Young black family moving to SGV, where to move? (Los Angeles: real estate, rentals)

[dmojames]

My family and I are moving from the East Coast to the SGV. My husband is pursuing an acting career and I am a physician. We have two young children, one of whom is in Kindergarten. We initially thought we'd move to Arcadia due to the locale and the great public schools however we are having difficulty "getting our foot in the door." Real estate in general seems to go very quickly (I'm sure due to the great school ratings).

Due to my job I have to be within 30 minutes of the El Monte area and my husband will be commuting to Studio City/West Hollywood area so we are trying to find an area between those two places. We are now looking into South Pasadena but are finding the same issues in terms of quick rental turnover. Our basic requirements are at least a 2bd, 2ba rental with nicer finishes and parking. More importantly we are trying to find an area with good schools however where our child won't be the only Black child in his class. We'd like him to be in a racially diverse environment that will also challenge him academically. We are to the point where we will consider paying for private school (though I'd rather not) if it will provide the diversity and academics. Our thought right now is to rent for 2 years and then hopefully save up enough to buy in the South Pasadena area. Any thoughts on neighborhoods, private schools or charter schools in the SGV would be appreciated.

[ccm123]

You have found two good neighborhoods in SGV. San Marino is another one. A little further west, La Canada and La Crescenta would also be two good areas to look. Real estate will go quick and prices are at a premium in these areas, due to the schools and neighborhood.

[HyperionGap]

If you are willing to go the private school route, expand your search to Altadena as well as the other areas already mentioned. It has a significantly larger black community than South Pas, La Canada, Arcadia, or San Marino, but it's part of Pasadena Unified so the schools are mediocre at best.

There are MANY excellent private schools in the area, with at least some level of diversity. I'm not up to date enough to what it looks like now, but the elementary school I went to in the 90's had 2 black kids out of a class of 18. This looks like a great website with all the private schools on it if you want to check some of them out.

Pasadena Area Independent Schools

[genjy]

I think Arcadia has an excellent home price to school rating ratio. You can get into a top CA school district for relatively not that much money.

Comparable homes in cities like South Pas, LCF, and San Marino would likely to sell for a lot more.

Arcadia's population is mainly Chinese and Whites--there are Black families there, but probably not enough for you to consider the city/schools diverse.

It seems there are a lot of Black families in Pasadena, but as you already know, Pasadena Unified isn't good at all. And, going to a private school in Pasadena may not guarantee the diversity you are looking for.

[Voyageuse]

San Marino, Arcadia, South Pasadena and La Canada are the best school districts in the SGV. My Hispanic kids attend the predominantly Chinese San Marino Schools (PM me if you want more feedback). We don't live in San Marino, but my husband works in the city, so they're able to attend the schools.

Of all your options, I would choose South Pasadena. Like Arcadia, So. Pas has more rentals (can't speak to availability in LC), so you might have an easier time finding a place, plus it seems to be closer to mid-point between El Monte and the Westside. SP has a funky, cool vibe, unlike pretentious San Marino. Love the SM schools, but not the parents.

[HyperionGap]

Well they probably don't like you either because you haven't enrolled your kids for Chinese weekend school and Kumon math tutoring

[Voyageuse]

Originally Posted by HyperionGap

Well they probably don't like you either because you haven't enrolled your kids for Chinese weekend school and Kumon math tutoring

LOL! The Chinese parents are actually quite friendly; the others...not so much. I actually wanted my kid to take Mandarin in high school, but I got vetoed.

[dmojames]

thanks everyone for your suggestions. i really appreciate it.

[saybanana]

You can also look into the city of Sierra Madre. Their elementary scores well, and the area is really nice, small town feel. No middle or high school so they probably go to Pasadena unified or private after elementary. There are probably some great public elementary schools in Pasadena and Los Angeles. Temple City has some great schools but is majority Asian with the next big group Latino.

[Sup Cutie]

Originally Posted by genjy

Arcadia's population is mainly Chinese and Whites--there are Black families there, but probably not enough for you to consider the city/schools diverse.

Yeah but the ethnic breakdown of kids that attend the public schools is more like 80% Asian. Your kid will not be the only black kid in school, but will probably be the only black kid in many of his or her classes.