Popularly nicknamed “The Chinese Beverly Hills,” the city of Monterey Park is an oasis of culture, cuisine and history in Los Angeles County’s San Gabriel Valley. The city earned its nickname in the 1980s when developers catered to newly-arrived immigrants, the vast majority of whom were from China and Taiwan. Today, the city is diverse both in its population and its character, as expressed through its themed restaurants, imported food markets and annual Cherry Blossom Festival and Cinco de Mayo celebrations. “It offers a really nice combination of suburban lifestyle and access to LA’s arts and entertainment scene,” says Realtor Fabian Garcia with Century 21 Real Estate Masters. “There are a lot of nice houses in the city, nice ambience, and if you want to catch a ballgame or visit a museum, Downtown LA and Pasadena are just fifteen minutes away.” Nearly 60,000 people call this densely inhabited city home, and Monterey Park’s compact size means greater competition within an already in-demand housing market.
Monterey Park is well-known among Angelenos for its East Asian shopping and dining.
Downtown LA is the heart of Los Angeles.
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Monterey Park’s cultural cuisines
East Garvey Avenue serves as Monterey Park’s main retail thoroughfare, and its storefronts display a gallery of international cuisines and cultural outlets. Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants, Burmese snack shops, Korean barbecue venues and Taiwanese bubble tea parlors line each sidewalk, as do shops and offices with multilingual signage. Retail forms the backbone of the local economy, whether in the form of imported food markets or the restaurant industry. In addition to East Asian flavors, Monterey Park is also home to several Mexican and Salvadoran eateries near the Pomona Freeway. This diverse offering of culinary outlets is matched only by Monterey Park’s wealth of shopping centers. The Atlantic Times Square, a large outdoor mall, is the largest at 200,000 square feet, and it hosts the city’s AMC theater, the Asian-themed GW Supermarket and several cafes. Other supermarket options include Ralphs and 99 Ranch Market.
99 Ranch Market provides convenient grocery shopping in Monterey Park at N Atlantic and Garvey.
Beijing Pie House in Monterey Park is highly rated among Monterey Park diners.
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Home prices below California's median
Monterey Park’s housing stock tells the story of a city with origins in the 1920s, a major growth phase in the 1960s, a housing boom in the 1980s and a condo-building period during the 2020s. Condos and townhouses have sold for between $410,000 and $1.25 million, while fully detached residences built from the 1920s to the 2000s sell for between $541,000 and $2.1 million. With a median home price of $880,000 and ample distance from some of Los Angeles’ most popular landmarks, Monterey Park is relatively less expensive than Los Angeles, which has a median home price of $1.05 million. Monterey Park’s streets are full of single-story, pastel-colored homes with small fences and front yards, sidewalk access and small driveways. The western half of Monterey Park is primarily residential, with larger homes sitting on hillsides that offer commanding views of the rest of Los Angeles County.
Residents of Monterey Park may enjoy a view facing the mountains.
Condos and apartments are also available in Monterey Park for convenient living options.
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Cherry Blossom Festival at Barnes Park
Dozens of small parks across Monterey Park preserve small pockets of nature and, as in the case of Sequoia Park, feature Japanese gardens as well as playgrounds and sports fields. Barnes Park, located near the heart of the city, doubles as the city’s events center. The Cherry Blossom Festival is held every April, celebrating Japanese culture through cuisine, nature and crafts. The park also hosts the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration, which features live mariachi music in addition to Mexican cuisine. Every Thursday this same park hosts the local Farmers’ Market.
Local farmers proudly display their seasonal harvests at Monterey Park's farmers market.
Barnes Park, located in the city's center, also serves as the hub for local events.
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A-rated education at Keppel High
Four school districts serve Monterey Park; the Alhambra Unified School District and LA Unified School District each score A ratings from Niche, while the Garvey School District receives a B and Montebello Unified School District a C-plus. Mark Keppel High School, which serves both Alhambra and Garvey students, sports an A rating from Niche, ranking among that website’s top 30 standout high schools across California. Monterey Park is also home to East Los Angeles College, which serves over 35,000 students and is also one of the city’s largest employers.
East Los Angeles College or ELAC is a main college in East Los Angeles.
Mark Keppel High School is a highly rated, public school.
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Crime is lower than the California average
According to the FBI, Monterey Park's crime rate is far below the national median and state median. The city has a history of wildfires and offers disaster preparedness classes.
Spirit Bus and Metrolink
Monterey Park is surrounded by major highways, including Interstates 10 and 710. It is an 8-mile drive into both downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena. The 70 bus provides a public transit alternative for downtown travel, while the 260 bus heads north into Pasadena. The Metrolink’s Cal State LA Station is located at the northwest edge of Monterey Park, carrying passengers as far west as Union Station and past San Bernardino to the east.
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