Sylmar, the good, the bad and the ugly...please (Glendale: rent, homes)

[Flamingomo]

Hello everyone.
Need advice on Sylmar.
I heard this was a nice area for families and I see the home prices are very reasonable there. My family is looking to relocate to California this time next year, and while we will rent for a year or two to really get a feel for the right place to settle down, I was wondering if Sylmar might be the right place for us. I have three young sons ages 9, 6 and four months and of course my husband and myself. How is the school district? Are there certain areas I should avoid? Or can you suggest any other areas that might be as affordable and safe? I appreaciate any words of advice you have as I am not familiar with any part of California except for a couple fo quick trips there and from what our friends who live there tell us. None are familiar with Sylmar however.

Thanks!!!
Maureen

[Charles]

Most of the schools there are mediocre at best

California School Performance Maps

[BRinSM]

i worked in sylmar for a shore time and i can't really think of anything good about it. it is far from employment centers, schools are LAUSD (read "not good"), and it gets really hot in the summer. reasonable home prices in LA usually mean low-end, immigrant communities unfortunately, which makes it difficult to for people unfamiliar with the region.

[CamaroGuy]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

i worked in sylmar for a shore time and i can't really think of anything good about it. it is far from employment centers, schools are LAUSD (read "not good"), and it gets really hot in the summer. reasonable home prices in LA usually mean low-end, immigrant communities unfortunately, which makes it difficult to for people unfamiliar with the region.

That's about the sum of it.

[Tasksgirl]

We almost bought there, put in some offers, but in the end I just hated the vibe there, I just can't describe it but it felt .. Wrong .. Somehow. Some parts felt very hillbilly and other parts third world. There are some nicer homes up towards the mountains but they are so far from everything and also there are often big wildfires up there in those areas.

What is your budget?

I loved San Fernando.

[Tasksgirl]

The cream of the crop for families is the Santa Clarita valley if you can deal with the commute. Second is Simi valley.

Closer in check out Porter Ranch, Northridge, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena.

[genjy]

Originally Posted by Tasksgirl

The cream of the crop for families is the Santa Clarita valley if you can deal with the commute. Second is Simi valley.

Closer in check out Porter Ranch, Northridge, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena.

I really dislike how Santa Clarita is geographically isolated. Every time I drive to Valencia, it feels like I am driving to Victorville because I have to drive through a mountain to get there. That area feels so disconnected from everything else.

And those mazes they call master planned communities aren't appealing to me in the least bit.

I am not someone who likes super-duper tract housing, and Santa Clarita takes tract housing to the extreme.

[Samoi137]

Originally Posted by genjy

I really dislike how Santa Clarita is geographically isolated. Every time I drive to Valencia, it feels like I am driving to Victorville because I have to drive through a mountain to get there. That area feels so disconnected from everything else.

.

For many, that's part of the appeal: having at least a small physical barrier between their homes and the greater sprawl of the San Fernando Valley. And the "mountain" you drive through (?) to gt to Valencia is a heck of a lot smaller than going from the Ontario area to Victorville over Cajon Pass. The latter drive is a lot longer, and subject to snow delays, which are seldom the case when driving to Valencia. That being said, if someone wants to be closer to more urban activities, I could see not wanting to live in Valencia, or even the outer edges of the San Fernando Valley. When I grew up in Van Nuys, decades ago, Newhall seemed quite isolated, and Palmdale, Pearblossom, etc. at the other end of the world, but people commute from all of those places into L.A. on a regular basis (those were the deays before the Antelope Valley Freeway; we used to take Mint Canyon to get out to the desert and then over to Wrightwood for snow).

[CamaroGuy]

Originally Posted by Tasksgirl

I loved San Fernando.

Why? What was it you found so appealing?

[riiiss]

I have to drive through a mountain to get there. That area feels so disconnected from everything else.http://www.uklv.info/g.gif