Where East Meets West

After looking at new housing developments in several Southern California cities, including Huntington Beach, Eric Teoh and his wife, Michelle, settled on the San Gabriel Valley community of Rowland Heights and moved into their new 2,900-square-foot home in September.

“One of the things that attracted us the most was the neighborhood. It was nice driving up here,” said Eric Teoh. “We liked the view of the house we bought. It faces the southwest looking at LAX and Palos Verdes. We also liked the price. We had looked at homes in Huntington Beach for about the same money, and they are in the area that recently had floods.”

The Teohs paid in the high $300,000s for their six-bedroom, three-bath home.

The couple, who both work in Orange County, were initially concerned about the commute south. “We thought the drive would be a nightmare on the freeways,” said Eric Teoh, who works in Rancho Dominguez as a laboratory manager for Techmer PM. “But if you travel the surface streets, Beach Boulevard, Imperial Highway, and you hit the lights, it’s much quicker.” Michelle Teoh is a store manager for Peaktron, a computer company, and she drives to Westminster.

Another attraction of Rowland Heights for the Teohs is shopping in the Chinese business section on Colima Boulevard. Asian businesses have burgeoned on a one-mile section of this busy thoroughfare that parallels the Pomona Freeway, which is the boundary between Rowland Heights and City of Industry to the north. The western border is unincorporated Hacienda Heights, and on the east is the city of Diamond Bar. The hills to the south, where new homes are being built, are in unincorporated Los Angeles County.

“On Colima, it’s like going into a Chinese community. There are lots of restaurants, supermarkets,” Eric Teoh said. “It’s a totally different culture.”

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Witnesses to a changing culture have been John Rowland IV and the Rowland family as they continue to have a presence in the community named after them.

Rowland Heights is situated on what was once part of La Puente Rancho, a 48,790-acre land grant made in 1842 to pioneers John Rowland and William Workman. The two families operated the property as a cattle ranch until the great flood of 1861-62, which was followed by two years of drought, and raising cattle was curtailed. Within a few years there were wheat fields and extensive vineyards.

In 1868 the property was divided, and Rowland’s portion included the area that now bears the Rowland name. The Rowland family had returned to raising cattle on their land and, by the turn of the century, one of the biggest annual events in the area was the spring roundup held by the Rowland Cattle Co.

The Rowland home, built by John Rowland II at the turn of the century, is still standing in good condition and is maintained by caretakers.

John Rowland III lived in the home until he died in the 1960s. “My son, John Rowland V, lives in a house next to that home,” said John Rowland IV, who with his wife, Livinia, now lives in neighboring Diamond Bar. His grandson, John Rowland VI, lives in the nearby city of Walnut and has a 2-year-old son, John Rowland VII.

“We still have about 100 acres, but we have developed shopping centers,” said John Rowland IV. He noted that it was in the 1940s that struggling farmers began selling their land to developers, and the freeways helped open up access. By 1990 the population had grown to 42,657, and the Asian population represented 26.9%.

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About two years ago, Mary Ann and George Kung learned about Rowland Heights, and in January they moved into their new 3,000-plus-square-foot five-bedroom, four-bath home. Their first child, a son, was born shortly thereafter.

“We also wanted to move to Rowland Heights because this is a good location for our jobs. My husband is president of All U Communications Inc. in El Monte,” said Mary Ann Kung, who is a sales administrator for Delsun International Inc. in Industry, an easy commute for the new mother.

“We had looked at other new homes being built. I love this one. We have a city lights view from the living room and one bedroom. The kitchen has a center island, and we have a roomy family room.”

There are four builders with projects in the hills to the south in Rowland Heights. Shea Homes is building City Lights; S & S Construction has Rancho El Dorado II; Greystone Corp. is building Summit and the Akins Cos. has Ridgemoor Crest. New homes range from the high $200,000s to the high $400,000s, and many offer spectacular views.

Home prices were much lower and the area far different when Annette Favata moved to the young community with her then-husband and three daughters in 1969. “When we bought this house in Rowland Heights, the Pomona Freeway ended at Fullerton Road,” she recalled. Favata said they paid $36,000 for their 2,700-square-foot five-bedroom, three-bath home. She noted that neighbors down the street recently sold a similar house for $225,000. Favata, who is a Farmers Insurance Group agent with an office in West Covina, noted the influx of the Asian residents into Rowland Heights and in her neighborhood as well.

“Out of the 20 original homes, six or seven are now owned by Asians. They tend to be quiet neighbors,” she said.

Lily Farooqi, an agent with Prudential California Realty in Rowland Heights, has been selling real estate in the community since the early 1980s.

She noted that home prices in Rowland Heights range from $90,000 up to $900,000. “At the high end, priced at $849,000, is a 3.5-acre property with a six-bedroom five-bath, four-car garage home that would be suitable for horse property. At the low end is a three-bedroom, one-bath fixer-upper priced at $115,000. That would be an exceptionally low price for this type home.”

Of 282 properties listed for sale, the median price was $189,000. Geri Wong-Kleinpell, also with the Prudential California Realty in Rowland Heights, described a typical home at that price. “We have a three-bedroom, two-bath home with 1,883 square feet listed at $189,000. Another at the same price has 1,528 square feet with four bedrooms and a family room and a swimming pool. At $191,000 there is a 1,881-square-foot, four-bedroom home with a family room.” At this price range, a view would not be a feature. “With a view, the price goes up,” she said.

Finding a suitable property on which to maintain their horses was the goal of Carl and Linda Mason when they decided to relocate from Downey to Rowland Heights in 1986.

“We bought a fixer-upper 2,200-square-foot house with four bedrooms, two baths, on 2 1/2 acres,” said Carl Mason, who retired five years after they moved to Rowland Heights. “We paid about $200,000 for the property, but we have remodeled and updated both the house and the barns.

“We have access to the Skyline Trail, and we can go from here to Otterbein Park and directly onto Mount SAC Trails for trail riding.

“A lot of people in Rowland Heights don’t even know this street exists. When people drive into our area, they think they’re in the country.”

The Masons appreciate the country living but also the convenient shopping available. “If you can’t find it on Colima or Gale in Rowland Heights, you can’t find it anywhere.”

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Rowland Heights Home Sale Data

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Sample Size (for 10-year period) 5,553 Ave. home size (square feet) 1,782 Ave. Year Built 1971 Ave. No. Bedrms 3.57 Ave. No. Baths 2.28 Pool 17% View homes 10% Central air 41% Floodzone 44% Price Range (1995-96) $92,000-590,000 Predominant Value $194,000 Age Range 5-79 years Predominant Age 25 years

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Average Sales Data

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Year Total $ per Median Sales sq. ft. price 1996* 39 $109.44 $210,502 1995 419 $113.03 $204,755 1994 431 $117.63 $202,236 1993 267 $125.80 $232,491 1992 432 $137.88 $228,297 1991 527 $141.82 $246,392 1990 542 $147.24 $250,547 1989 744 $145.82 $245,888 1988 1,144 $114.06 $196,873 1987 1,008 $91.84 $163,850

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*1996 data current through January. Source: TRW Redi Property Data, Anaheim