Lakewood, California, a Los Angeles County city, is a beautiful city that prides itself on its beautiful parks, cultural heritage and cohesive community. Known as an “instant city” due to its sudden growth after the second world war, Lakewood transformed from a center for lima bean farming in the 1950’s to a well-developed community by 1960.
Lakewood Homes for Sale |
Lakewood was similar, in concept, to the legendary Levittown. Calling itself “tomorrow’s city today”, Lakewood was revolutionary in that it contracts to other nearby cities for most municipal services (many other California cities have now followed in Lakewood’s steps). An excellent city for families seeking a comfortable home within commuting distance of major cities, Lakewood was the original home of the first Denny’s Restaurant, a breakfast eatery chain that caters to families.
Education and Medicine are the top fields for those seeking employment in Lakewood. The Long Beach Unified School District and the Bellflower Unified School District combined employ over 1,500 workers while Lakewood Regional Medical Center employs close to 800 professionals. Other residents choose to commute to nearby cities for work: Los Angeles is about 30 minutes away and Anaheim is about 20 minutes by car (depending on traffic).
Lakewood’s youngest residents are educated by a total of four school districts: Long Beach Unified School District, Paramount Unified School District, Bellflower Unified School District and ABC Unified School District. Lakewood High School is home to a technology magnet program, a strong Merit Scholars program and the Odyssey Academy. Paramount High School was recognized, in 2013, by U.S. News & World Report as being the 2,153 best public school in the nation. Mayfair High School has been recognized as a California Distinguished School and has also achieved recognition for their strong digital art and animation curriculum.
The city of Lakewood is home to ten beautiful parks in addition to several other public recreation programs. The Burns Community Center helps get residents into shape with its exercise equipment and popular “Nifty after Fifty” initiative. If you are an equestrian at heart, you’ll love Lakewood’s sprawling equestrian center, which features 19 acres for boarding, riding and lessons. Kids love that Del Valle Park is also known as “Airplane Park”, due to the small airplane affixed to the middle of the park (they also love its lighted athletic courts). Hikers and bicyclists flock to the recently completed West San Gabriel River Parkway and Nature Trail which features over a mile of biking and jogging paths next to the banks of a river.
Lakewood is home to one of the largest public shopping malls in the United States: Lakewood Center is a popular shopping complex that features a mix of high end stores, salons, restaurants and a movie theater. The large mall is a popular gathering place and destination in Lakewood. Though Lakewood is a safe and sleepy suburb, folks who prefer a bit more nightlife can easily venture out in nearby Anaheim or Los Angeles for live music, events and nightclubs.
Though the community of Lakewood gathers throughout the year, it is perhaps best known for its long-standing Pan Am Fiesta Festival. The festival emphasizes family, folklore, tradition and fun: rides, food, vendors and families all come out to celebrate local heritage. On Thursday evenings in summer, Del Valle Park is taken over by music and the weekly Concerts in the Park series. Every October, the city of Lakewood hosts several Halloween carnivals sure to delight kids of all ages: costumes are encouraged!
Latest Lakewood Homes for Sale:
[idx-listings city=”Lakewood” statuses=”1,2″ orderby=”DateAdded” orderdir=”DESC” count=”5″]
