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.
