We’ve been gaining some good ground in our readership and subscriptions over the past few weeks and for that, I want to thank you. For those of you who are relatively new to AHB and interested in the various Arcadia communities, I am working on a series of profiles that characterizes the various neighborhoods. Today’s post is the 3rd community profile – the Highlands.

The Highlands, so aptly named because it is located up the hill to the north end of the city, rests against the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. It’s located north of Foothill Blvd and runs along Santa Anita Avenue bordering the Santa Anita Oaks community. It stretches east to the Whispering Pines gated estates and all the way up the mountain.

The Highlands is known for its view of the basin below. As you move up the mountain, the air gets a little cooler and the view a little better. The backdrop of the mountain is absolutely gorgeous. Sometimes we miss the mountains because of the infamous LA smog, but once you’re up in the Highlands – there’s no missing it.

You also can’t ignore the view of the city below once you’re up top.

The homes come in many shapes and styles. Except for the cluster of homes at the very top near Wilderness Park and the gated Whispering Pines community, most of the lots are of similar size ranging from roughly one-quarter to one-half acres. All the lawns were nicely manicured and many were also professionally landscaped.

There was also a great mix of architectural styles within the community. The majority of which would be single-story ranch style homes.

There were also some California bungalows…

Gorgeous traditional homes…

And of course the beautifully and unique Craftsman.

The roads are clean, wide, curvy and at times, quite steep.

Many are lined with great big, mature trees that tower over the lovely homes.

Instead of the normal community parks with open grassy areas, swings sets and tot lots, the Highlands offer something much more engaging – a Wilderness Park. It is a 120-acre natural preserve set high up in the hills that’s just flowing with all things nature. It’s a wonderful place to enjoy the local trees, plants, birds and animals. For those not quite as adventurous, head on over to Sierra Vista Park over on Sierra Madre Blvd.

The local schools in the area are Highland Oaks Elementary and Foothill Middle School.

In terms of market movement, I saw more homes for sale in the Highlands than there are listed on Redfin. There were also homes for lease and homes undergoing construction. All in all, I consider the real estate atmosphere in the Highlands similar to the rest of Arcadia. You won’t go more than a turn or two before spotting another sign in front of a property.

This is a wonderful neighborhood that is just starting to feel the pinch of the market. Since this is somewhat of a prestigious area, most owners were probably in decent financial standing even if they bought during the past few years. I suspect not too many of these were affected by the subprime fallout, but will most likely be hammered hard by the upcoming Alt-A (and even Prime) loan resets over the next few years. We will continue to track the progress of the housing correction as the ARM reset timebombs go off month after month.