Close-In Affordability in ‘Friendly Place’ : Pico Rivera: Strong affection residents feel for community is apparent by how many of them stay put or move within area.

Debbie Molina was ecstatic when she and her husband, Dan, found their first home. “I couldn’t believe we could afford such a nice house,” she said. “We started out looking for a condo and our realtor said, ‘Why not try to buy a small house instead?’ ”

“We found a property that had just fallen through escrow so the owner was anxious to sell. It needed a lot of work, but the house is in a nice neighborhood where Danielle, Dan’s 8-year-old daughter, can safely ride her bike and play with other children outdoors,” Molina said.

The Molinas settled in Pico Rivera, situated 11 miles east of Los Angeles, and convenient to Debbie Molina’s job in a downtown brokerage office and Dan’s work as an alarm technician in Cerritos.

Surrounded by natural barriers on three sides: the Rio Hondo River to the west, Whittier Narrows Dam to the north and the San Gabriel River to the east, Pico Rivera has 60,000 residents, 80% of whom have Latino origins.

When the Molinas found their first home, they didn’t mind the fixing up it required. “Sure, we had to put a lot of paint on the walls and repair the roof,” Dan Molina said, “but all our friends helped us with the hard jobs.”

The Molinas take an extra pleasure in owning their own home because of the special sacrifice they made to buy it: They were secretly married but lived separately for a year to save up a down payment. “Dan and his daughter stayed with his folks, and I stayed with mine, while we saved the money an apartment would have cost. We didn’t tell anyone we were married until we were ready to go house-hunting,” Molina said.

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The Molinas bought in a town that one long-time resident calls “the friendliest place in the U.S.A.” Vivian Kimbrough moved to the area in 1939 and began her career as a realtor selling homes in a small development on the north side of town. She has watched the small, separate communities of Pico and Rivera merge and then grow into today’s mature city.

“People here tend to stay put,” Kimbrough said with pride. “They often trade houses up or down depending on family needs.” She attributes Pico Rivera’s success in keeping its homeowners to the strong affection they feel for the community. “There’s a pride in this town that’s always kept it in an upward motion,” Kimbrough said. “We’ve never had a problem getting citizens to serve on committees and parents are involved in the success of the schools.” Kimbrough served on the school board for 16 years and has been involved in many community organizations.

Today’s eight-square-mile Pico Rivera began as two ranching communities. Pico was named after Don Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of California. His former home, Casa de Governor Pio Pico, is a state historic park located just across the San Gabriel River in Whittier.

The southern part of town was named Rivera, meaning “between two rivers,” by a developer early in the century.

Pico and Rivera were still small settlements after World War II when developers began buying up the orange and avocado groves and building houses. Thelma Watkins and her husband bought a large lot in Rivera and built a 2,500-square-foot house for $8,000 in 1953. “In those days we felt like we were living in the country,” she said. “I loved the smell of orange blossoms when I walked through the groves on the way to church.”

Jim and Jane Patronite bought the first of their three Pico Rivera homes in 1948. The Patronites liked the fact that the city was ethnically diverse. “From the time the city was first formed, all ethnic groups were welcome,” said Jim Patronite. “That continues to this day.” Patronite, chief executive officer of Azusa Engineering, served four terms as Pico Rivera’s mayor.

By the mid-1950s neighboring cities began to eye the growing unincorporated communities of Pico and Rivera. Chamber of Commerce members in the two towns decided to unite to prevent being annexed to nearby cities and losing their identity. With voter approval Pico Rivera was incorporated in 1958.

When families who bought the original post-war houses began to move up, they tended to head east where tracts of upgraded houses were being built in Whittier and La Habra. Gradually during the 1960s and ‘70s Pico Rivera attracted a largely Latino population.

Prices for a two-bedroom, one-bath starter home built in the early ‘50s begin at $140,000, according to Dolores Ruedas, an agent with Century 21 Sweet & Co. Realtors. Newer three- or four-bedroom homes are available for $275,000 while the highest-priced home is currently listed at $295,000. It has four bedrooms, 2 3/4 baths, den, formal dining room and fireplaces in all the bedrooms.

Although Pico Rivera faces the same gang problems as neighboring towns Montebello, Whittier and Santa Fe Springs, “there’s not a lot of random violence in town,” said a gang specialist with the Sheriff’s Department. “Most assaults come from gang members preying on intended victims.”

City officials work to eradicate gang graffiti as quickly as it appears and to offer young people alternatives to gang activity. “We really value children in this community and provide recreational experiences so they will have plenty to do,” said Linda Zorrilla, the city’s youth services supervisor. Six local Pico Rivera parks and schools host afternoon sports programs. “Thousands of parents have gotten involved and helped organize sports leagues in our parks,” said Jim Patronite.

Good city services and reasonable prices persuaded Jose and Sandra Garcia to buy a home in Pico Rivera last summer. The Garcias, both 45, work outside the city. Sandra is a purchasing manager for a paper distributor and Jose rebuilds carburetors. “We feel like we stole our house. It has 2,000 square feet, a swimming pool, a big lot, and we only paid $175,000,” Sandra Garcia said. “When I come home, I feel like I’ve escaped from the pressure of the real world. My home brings my sanity back.”

“Another plus of living in Pico Rivera is having neighbors who say, ‘If you need anything, call us.’ There’s a real sense of community here,” Garcia said.

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The commercial center of town stretches along Whittier Boulevard between Paramount and Passons boulevards. Seven years ago a redevelopment project upgraded the entire area and brought in grocery, department and specialty stores and expanded parking.

“Shopping is much easier now that we have more stores to choose from,” said Vivian Kimbrough. “And it’s so much more pleasant to shop in a center that’s beautiful.”

But the heart of Pico Rivera is its high school, located on Passons Boulevard, a north-south street running through much of town. El Rancho High School with its 2,600-member student body is a source of great pride to most residents, even those without children.

“We have an incredibly strong parental support group for the high school,” said El Rancho Assistant Principal Julie Ellis.

A member of the class of 1964, Ellis said, “Graduates believe so much in what the school stands for that they want to return to teach and give some of it back. Over 25% of our total staff, classified and certified, graduated from El Rancho,” including the principal.

El Rancho’s students win prizes in a variety of competitions, Ellis said. The school placed in the Top 10 in this year’s Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon, the athletic teams advance to CIF playoffs 80% of the time and drama teacher Stan Wlasick’s students consistently win top prizes in Southland drama competitions.

And last spring, 110 students on the team from El Rancho won first place in the Rock Challenge, an eight-minute interpretive dance competition co-sponsored by the state Department of Education.

Longtime resident Jess Zapien, 54, has watched many changes in the 28 years since he bought his first house in Pico Rivera. One of the changes he likes the most is the landscaping in the islands separating parts of heavily traveled Whittier and Rosemead boulevards.

Three years ago Zapien traded up from a three-bedroom home to a large, older house that had been built in the midst of avocado groves. He and his wife, Elvia, refurbished the 3,900-square-foot house over a period of 18 months. “When we decided to move to a larger home, we could have moved anywhere,” Zapien said. “But all our friends live in Pico Rivera. We’re close to our business, VIP Registration (an auto registration service) and everybody knows us.”

The Zapiens enjoy their roomy, updated 1920s house. “It reminds us of the past when this entire area was farming and dairy land,” Zapien said. “Now it’s a good community for raising a family. And after our three boys grew up, it was a good place for us to stay.”

At a Glance

Population 1992 estimate: 59,117

Median age: 29.2 years

Annual income Per capita: 10,454 Median household: 34,383 Household distribution Less than $30,000: 43.0% $30,000 - $60,000: 38.8% $60,000 - $100,000: 16.2% $100,000 - $150,000: 1.5% $150,000 +: 0.4%