Luxury Living Spotlight: San Marino, Pasadena, & South Pasadena

A mere stone's throw from Los Angeles is the Pasadena area, an infusion of suburban safety complete with the benefits and perks of living in a smaller sized city. A few of the most spectacular places in this region are San Marino, Pasadena, and South Pasadena. Perhaps most noted for the annual New Years Day Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl, "The City of Roses" and its surrounding areas are especially safe and clean, have countless shopping destinations, spectacular restaurants and fantastic public school districts. What more could you ask for? 

San Marino and South Pasadena both have two of the highest ranked public school districts in California . In September of 2015, San Marino Unified ranked number one in all of Los Angeles County's districts in the new Common-core aligned statewide test scores. San Marino Unified also ranked number one in California in the new California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress . South Pasadena Unified ranked close behind at number five in California. Prefer private or parochial schools? Pasadena has a wide array of phenomenal schools, from elementary to high school levels, including two of the country's best: Pasadena Polytechnic and Westridge School. Polytechnic is a kindergarten through 12th grade co-ed private school ranking number two on the list of 75 schools in L.A. County. Westridge School, an all-girls private school , ranked number seven in L.A. County . There are numerous options, both private and public, for your children to receive some of the best education the country has to offer!

Particularly famous in these three cities are colonial and Craftsman style homes. Both beautiful in their own right, this region is rich with history and homeowners show this with great pride through their home designs, which reflect this tradition. Greene and Greene, the famous designers of the Gamble House, as well as Reginald Johnson, Myron Hunt and Sylvanus Marston are all notable architects arguably responsible for making Pasadena the vibrant community it is today. Home values in Pasadena are consistently valued at over 46% greater than California's average home. While San Marino does not have nearly as many Craftsman style homes, this quieter town certainly does not disappoint when it comes to beauty. Named after the Republic of San Marino, Italy, this exclusive city's homes homes are ranked as some of the highest valued properties in the nation.

With its incredible weather and very low crime rates, the Pasadena, South Pasadena and San Marino area is extremely livable with much to do. The annual Tournament of Roses parade is a mere day in the life for residents here, who tend to be very active in their communities through charitable organizations, golf and tennis, and many children's activities.