A single road to another state of mind

As Glendale has grown and urbanized, a small canyon on its outskirts has sheltered a bygone era. The area’s natural beauty and traditional charm have been drawing residents -- and keeping them -- since the 1920s, creating a tight-knit community.

Beginnings

Glenoaks Canyon’s chaparral-covered hillsides were still owned by ranchers when construction began there more than 80 years ago.

Los Angeles was booming, and new routes to the city’s northeast allowed residents to enjoy quiet lives in the foothills while commuting each day to jobs downtown.

Investors snapped up much of the land, and by 1923 subdivided lots were for sale -- and garnering rave reviews. Families moved in, and within two decades most of the neighborhood’s Spanish and ranch-style homes had been built.

What it’s about

Locals emphasize the role geography has played in shaping the culture. The canyon has only one entrance, which helps to deter would-be criminals and in residents’ minds sets it firmly apart from the city at its doorstep.

The San Rafael Hills surrounding Glenoaks furnish the neighborhood with plenty of wildlife, including skunks, coyotes, deer, owls and bobcats. Residents often encounter critters on their streets and hillsides and, occasionally, in their backyards.

Golf and tennis lovers socialize at the Scholl Canyon Golf Course just up Glenoaks Boulevard. For residents with kids, Glenoaks Park -- with its playground, picnic areas, tennis courts and recreation center -- is a social nexus of the neighborhood.

Parents also meet through the local elementary school and at baseball games organized by the Foothill Little League. Others connect through the Glenoaks Canyon Homeowners Assn., which sponsors yearly events, including a pancake breakfast and a dog parade.

Since Glenoaks has little traffic (and few sidewalks), warm summer nights bring many residents into the middle of the streets, children and pets in tow, strolling and chatting long past dark. The neighborhood comes together for lavish Halloween celebrations, which draw trick-or-treaters from far outside the canyon.

Insider’s view

Clara Rodriguez has rented her 1,450-square-foot, Spanish-style home in the canyon for almost 10 years. She and her husband were drawn to the neighborhood as a safe, tight-knit community in which to raise their two children.

Both kids loved Glenoaks Elementary -- within walking distance of their home -- and the couple made friends through the school.

“They have a ton of events and a lot of parents involved,” Rodriguez said. “So when you’re there, you can’t help but meet the other parents . . . and they become your friends.”

The couple hikes several times a week in the hills above the neighborhood, which have views to Santa Monica. Rodriguez’s family, along with many others in the neighborhood, also climbs up to watch the Rose Bowl’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display.

Good news, bad news

Though the canyon’s brush-covered hillsides are beloved by many residents, when dry, the risk of a brush fire skyrockets. Some homeowners have trouble getting insurance, and if a blaze were to start, evacuating residents through the canyon’s lone exit could be a nightmare.

Luckily, no fire has posed a serious threat to the canyon in more than a decade, and the owners association prepares vigilantly in case one ever does.

Housing stock

Some would-be Glenoaks residents have to wait years before the right home becomes available. “I have quite a few [clients] that are looking primarily in the canyon,” said Re/Max Tri-City Realtor Nancy Reggiani. Seventeen homes were sold last year.

Currently, 11 homes are on the market out of about 650. One is a two-bedroom, 1,457-square-foot home listed at $739,000. Another residence -- a five-bedroom, 4,285-square-foot Spanish-style beauty with a view near the canyon’s south rim -- is on the market for $1,475,000.

Report card

Glenoaks Canyon is part of the Glendale Unified School District. Students through fifth grade attend Glenoaks Elementary, which scored 829 out of a possible 1,000 on the 2007 Academic Performance Index Growth Report.

They move on to Wilson Middle School and Glendale High School, which scored 827 and 733, respectively.

Sources: Nancy Reggiani, Re/Max Tri-City Realty, nancyreggiani.com; Glendale Historical Society; cde.ca.gov.