Highland Park
Vibrant, historic, and surprisingly serene.
Vibrant on the main streets. Peaceful on the side streets.
Highland Park moves at two speeds. Along York Boulevard and Figueroa Street, independent restaurants, coffee bars, and one-of-a-kind shops set the tone, and somehow it has never lost its character (may it always stay that way). Turn off the main streets and everything slows down: quiet blocks of century-old Craftsmans and hillside streets that open up to canyon views.
It shares a lot with neighboring Mt. Washington: the hills, the history, and the creative spirit. I'm Breanne Wahl, a real estate agent with ACME | SERHANT., and I sell homes here in Highland Park.
a few Places Within
Garvanza
Highland Park's northeast corner and one of the oldest settlements in Northeast Los Angeles, laid out in 1886 and named for the garbanzo fields that once grew here. It sits inside the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, and it's home to Judson Studios, making stained glass here since 1920.
Mount Angelus
Hillside streets developed in the early 1900s by Cora Scott Pond Pope, a suffrage organizer turned real estate developer. Many of the streets honor leaders of the women's suffrage movement, and public stairways cut through the hills.
York and Figueroa
The two main streets. Figueroa is the historic main drag, home to the 1925 Highland Theatre and Highland Park Bowl, open since 1927. York is lined with small restaurants, coffee shops, and independent boutiques.
The Hills
Above the flats, the hills hold hillside homes with canyon and city views. Some streets get steep and narrow, so I always walk buyers through access and parking before they fall in love.
Thinking about buying or selling in Highland Park?
One of Los Angeles' first suburbs.
Developers George W. Morgan and Albert H. Judson put the Highland View and Highland Park tracts on the market.
The San Gabriel Valley Railroad opened through the area, bringing the first wave of new residents. A year later, the Rogers brothers subdivided Garvanza, named for the garbanzo bean fields that once grew there.
Highland Park became the City of Los Angeles' first true expansion when it was annexed, and Southern California's first interurban electric railway opened through it.
Occidental College was holding classes on its Highland Park campus. It moved to its current home in Eagle Rock in 1914.
Charles Lummis moved his Southwest Museum to Highland Park, the city's first museum in its first suburb.
Judson Studios moved into its Garvanza building, where the family still makes stained glass today.
The Highland Theatre and Highland Park Bowl opened on Figueroa. Both are still neighborhood landmarks.
The Arroyo Seco Parkway opened along the neighborhood's edge, one of the first freeways in the country.
The Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ was adopted. Today it's the largest historic preservation zone in Los Angeles.
The Gold Line, now the Metro A Line, opened its Highland Park station at Avenue 57.
Homes I've Sold
A 1940 home near Garvanza, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Sold for $1,595,000.
A 1947 home, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Sold for $1,170,000.
A 1984 condo, 1 bedroom, 2 baths. Sold for $465,000.
A 1923 home, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Sold for $430,000.
Buying and selling in Highland Park: FAQ
What is Highland Park known for?
Its main streets, York Boulevard and Figueroa Street, are lined with independent restaurants, coffee shops, and small businesses. It's also one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, with Craftsman and Victorian homes, many of them inside the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ.
What is the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ?
A Historic Preservation Overlay Zone adopted in 1994 and later expanded. It covers about 4,000 structures, making it the largest HPOZ in Los Angeles. Exterior changes to homes inside it go through design review, so I always check whether a home is in the zone before we write an offer.
Is Highland Park next to Mt. Washington?
Yes. They're neighbors that share hillsides, canyon views, and a lot of early Los Angeles history, but Highland Park has its own identity, with two lively main streets and quiet residential blocks. I help buyers and sellers in both.
Can you get downtown from Highland Park without a car?
Yes. The Metro A Line stops at Highland Park Station, at Avenue 57 and Marmion Way, with trains to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and up to Pasadena.
What's the difference between Highland Park and Mt. Washington?
Highland Park has two lively main streets, flatter blocks near Figueroa and York, and its own hills and historic pockets like Garvanza and Mount Angelus. Mt. Washington is almost all hillside, with narrow, winding streets and big views.
Does Breanne Wahl sell homes in Highland Park?
Yes. I sell homes in Highland Park, with past sales on Church Street, High Street, Echo Street, and Hub Street. I specialize in Northeast Los Angeles, plus Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Los Feliz, and I'm right there with clients wherever else in Los Angeles their search takes them.
“She's incredibly communicative but comes with solutions so you don't have to stress!”
Thinking about buying or selling in Highland Park?
Let's talk. I'll meet you for coffee on York, walk the blocks with you, or pull comps for your street.