Town, Los Angeles County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 91001, 91003
Bedroom community above (alta) or north of Pasadena in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Mix of low-, middle- and high-income homes. www.mccormacks.com
Unincorporated. A town, not a city. Census population 44,728. Median age of residents is 37. Under 18 years, 27 percent. Over 55 years, 22 percent. Rounded community.
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School rankings low to middling (but deceptive).
Crime not tracked by the FBI but the demographics say suburban average, with possibly some streets suffering more incidents than others. Patrolled by sheriff’s deputies. Sheriff's substation. See Crime.
Altadena, started in the 1880s, is one of the oldest communities in the county and offers housing styles across 100 years. About 34 percent of the town was built before 1940, about 45 percent between 1940 and 1960. Single homes make up about 75 percent of the housing stock. Locals try to preserve oldest homes.
The town starts about 800 feet and rises to about 2,000 feet. This gives Altadena a genuine feeling of being up there. www.mccormacks.com
Lake Avenue, which runs north to south, roughly divides the housing styles of the town. West of Lake, the homes are a mix of low- and middle-income units interspersed with residences that jump up the scale.
East of Lake, you will find some of the loveliest homes in the county: mansions and large ranchers, exquisitely maintained, many of them positioned on hills and small ravines to command views. Loads of trees and shrubs and hedges and foliage. Plenty of shade. Pleasing neighborhoods.
Altadena is a town that needs to be driven to appreciate its housing diversity. It's noted for its Tudor cottages — 180 of them are located on the northwest side. Many of the older, smaller homes are in great shape. Some of the homes that were built in later decades are not.
Education by the Pasadena School District. Rankings, state comparison, for Burbank and Altadena Elementary schools run generally from the 20th to 60th percentile. Bond, $240 million, passed to renovate all schools in district. At least two elementaries in Altadena are being closed; declining enrollment. A charter school may take over one campus. Check with district.
Regarding the scores, the demographics for the affluent east side suggests high scores but the local schools do not reflect this. This might mean that the children have transferred to other schools or are attending private schools. See Schools.
Golf course, about a half-dozen parks, Christmas parade and tree lighting. Altadena has its own shops and services and neighboring Pasadena offers a great variety of cultural and artistic activities.
About 14 miles to downtown L.A. Freeways can be picked up in Pasadena. Close to California Institute of Technology. www.mccormacks.com
For orientation on cities, towns and neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, see County Overview.
Chamber of commerce: (626) 794-3988.
Community web site: www.aaaim.com/altadena/
