The sticks or the city? Well, both

Early Elysian Heights settlers viewed their hilltop community as a place to escape the hubbub of central Los Angeles. Today, though residents can see downtown looming through their windows, the neighborhood and its adjacent park remain a sanctuary.

Beginnings

From the founding of Los Angeles in 1781 to its first great expansion more than a century later, these hills were the highest in the city.

During the real estate boom of the 1880s, the City Council preserved Elysian Park for public use. The land just west of it, however, was gobbled up by speculators who planned to sell parcels as home lots. But those speculators soon found that, despite its beauty, the area was too remote to command high prices.

The speculators came up with a brilliant solution: They created a horse-drawn streetcar line from Temple Street, up Echo Park Avenue and into the hills.

Families started to move in. The neighborhood, named Elysian Heights after the park next door, took off.

The new residents were a diverse lot. Artists, writers and musicians lived side by side with grocers, bricklayers and factory workers. The assortment contributed to the neighborhood’s ethnic and economic mix, as well as its reputation as a haven for liberal politics. Both are still evident today.

What it’s about

The streetcars -- and the bus line that replaced them -- may have joined Elysian Heights with the city, but they did little to urbanize these wooded hills. Raccoons, coyotes, hawks and other wildlife abound in the neighborhood’s tree-lined streets and lush backyard gardens. Through traffic is rare -- try to commute through these winding streets and you’ll see why -- and there are few businesses to speak of. Steep public stairways lead to cul-de-sacs and ridge-top streets with views in all directions.

The neighborhood’s central location is key to its appeal. Residents can reach downtown in less than 10 minutes, and many moved here for that proximity.

Elysian Park is at the center of community life in the neighborhood. People with dogs walk them here, while others stroll with friends after work or on weekends. Families with children socialize at Little League games in nearby Silver Lake, and twentysomethings cluster at the coffee shops and art galleries down Echo Park Avenue.

Housing stock

Right now there aren’t many single-family homes on the market. Agents describe this as a fluke and likely to change.

A three-bedroom, 2,116-square-foot contemporary home near Elysian Park was recently on the market for $980,000. A two-bedroom, one-story cottage on one of the neighborhood’s stairway walk streets sold after being listed for $589,000.

Good news, bad news

The neighborhood has been through some rough times with gangs and property crimes. “When I first started bringing clients here in the early ‘90s,” said Prudential California Realtor Judy Oroshnik, “they’d look around and ask, ‘Why did you take me here?’ ”

As crime rates have fallen -- about 60% overall since 2000, according to the LAPD -- housing prices have soared. This has some longtime residents worried that gentrification will destroy the eclectic character of the neighborhood. Others would accept the boredom of a more suburban atmosphere in exchange for less graffiti and better schools. But it’s unlikely dramatic changes will occur soon.

Though Elysian Heights Elementary School has greatly improved its state test scores in recent years, many parents choose to send their kids elsewhere. Belmont High is overcrowded and poorly ranked, and those who can avoid it generally do.

But residents have joined together to offer an alternative. Every morning, carpools set off for magnet, charter and private schools. Parents are happy to accommodate new arrivals -- as long as they’ll drive their share.

Report card

Students through fifth grade attend Elysian Heights Elementary, which scored 805 out of 1,000 on the 2006 Academic Performance Index Base Report. They matriculate to Thomas Starr King Middle School and Belmont High School, which scored 653 and 520, respectively.

Historical values

Residential single-family resales:

Year...Median Price

1990...$173,500

1995...$137,750

2000...$169,500

2005...$562,000

2006...$627,500

*2007...$605,000

*Year to date

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sam.byker@latimes.com

Sources: DataQuick Information Systems; Judy Oroshnik, Prudential California Realty, distinctivepropertiesla.com; api.cde.ca.gov; Echo Park Historical Society, www.historicechopark.org.