Annexed to the City of Los Angeles in 1895, Highland Park is one of the oldest settles communities in Los Angeles.  It is bordered by the hills Mount Washington and Montecito Heights, and includes the neighborhoods of Garvanza and Mount Angeles.

With the long distance views of the San Gabriels to the east and Downtown LA to the west, Highland Park runs along the Arroyo Seco corridor.  In the 1800′s this was a scenic drive for folks traveling from Pasadena and beyond to LA proper. In the 1930′s it became the Pasadena Fwy, the first built in the city.

Highland Park has always been attractive to artist and pioneers. Charles Lummis built his home El Alisal, Clyde Browne built his Abbey San Encino, the Judson Studios arrived in the late 1800′s and in 1903 a group of influential women created the Highland Park Ebell Club, which today still functions as a community hall. The second location of Occidental College which gave rise to ‘academic row’, a collection of beautiful Craftsmans on Sycamore Terrace (here’s a sample!)

Today Highland Park is experiencing a revival of it’s art scence with NELAart 2nd Saturday. With a growing art and food scene and great central location, it’s no surprise so many find Highland Park a wonderful community to be a part of.

• Liz Blogs about Highland Park
• Highland Park Heritage Trust
• NELAart

Real Estate Market Stats

Zillow Home Value Index: $467,600

Zillow Home Value Index

Owners vs. Renters

Home Size in Square Feet

Year Built

	Local	National
Zillow Home Value Index	$467,600	$158,300
Median Single Family Home Value	$474,300	$158,400
Median Condo Value	$198,000	$156,300
Median 2-Bedroom Home Value	$433,600	$118,100
Median 3-Bedroom Home Value	$500,800	$151,600
Median 4-Bedroom Home Value	$536,400	$250,800
Percent Homes Decreasing	1%	26%
Percent Listing Price Reduction	7.6%	27%
Median List Price Per Sq Ft	$372	$99
Median List Price	$440,000	$195,000
Median Sale Price	$426,800	$202,100
Homes For Sale	0	0
Homes Recently Sold	18	332,415
Property Tax	$2,475	$2,086
Turnover (Sold Within Last Yr.)	4.3%	3.5%
Median Value Per Sq Ft	$354	$111
1-Yr. Change	31.8%	5.2%
Homes For Sale By Owner	0	0
New Construction	0	0
Foreclosures	0	0

See Highland Park, Los Angeles home values at Zillow.com
Check out California mortgage rates on Zillow

Schools

Local Content from NileGuide

Things to See and Do

Sycamore Grove Park

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Heritage Square Museum

(read more)

Galco’s Soda Pop Stop

This historic grocery store was founded at a downtown location 100 years and moved to its current site in Highland Park 50 years ago. It came into its present form when the current owner John Nese was pressured by Pepsi to stock a preponderance of Pepsi products. John Nese did exactly the opposite and created this soda emporium that carries all sorts of esoteric brands and varieties of soda. The s… (read more)

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Map of Things to See and Do

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Suggested Trip Itineraries

Best After-Hours Eats in LA

The eateries collected here serve food until at least 1:30am; some are even open 24 hours a day. They are great places for a late night snack!

(Photo of the Original Pantry courtesy of Kevitivity on flickr)
read more about Best After-Hours Eats in LA (read more – PDF guide)

Studio Tours

Please note the individual details in the entries. Advance tickets are required for the Paramount Tour and recommended for many of the rest. The KCET tour is for KCET members only (membership is $40 and you need to receive a membership card through the mail). The prices for the other tours vary from free for the Paramount Ranch (which is a park now) to $35 for the Paramount Tour.

Do not try to d… (read more – PDF guide)

Art Deco LA

During the golden years of Art Deco, Los Angeles was growing at a tremendous rate and construction in the area was booming. Accordingly, L.A. is a treasure trove of Art Deco architecture, with buildings in the zigzag, classic moderne, and streamline moderne styles. Downtown and the Mid-Wilshire area are especially rich in this respect, although there is Art Deco everywhere throughout L.A.

Day on… (read more – PDF guide)

Griffith Park Attractions

Perched between the Los Feliz and Hollywood neighborhood and the San Fernando Valley, Griffith Park is a destination with something for everyone. In this very large park are museums, a zoo, the famous Griffith Observatory, the Greek Theater, some golf course and much more.

Day 1 of this guide will help you to locate some of the sites in the park.

Day 2 lists some nearby destinations worth chec… (read more – PDF guide)

Low-key Los Angeles Bars

Here I have collected a number of Los Angeles dive and neighborhood bars. Not every night is the occasion for champagne, high heels and glitter! Sometimes you just want to find a no-frills place to have a beer or a stiff drink and maybe even meet some locals. There are a bunch of somewhat friendly hole-in-the-wall bars here in Los Angeles, this list is just to get you started on a low-key night ou… (read more – PDF guide)

Pacific Beaches in LA

Day 1 lists the Malibu beaches, starting close to the city and heading up the coast.

Day 2 lists the Santa Monica and beach cities beaches, starting in Santa Monica and heading south.
read more about Pacific Beaches in LA (read more – PDF guide)

Southern California AAA Five Diamonds (2011)

Day One — Restaurants
Day Two — Hotels

Please note:

– The Four Seasons no longer manage the Four Seasons Aviara Resort, it is now run by Park Hyatt and the proper link is: Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Carlsbad

– I included a listing for the Spa at the Island Hotel Newport Beach; the link to the hotel proper is: Island Hotel Newport Beach

– The Montage Beverly Hills and Studio, Laguna Beach a… (read more – PDF guide)

Walking L.A.

Forget about hiking or even taking a steep uphill walk. That all is too much effort!

This list is about places where you can embark on a pleasant, civilized stroll and take in the local scene. The destinations include shopping areas, religious sites, parks, old mansions, and beaches. Get outta the car and experience L.A. by foot at these low-key places!

The walks below are more or less ordered … (read more – PDF guide)

Budget Travel in Los Angeles

Los Angeles can be experienced on the cheap: there is memorable sight-seeing here and great affordable ethnic food. Generally speaking, prices rise as you head west in the city. (Don’t let this keep you away from the ocean; the Pacific is a must see and no one can charge admission.) The Getty Center is included here as it’s affordable–you just pay for parking–and it is a whole lotta museum!

M… (read more – PDF guide)

Gardens of Los Angeles

All the sunshine here does not go to waste! Given a little care and water, plants will thrive in Los Angeles. For a break from all that asphalt, here are some gardens worth checking.

Photo of peacock at Los Angeles Arboretum courtesy of Zabowski
read more about Gardens of Los Angeles (read more – PDF guide)