5 Up and Coming LA Neighborhoods

Los Angeles is a sprawling metropolis that includes everything from Downtown/L.A. Metro, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, The Valley, to the Beach Cities. Here are five of the most up and coming neighborhoods in Los Angeles:

Mar Vista

Mar Vista is an up and coming neighborhood for families. Not only is it conveniently located for access to neighborhoods like Santa Monica, Venice, and Marina del Rey, but it also receives great marks for education. In addition to private schools, the neighborhood also offers a variety of private and parochial institutions. Mar Vista Hill may be considered expensive, but Mar Vista itself is relatively more affordable.

Palms

Palms is the oldest neighborhood annexed to Los Angeles. Palms is located on the Westside of Los Angeles, south of Beverly Hills, Rancho Park and Beverlywood and just north of Culver City. Small in size, it covers only a two-square mile area marked by signs on Venice, Robertson and Palms boulevards. There isn’t much land left to develop in the Palms area, but that isn’t to say that new construction and renovations to existing properties aren’t happening. In the past years several multi-unit mixed-use properties were constructed in the area, expanding the potential for population growth.

West Adams

When it was first developed in the late 1800s, West Adams established itself as one of L.A.’s distinguished addresses. Delighting in its proximity to downtown, wealthy businessmen built grand Victorians and stately Craftsman houses on its wide streets. In recent years, West Adams has seen a resurgence, thanks to its beauty, its central location, the expansion of the subway system, and, until recently, its somewhat reasonably priced homes (houses that listed for $600,000 just a few years ago are now $1 million-plus).

Glassel Park

This neighborhood is situated on on the North East side, and you will find plenty of housing pockets along the hills. In recent years, the neighborhood has changed dramatically. More families and college grads are moving in to the area. One of the best features of Glassell Park is the excellent commute time to Glendale and even Pasadena. Don't be intimidated by the hills; this neighborhood has affordable housing and an average population density for the city.

Leimert Park

Leimert Park is a deeply cultural part of Los Angeles, and it offers a thriving arts scene. The Spanish Colonial style homes offer a unique vibe in the master planned community, and the tree-lined streets are reminiscent of the days when children would ride their bikes from neighborhood to neighborhood. Today, Leimert Park is recovering from a high level of crime in the 1990's, establishing itself once again as a middle-class community. Recent and upcoming development also adds to the allure as Leimert Park is poised to add the Crenshaw/LAX Line's Leimert Park Station, a 111-unit modular apartment complex completed by Universal Standard Housing and an under-construction mixed-use building with 124 residential units at the Crenshaw Boulevard and Stocker Street, in addition to the recently approved redevelopment of the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.