the price increase associated with schools. Are Hacienda Heights, Santa Clarita, or San Dimas known for having a school-related price premium?
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Old 10-09-2012, 06:09 PM
 
4,483 posts, read 9,292,219 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CGJones322 View Post
Thank you for the information about the price increase associated with schools. Are Hacienda Heights, Santa Clarita, or San Dimas known for having a school-related price premium?
I've never heard of Hacienda Heights or San Dimas being somewhere people go just to get into the schools. Santa Clarita is outside my area; I don't know that one.
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Old 10-09-2012, 06:26 PM
 
1,714 posts, read 3,851,924 times
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Santa Clarita is very safe and has newer development. It has master-planned communities that are walkable within themselves. Santa Clarita is somewhat disconnected from the rest of the LA metro area, but some people like that, of course.

San Dimas has good schools, but people like San Dimas mostly because it's a beautiful city (it's ALMOST as nice as Claremont, in my opinion).

San Dimas is very clean and very safe. It has lots of trees and well-kept houses. Good schools just tend to come with this kind of middle-class suburban city.

Hacienda Heights is next to Rowland Heights and somewhat conveniently close to the other Asian SGV cities to the west. HH also has a real Buddhist temple (a property value booster), which buddhists (immigrant Asians) appreciate.


Last edited by genjy; 10-09-2012 at 06:41 PM..
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Old 10-10-2012, 12:04 AM
 
Location: LA/OC
1,083 posts, read 2,170,379 times
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Both Diamond Bar and Walnut are great cities with low crime and great schools. With a budget of $2300/mo, I know you can find a good rental in your price range in either of them--I just did a quick search on the MLS and found 23 active listings for single family homes in Diamond Bar and Walnut under $2300. The problem will be the distance and traffic going towards Pasadena from here.

Glendora and Hacienda Heights are the best options on your list for being closer to work, but both have their good and bad areas. San Dimas is nice, and slightly closer to Pasadena/Cal State LA, but there doesn't seem to be as many rental options in your price range.
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Old 10-10-2012, 07:48 AM
 
8 posts, read 17,589 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Glendora and Hacienda Heights are the best options on your list for being closer to work, but both have their good and bad areas. San Dimas is nice, and slightly closer to Pasadena/Cal State LA, but there doesn't seem to be as many rental options in your price range.
I have seen some very nice looking houses listed in Hacienda Heights that are relatively new and on larger lots. How does this area compare to Monrovia (where we currently live). I know that in Monrovia, the areas north of Foothill Blvd are good, but they get progressively more dicey the farther south you go. Also the area of Duarte that borders Monrovia is quite bad. Is Hacienda Heights the same way? The closer you are to the mountians (south), the nicer it is? What is the crime like in Hacienda Heights compared to Monrovia? I looked at the LaLife.com crime map, and they seem about equal. I have read posts by some people offering words of caution about Hacienda Heights on this board, so I am just wondering if they know or see something that I do not.
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