How is the area of Encino north of Burbank Blvd? (Orange: rentals, homes)

[chixor]

Driving around there it seems cute with a lot of single family homes, but when I talk to some people from Encino they recommend living south of Ventura or south of the 101. Is there something wrong with the area north of Burbank west of the park? I honestly prefer that to the areas with lots of McMansions. The area near the park seems to also be zoned for a good elementary school.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by chixor

Driving around there it seems cute with a lot of single family homes, but when I talk to some people from Encino they recommend living south of Ventura or south of the 101. Is there something wrong with the area north of Burbank west of the park? I honestly prefer that to the areas with lots of McMansions. The area near the park seems to also be zoned for a good elementary school.

My experience is outdated as I haven’t been in the area in about a decade, but when I was there, it was a quiet tree line street with single family residences. And nary a parking space to be found on the street. Nor neighboring streets. Most residents had converted the garage to a room and parked on the street and several had multiple adults living in the home(ie at least some of the properties are rentals or renting out rooms).

Not the worst problem to have, but not really the neighborhood vibe someone wants when spending $800k+ on a home.

[socal88]

This pocket of Encino, referred to as Encino Village, is more like Lake Balboa than Encino to be frank. But I feel like folks try to get an Encino premium that isn't worth it. Mostly smaller, older homes in this pocket, although there are some newly remodeled homes.

At current prices, not exactly worth it in my opinion. Can't speak to the quality of the elementary school, but if you're looking to be in the Valley and think it's worth it to pay a little more to be zoned to a better elementary school compared to surrounding areas (e.g. Lake Balboa, Reseda), then I'd say go for it.

But other than that, not a fan of the area, especially at current price points.

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by chixor

Driving around there it seems cute with a lot of single family homes, but when I talk to some people from Encino they recommend living south of Ventura or south of the 101. Is there something wrong with the area north of Burbank west of the park? I honestly prefer that to the areas with lots of McMansions. The area near the park seems to also be zoned for a good elementary school.

I agree with you. The residential area north of Burbank and west of Balboa Park has some character (for the valley anyway) and the large, mature street trees help too.

Ignore the snobs proclaiming that Encino only exists south of the Boulevard. I am not denying for a second that the larger homes in hills above Ventura Blvd are quite nice and on certain lots have great views.

Still, there is nothing wrong with that specific hood you are looking at. Nice to have the amenity of the 1,000 plus acre park/recreation area at your doorstep as well. I can't comment on the schools.

As former Encino resident Tom Petty said:

"And it's a long day living in Reseda
There's a freeway running through the yard

All the vampires walking through the valley
Move west down Ventura Boulevard"

The only thing is the freeway doesn't actually run through Reseda...but it does run through Encino.

[BRinSM]

I lived and owned a home in that area until about 4 years ago. The neighborhood was perfectly safe, but man was it hard to commute from. On a bad day, it could take 20 minutes to get on the freeway coming down White Oak. Then I switched jobs to Warner Center and could cruise down Victory to the office, which was a breeze compared to the 101/405 interchange. Besides that, there's lots of great parks nearby and the Trader Joe's is super convenient. I could never get used to the summer heat or the awful traffic that persisted even on the weekends, but it wasn't a terrible place to live. I did use the bike path along the Orange line pretty frequently. And the school we were zoned to didn't get the best scores, but we moved away before our kids were school age, so I can't speak with first hand experience. Overall, I'd recommend it if you knew what you were getting yourself into and were okay with the drawbacks (mainly heat and traffic, which are pretty consistent across th entire valley).

[Kings Gambit]

Originally Posted by chixor

Driving around there it seems cute with a lot of single family homes, but when I talk to some people from Encino they recommend living south of Ventura or south of the 101. Is there something wrong with the area north of Burbank west of the park? I honestly prefer that to the areas with lots of McMansions. The area near the park seems to also be zoned for a good elementary school.

That area is called Encino Village. Its okay but overpriced for what you actually get. There is nothing wrong with it at all. Its probably the most affordable location in terms of single family homes you can get in Encino. As far as schools go, if you are east of Louise Ave and north of Burbank, you will be zoned to Encino elementary which is a GREAT school. If you are west of Louise, its zoned to another elementary which is no where near as good as Encino elementary.

We live in Amestoy Estates part of Encino which is just north of Ventura blvd. Its a GREAT area. You dont need to be south of Ventura blvd to be in a great location.