Close-knit and front-porch friendly
La Verne is the sort of town where American flags hang from old bungalows and the Fire Department delivers bags of goodies to households on Christmas morning. This San Gabriel Valley city’s housing ranges from folksy front-porch neighborhoods that evoke the Midwest to modern gated enclaves set against the oak-covered foothills.
Early days
La Verne began with a brassy blast. In 1887, businessman Isaac Lord persuaded the Santa Fe Railroad to run its line through an area where he owned plenty of land. Lord sent brass bands into Los Angeles and San Bernardino to trumpet his new town, which he named Lordsburg. More than 2,500 people took up the offer of free train rides to the site, and Lord sold $200,000 worth of lots. Construction included a large hotel.
Then the speculative real estate bubble burst, and towns such as Lordsburg went bust. By some accounts, the hotel never had a guest.
Fortunately for Lordsburg, a railroad promotion agent asked a representative from the Church of the Brethren in the Midwest to visit the town. Churchman M.M. Eshelman took to the idea of using the hotel for a college.
Lordsburg Academy opened in 1891, and the town started to attract Church of the Brethren members from across the country. But the town’s Lordsburg name brought plenty of ribbing from folks in nearby communities. After Isaac Lord died in 1917, the townsfolk voted to take on the name of a nearby area called La Verne.
Drawing cards
The community offers a wide selection of homes. Old Town La Verne is full of early-1900s Craftsman bungalows shaded by towering deodar trees. But much of the city’s housing was built in the 1970s and ‘80s, when tract homes covered the citrus groves north of Foothill Boulevard, remnants of the city’s agricultural roots. Seven mobile-home parks, several geared toward seniors, provide affordable housing.
The city’s Heritage Park preserves an old citrus grove, where visitors can pick oranges in spring. Four golf courses, both public and private, are in the city or adjacent to it. Bordering the north end of the city, Marshall Canyon County Park provides hiking, biking and equestrian trails in the foothills.
Foothill Boulevard is the main shopping drag, but La Verne also has a small, historic downtown centered along D Street south of Bonita Avenue. Old Town eateries such as Warehouse Pizza are popular with students from the nearby University of La Verne, descendant of Lordsburg Academy.
The tradition of firefighters delivering bags of candy, nuts and apples to homes on Christmas morning dates back more than 75 years. With help from volunteers, the Fire Department aims to reach every one of the city’s 11,000 housing units by noon. The only requirement is that residents be out at the curb to get the treats, said City Manager Martin Lomeli.
“We have kind of a Midwestern feel, heavily oriented toward family and youth activities,” said Lomeli, who started working for the city in 1981 and whose father served on the City Council in the 1950s.
Insider’s view
Pete Marquez bought a 1920s-era home in Old Town more than three decades ago for $16,000. These days, the retiree likes to sit out on his covered front porch. Like many of his neighbors, he has the Stars and Stripes on display.
“You can walk out at night and you feel safe,” Marquez said. “It still has that small-town type of atmosphere.”
Good news, bad news
The 210 Freeway was extended through La Verne in 2002, relieving rush-hour congestion on major east-west thoroughfares such as Foothill Boulevard and Base Line Road. But some who live near the freeway complain about the noise, and traffic has increased on streets with freeway offramps.
Stock report
About 80 single-family homes were on the market at the end of September, with most listed at $500,000 and up.
The least expensive, at $319,000, was a three-bedroom, 1,050-square-foot home built in 1920. At the other end of the spectrum was a 4,376-square-foot home with five bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, a pool and a view for $1,045,000.
With more than 32,000 residents, La Verne is essentially built out, and new housing tracts are rare. The few projects on the way consist of 20 or fewer homes, Lomeli said.
Report card
Students attend Bonita High School, which scored 739 out of a possible 1,000 on the 2003 Academic Performance Index. Ramona Middle School earned 778. Elementary school scores ranged from 756 at Roynon Elementary to 865 at Oak Mesa Elementary.
Historical values
Single-family detached resales:Year...Median Price
1990...$235,000
1995...$190,000
2000...$235,000
2002...$321,500
2004*...$456,000
*Year to dateSources: DataQuick Information Systems, api.cde.ca.gov, https://www.ci.la-verne.ca.us , Galen Beery of the Historical Society of La Verne, Daphne Thomas of Century 21 Prestige Properties, City Manager Martin Lomeli.
