Let's talk about Rancho Park and Cheviot Hills
A small city of Rancho Park is conveniently located bordering Westwood in the north, Cheviot Hills in the south, West Los Angeles in the west and Century City in the east. It is about 11 miles west of Downtown LA, 10 miles to the north from LAX and only 6 miles away from the beach. The city started developing a century ago in the 1920th. It was built in the area of three former ranchos: Rincón de Los Bueyes, La Ballona, and San Jose de Buenos Ayres. Rancho Park Golf Course nearby was partially built in place of one of the above ranches. Although the city lines were shrunk in 1947 and today this Golf park is no longer within city limits, Rancho Park still proudly carries its rancho life legacy.
There are a few busy street stretches, along Pico boulevard for instance, where a new Google office is in the works, but for the most part it is a more quiet suburban area with mostly single family homes and very high walkability. One will note that the streets are mostly equipped with large deciduous trees. This makes Rancho Park one of the few places in LA where fall comes with leaf foliage. Large 19th century street lights add some charm to the area as well.
Today Rancho Park is a city of about 25000 people that are fairly reflecting the diverse community of Los Angeles. The residents are rather young with the median age of around 39 years old and median income ranks at around $136K. Over 90% of locals have a college or higher degree. (National average is around 70%.) Rancho Park is served by Los Angeles Unified School District and there are two highly graded elementary and one middle school located within the city lines. Overland Avenue Elementary has about 470 students on campus while Westwood Charter Elementary has over 750 students on record. Emerson Charter Middle school, the only public middle school in the area, is bringing up a little over 500 students. There are also a number of private schools in and nearby. Rancho Park is also in close proximity to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) that is home to about 32000 students.
Rancho Park has carried its Spanish Colonial Revival style in architecture for a long time but today it slowly accepts more modern touches expanding home sizes and reflecting the growth of the area and community.
Today Rancho Park’s 11 000 units are occupied by owners and renters in 52% to 48% proportion, which makes this community more stable and laid back in lifestyle because people move less frequently than those in higher renters populated residences. The gem of the area is Rancho Park Golf Course that was designed by William P. Bell and William Johnson that opened with the 1949 U.S.G.A. Public Links Championship and has been a host to eighteen Los Angeles Open as well as numerous LPGA and Senior tour events between 1978 and 1994. It is an 18-hole, par 71 championship course playing at 6,839 yards. The course is famous for its challenging layout that is frequently used during PGA Tour events.
Conveniently nested in the center of Westside, Rancho Park offers quick access to I-10 and I-405 by car. If by chance you choose to catch a ride to Downtown or Santa Monica there is a range of options of public transportation available: Public Metro line buses, Santa Monica bus line and Light Rail train E line (former Expo line) are all operating near Rancho Park limits.
If you would love to live in a place that is a quieter version of Los Angeles yet would like to be minutes away from most shops, schools and other activities, Rancho Park is a good fit with its perfect location and fewer traffic jams. There are plenty of local businesses to serve exquisite tastes of any kind. You can grab your morning cup of coffee from Leaff Artisan Belgian Waffles, Coffee Commissary, or Chitchat Coffee + Matcha. Residents love to order tacos from Seasalt Fish Grill, La Flama, or Taco Bell and burgers from McDonald's, Black Sheep Burgers, or Ray's. Akasha, Cafe 50's, or Chick-Fil-A are some great spots for a fun dine-in experience. Rancho Park, Los Angeles has quite a few grocery stores including Sun Market, Image Market, and Wholesome Nature Foods.
Considering all factors mentioned above, Rancho Park housing market is very competitive. According to Redfin, houses usually get offers within 46 days on the market while average time on the market is only 39 days. With median home prices around 1.8M, Rancho park homes grew 14% in the last year. Once on the market a home will almost certainly get multiple offers, some with waived contingencies. 98,7% of homes sell at asked price and 28,6% of offers sell at above market prices in the last 3 years of data. Average homes go pending within about 46 days while hot homes, the most competitive ones on the market, reach up to 4% above list price and go pending within only 24 days!
To sum it up, Rancho Park is a small neighborhood of tree-lined streets and single family homes, giving it a quiet suburban vibe. All the action in town happens along its northern border, West Pico Boulevard. Here you'll find good ethnic food options from various cuisines. Golf aficionados will enjoy being minutes from two courses nearby. With great schools, unique location in the heart of Westside and easy access to main attractions and amenities, Rancho Park keeps a very low crime rate, making it one of the most attractive places to live.