Silver Lake / Echo Park

SILVER LAKE: One of L.A.’s older streetcar suburbs, Silver Lake first developed as Ivanhoe, a transit-oriented stretch of homes and shops clustered on either side of Sunset Boulevard that was a short Pacific Electric Red Car ride from downtown. That was in the early 1900s, when cars were rare and walkability was at a premium, so much so that a system of public staircases was built to provide hilltop dwellers easy access to the businesses and streetcar stops on Sunset. The evocative name we know the neighborhood by today is a nod to former Water Board Commissioner Herman Silver, for whom the larger of the two William Mulholland-designed reservoirs at the heart of the neighborhood was named (the smaller carries on the historic “Ivanhoe” name). By 1915, with the reservoirs complete, the northern end of the neighborhood annexed by the city, and a new bridge across the Los Angeles River providing easy access to Glendale and Atwater, Silver Lake began to see more development outside of the urban strip along Sunset Boulevard.

Then, as now, killer views and convenience to downtown and Hollywood made it a popular neighborhood for creatives, who commissioned homes designed by a veritable who’s who of notable Southern California architects including Richard Neutra, John Lautner, Gregory Ain and many other greats. Their dramatic hillside homes — often cantilevered, always stylish — made Silver Lake a showcase of midcentury-modern design.The innovative architecture was a reflection of the progressive nature of the neighborhood. Silver Lake has a long history of tolerance; it’s historically been popular among the LGBT community, and the end of racially restrictive covenants in the 1940s opened up housing choices for minorities across the city, with many making a home in Silver Lake. Though the Red Cars are long gone, Sunset Boulevard is still an extremely walkable oasis, with trendy restaurants, boutiques, and bars stretching from Los Feliz to Echo Park. The reservoirs are currently undergoing a modernization process that may convert them into a promenaded recreation area akin to Echo Park. And the homes that define Silver Lake style are as in demand as ever — with prices to match. Neighborhood highlights Urban vibes: The southern half of Silver Lake is a dense, bustling shopping and entertainment district, where within a few blocks you can grab a coffee, hit the farmers market, meet friends for brunch and later that night catch a live band — all without getting in your car. Run and relax: The reservoirs are a great place to jog or walk your dog — and if plans for a revamped park on the site are realized, Silver Lake could become your next favorite place to lie in the sun. Midcentury-modern heaven: Sure, there are plenty of beautiful Spanish colonial revival homes in Silver Lake, but those glassy boxes in the hills are the real draw for arch-nerds. Neighborhood challenges Once again, gentrification rears its ugly head. When soaring demand meets low inventory, something’s gotta give, and that often means longtime residents become priced out. Many neighborhood activists are also concerned about out-of-scale in-fill development and mansionization. Expert insight John Galich, an agent with Rodeo Realty, said a lack of move-in-ready properties is one of the biggest challenges his clients face when buying in the area. “There’s not as much competition as there was a few years ago,” he said, “but there’s also much less quality inventory available.” Still, Galich sees no diminishing level of interest in the neighborhood known for its urban singularity and creative backbone, particularly among out-of-area clients. “The majority of my buyers transferring from New York are in some sort of creative field,” he said. Silver Lake “reminds them of everything that New York was.” Market snapshot Portions of the 90026, 90029 and the 90039 overlap the Silver Lake area. In March, based on 27 sales, the median price for single-family homes in the 90026 ZIP Code was $899,000. In the 90029 ZIP Code, based on 4 sales, the median price was $695,000, and in the 90039 ZIP Code the price was $850,000 based on 14 sales. Report card Ivanhoe Elementary, one of the area’s most coveted public schools, topped the list with 944 out of 1,000 in the 2013 Academic Performance Index. Thomas Starr King Middle came in at 843 and Allesandro Elementary scored 839. Micheltorena Street Elementary had a score of 741. Silver Lake profile Total population: 30,168 Diversity: Asian: 15% Black: 3% Hispanic: 29% White: 49% Other: 3% Median age: 38 Rent vs. own: 66.5% / 33.5% Median income: $68,215 Education: Bachelor’s degree: 36% Master’s or higher degree: 17% Transit: The Vermont/Beverly and Vermont/Santa Monica Metro stations are nearby. Drive times: To LAX: 25 minutes (without traffic) To Staples Center: 9 minutes (without traffic)

ECHO PARK: Home to one of Los Angeles’ most beloved parks, ground zero for Southland hipster culture and a neighborhood with a proud working-class tradition, Echo Park is simultaneously one of L.A.’s oldest and most historically significant residential districts and one of its most dynamic. Echo Park has always been popular: connected by trolleys, and later by freeways, to nearby downtown, the area has drawn an eclectic mix of homeowners and residents in the 125 years since the first subdivided lots were put up for sale near what was then known as Reservoir #4. That reservoir, like Silver Lake’s, provided the neighborhood with a focal point and a name when the city took control of it and incorporated it into a beautifully landscaped park in the 1890s. Echo Park, with its fountains, lotus beds and stupendous views of the downtown skyline, is still the heart of the neighborhood. Scenic beauty isn’t the only natural resource Echo Park was able to leverage. Oil was discovered on the southern edge of the neighborhood around the same time that the park was dedicated to the public. The Echo Park pool now sits on the site of the first oil well, a gusher that helped make the Doheny family fortune and set off the L.A. oil boom. The area was also home to early motion picture industry pioneers, with Walt Disney and Mack Sennett building studios in the Edendale area of the district, and with many early films being shot on the streets of the neighborhood. The variety of homes on offer — from cozy cottages in the flats to massive Victorian homes in Angelino Heights — and its central location made Echo Park a destination neighborhood for prominent intellectuals as well as hard-working newcomers to America, including Latinos, Filipinos and the Chinese, a tradition that carries on to today. Although the revitalization of the Sunset Boulevard corridor and the growing influx of hip, young Angelenos searching for an urban lifestyle has raised concerns about gentrification, Echo Park remains economically and racially mixed, and the feel of the neighborhood is still that of a solid working-class neighborhood that also has bars with extensive craft brew lists. Neighborhood highlights On the shores of Echo Park: One of L.A.’s most scenic neighborhood parks, Echo Park offers killer views, pedal boats and a laid-back vibe. Eat, drink and watch live music: With diverse cuisines, plenty of neighborhood watering holes and live music venues, there’s always something to do. In the heart of the city: Densely built and close to downtown, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Koreatown and Hollywood, Echo Park is a thriving urban neighborhood in the center of it all. Neighborhood challenges Rough edges: Echo Park’s authentic air comes with some of the urban ills you might expect, but overall, crime is lower than Silver Lake and Downtown. Expert insight Alex Lozano, a Realtor at John Aaroe Group, said he sees a balance between modernization and history in Echo Park. “I see the old and the new coming together comfortably here,” Lozano said, “a vibrant and growing community that treasures its past but is not stuck in time.” The marriage of cultures has spurred progressive developments such as Blackbirds, a small-lot subdivision that was completed last year. Designed by architect Barbara Bestor, the 18-unit housing project replaced five single-family homes occupying less than an acre. Market snapshot Portions of the 90003, 90012, 90026 and 90039 ZIP Codes overlap the Echo Park area. In the 90003 ZIP Code, based on 19 sales, the median price for single-family homes in April was $275,000. In the 90012 ZIP Code, the median price was $433,000 based on 5 sales; in the 90026 ZIP Code, the median price was $974,000 based on 13 sales; and in the 90039 ZIP, 11 sales resulted in a median price of $975,000. Report card Within the boundaries of Echo Park is Gabriella Charter, which scored 892 out of 1,000 in the 2013 Academic Performance Index. Clifford Street Elementary had a score of 861, and Elysian Heights Elementary scored 820. Betty Plasencia Elementary scored 786; Mayberry Street Elementary scored 780; and Logan Street Elementary came in at 745. School for the Visual Arts and Humanities scored 685.