Not even civic boosters were prepared for the stunning news last week: Paramount, once labeled among the worst places to live in the nation, scored the second-largest gain in property values of any city in Los Angeles County.
Property values in the working-class, mostly Latino community grew 17.2% in 2006, placing it ahead of Palmdale and behind Lancaster -- both perennial growth magnets. "We were very surprised by this finding," said Robert Knowles, a spokesman for the county assessor's office. "A year ago, Paramount had 12.3% growth, which was not even close to the top 10."
Authorities in Paramount, 15 miles southeast of Los Angeles, attributed the city's achievement to a long and hard parcel-by-parcel slog out of a municipal funk and relatively simple improvements that redefined its image.
Can other troubled suburbs hope to match Paramount's success?
To answer that question, Paramount City Manager Linda Benedetti-Leal likes to lead visitors into a new civic center oasis near the City Hall serving the city's 58,000 residents. She sweeps her hand past the native California plants, Mexican fan palms and a fountain-fed koi pond and says, "Our perception of ourselves starts here. This beautiful place sets a tone and raises expectations."
Richard Hollingsworth, president of Gateway Cities Partnership, a nonprofit community development corporation representing 27 cities of the southeast county, put it another way.
"There's a lesson here," he said. "Smart growth is not done in weeks or months or even years -- it takes decades of plodding along. You start with a good plan and stick with it."
Many cities have defining characteristics. Lakewood has 40,000 trees. In Monrovia, it's classic California bungalows. Cerritos touts a titanium-clad library.
Paramount's sense of place is reflected in its little parks and white picket fences. The city's White Picket Fence Program pays 75% of the purchase and installation cost to replace chain-link fences with rust and graffiti-resistant polyurethane picket fences.
Satisfied customers include Jose Luis Romero, who a year ago adorned his two-bedroom home with a fence he described as "a heck of a deal, almost free. The city lets you pay your 25% portion on a payment plan.
"I've noticed a few more fences have gone up on the street since I got mine. I bought my home in 1994 for about $120,000. Now, I could get $400,000 for it, no problem," the 44-year-old warehouseman said.
