San Marino vs. La Canada (Los Angeles, Glendale: houses, luxury, school district)

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

I disagree. The schools are the biggest draw for families in both those cities.

Keyword: Families
Families with children under 18 make up ~ 40% of the population in both these cities. What about the other 60%?
I keep trying to explain to you that there are other factors that influence where people live other than school districts. Sadly it's not sinking in.

Originally Posted by CA4Now

It's in the Pasadena Unified School District, which ranks near the bottom of the state.

A school district alone does not determine how nice a neighborhood is.

The VALUE (essentially all future benefits one obtains with ownership) of real property is affected by 4 basic forces:
Social trends
Economic circumstances
Governmental controls and regulations
Environmental conditions

Public school quality only affects one of these forces (Governmental controls and regulations) and has NOTHING to do with the other 3 (unlike say taxe levies, proximity to employment, zoning codes, etc, etc) Got the gist yet?

Originally Posted by CA4Now

Virginia Road? Yes, I believe it is.

Ok, please elaborate on the difference then?

The demographic, economic, and home property data for both those streets (and most in the Lacy Estates area) are going to be extraordinarily similar.

[DynamoLA]

Originally Posted by HyperionGap

Keyword: Families
Families with children under 18 make up ~ 40% of the population in both these cities. What about the other 60%?
I keep trying to explain to you that there are other factors that influence where people live other than school districts. Sadly it's not sinking in.

Since the OP has two school-age children, the quality of the school district will be important to the person that started this thread.

For the record I'd vote La Canada for many of the reasons already outlined by others. It's a great area with great schools, and the proximity to the mountains is fantastic (just a short drive up Angeles Crest and you feel like you are very far from L.A.).

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by HyperionGap

Families with children under 18 make up ~ 40% of the population in both these cities. What about the other 60%?

Not according to the census data I looked up. (And BTW, many retired people who raised their kids there still live in both of these cities.)

I keep trying to explain to you that there are other factors that influence where people live other than school districts.

Of course there are.

Originally Posted by HyperionGap

Get real. Get out of here. Sadly it's not sinking in. Got the gist yet?

Sorry; I don’t care to argue with you. You obviously need to see things through your own lens. I find it odd that someone in Milwaukee seems so vehement about a couple of southern CA suburbs.

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by DynamoLA

Since the OP has two school-age children, the quality of the school district will be important to the person that started this thread.

For the record I'd vote La Canada for many of the reasons already outlined by others. It's a great area with great schools, and the proximity to the mountains is fantastic (just a short drive up Angeles Crest and you feel like you are very far from L.A.).

I too would choose La Canada if I it were only between there are San Marino (I like the hills and the proximity to the trails). The point I've been trying to make is it's not a choice between only those two cities and anyone who has actually lived in the area would know that. South Pas and Arcadia both have very reputable school districts and excellent neighborhoods. Then there Sierra Madre, or Altadena where one could get more bang for your buck but will end up paying for it with the additional cost of private schools.

The OP is from Arizona and is asking advice about where to move in Los Angeles and most likely chose to look only at the cities of San Marino and La Canada because they have the highest APIs in the region. What I don't understand is why anyone *cough* CA4Now *cough* would immediately discount other areas the OP (someone unfamiliar with the area) didn't mentioned as opposed to leading him to an informed decision.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by HyperionGap

What I don't understand is why anyone *cough* CA4Now *cough* would immediately discount other areas the OP didn't mentioned as opposed to leading him to an informed decision.

And your "informed decision" is to suggest Bradbury Estates to the OP, who has school age children and is apparently making his/her decision to move based on public school rankings. You appear to want this person to send his/her kids to private schools. Why don't you tell us which private schools in the Bradbury area that you'd suggest? (Although the OP wasn't asking about private schools).

[LArenter]

I never understood Bradbury, does anyone have any insight on how it became to be? I recall back in 2010 it was listed as the #1 expensive zip code, but I just don't get it. Is it the huge lots and the fact that it is zoned for horses? The commute on the 210E to get out there is horrible, the smog heads east, and it is far from the ocean and further than downtown than other communities? What am I missing?

[genjy]

Originally Posted by LArenter

I never understood Bradbury, does anyone have any insight on how it became to be? I recall back in 2010 it was listed as the #1 expensive zip code, but I just don't get it. Is it the huge lots and the fact that it is zoned for horses? The commute on the 210E to get out there is horrible, the smog heads east, and it is far from the ocean and further than downtown than other communities? What am I missing?

I don't know... but Bradbury seems like where truly rich people "live." Famous places like Beverly Hills and Malibu are sort of where rich people would buy if they didn't know anywhere else to spend their fortunes... they are famous, safe places to invest in for the mainstream rich people.

Bradbury is off-the-radar, and some really wealthy people seem to be attracted by its non-fame. It's just an enclave for themselves because it's almost never in the spotlight.

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

And your "informed decision" is to suggest Bradbury Estates to the OP, who has school age children and is apparently making his/her decision to move based on public school rankings. You appear to want this person to send his/her kids to private schools. Why don't you tell us which private schools in the Bradbury area that you'd suggest? (Although the OP wasn't asking about private schools).

Webb, Poly or LaSalle?

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by HyperionGap

Webb, Poly or LaSalle?

Webb encourages students to board there, but the tuition for a day student will be higher than Poly's. La Salle is a Catholic high school in Pasadena (I thought the OP had kids in middle school). At any rate, if the OP lives in Bradbury Estates and choses Poly or La Salle, they'd need to get on the 210 before 6:00 am to avoid a long commute. Returning east on the 210, they will experience bumper to bumper traffic from about 2:45 to 7 pm. Side streets cut the commute by a few minutes. Poly charges tuition of around $22,000 for grades K-5 and $30,100 for gr 9-12. Depending on how many children one has, that's quite an investment, considering how high the public schools rank in La Canada and San Marino. Not worth it to many parents.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by LArenter

I never understood Bradbury, does anyone have any insight on how it became to be? I recall back in 2010 it was listed as the #1 expensive zip code, but I just don't get it. Is it the huge lots and the fact that it is zoned for horses? The commute on the 210E to get out there is horrible, the smog heads east, and it is far from the ocean and further than downtown than other communities? What am I missing?

It is a very small area as I am sure you know and has been around since, golly, the 60s maybe. I sold real estate there in the 70s. AS for the smog, we all know smog has been cleaned up: Bradbury does not have a smog problem. Of course the zoing makes it attractive, but a lot of other things do as well. Just because it isn't close to the ocean does not mean people don't want to live there. It might be hard for some to realize: not everyone in Ca is a beach lover...the same with your comment about being far from downtown, do you really think the majority of people living in the Los Angeles metro area is dieing to live near downtown?