Hawthorne

Located just 11 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles, Athens is tucked between Hawthorne and Compton, close to parks, Los Angeles International Airport, major freeways and the ocean, making it close to so much that LA County has to offer.<br><br>Along Athens’ streets, you’ll find midcentury-era ramblers and ranch-style homes with low-pitched roofs and big front windows mixed with more Contemporary builds featuring Spanish influences like tile roofs and stucco facades in warm colors. Homes often feature low wrought iron fences that provide additional privacy and security, and while lot sizes can run a bit small, there’s still space for petite front yards and roomy back yards. The residential streets are wide and allow for additional parking if needed and sidewalks are abundant, offering the perfect place for an afternoon stroll or navigating the neighborhood by foot. Prices range from $500,000 for 800 square feet to $862,000 for 2,500 square feet. If you’d rather own something with a little less upkeep, condos and town houses are also available, with prices ranging from $400,000 for 900 square feet to $825,000 for 2,000 square feet.<br><br>Children in public school may begin their education at West Athens Elementary, then move to Ánimo Legacy Charter Middle and Stella High Charter Academy. Stella High is a free charter school that serves approximately 550 students from ninth through twelfth grade and has a B rating on Niche. After graduation, students can choose to stay close to home and enroll in Los Angeles Southwest College, a two-year community college whose campus is in the northern part of the neighborhood and offers multiple career and academic pathways.<br><br>Residents looking for fresh air and exercise often head to Helen Keller Park, located off Vermont Avenue. This seven-acre green space offers amenities for just about everyone. Practice your jump shot at the basketball court, let the kids burn off some energy on the playground and take a dip in the pool. Throughout the park, you’ll find picnic tables and benches where you can kick back with friends, and there’s plenty of open space to exercise, play, run or relax. Golf fans can play 18 holes at Chester Washington Golf Course, a public course in the southwest section of the neighborhood that features level terrain, two lakes and tall trees.<br><br>Find shopping along El Segundo Boulevard and Vermont Avenue, including Ralph’s, where you can pick up groceries for the week. When you’re in the mood to dine out, there are eateries along El Segundo Boulevard that will satisfy any craving, like Steven’s Burgers, where locals head for hamburgers and pastrami sandwiches. But hit the ATM before you go — they only accept cash.<br><br>One of Athens’ most attractive qualities is how easy it is to get to destinations throughout LA. Interstate 105 freeway runs along the northern section of the neighborhood, which will connect you to I-110 and the I-405. From there, you’ll have easy access to downtown, Hollywood and the beach. The local Metro offers an additional option for travel when you want to avoid the freeways. And when you need to go a little further, Athens is less than 10 miles from the Los Angeles International Airport.

In Del Aire, you can settle into a home in a suburban setting without sacrificing convenient proximity to Los Angeles. This unincorporated community is full of neatly organized residential blocks lined with well-kept homes near your pick of day-to-day amenities — from schools to restaurants. “It’s a nice kind of pocket community,” says local Realtor Rod Vargas of Tierra Properties. “It's mostly single-family homes.”<br><br>These single-family houses mostly date back to the mid-20th century, and most are single-story, but they were constructed with various layouts and individual style elements. Some, for instance, come with stone adorning part of their facades, while others have Spanish Revival styling. Most of these homes have driveways for off-street parking, and sidewalks on every street help make the neighborhood walkable. <br><br>Lots around Del Aire are similarly sized, often between 5,000 and 6,000 square feet, enough to provide residents with a bit of front and back lawn room. The houses themselves usually have floor plans of between 1,000 and 2,000 square feet. When homes hit the market here, they typically come with price tags ranging from the $700,000s to around $1 million. <br><br>One of the benefits of Del Aire’s walkability is that many students can reach their neighborhood schools by foot. Del Aire falls into the well-regarded Wiseburn Unified School District, which has an A overall grade on Niche. Kids here can begin their academic journeys at Del Aire Elementary, from kindergarten through fifth grade. Del Aire Elementary has been recognized as a California Distinguished School multiple times. Students can then progress to Wiseburn Middle, where there’s a full lineup of athletics offerings, from a coed flag football team to boys and girls soccer teams. <br><br>The Wiseburn district partners with the nearby Da Vinci charter schools for Grades 9 to 12. Da Vinci features specific programs aimed at helping prepare students for possible career pathways. For instance, students can enter the Da Vinci Communications school for computer science, marketing, multimedia journalism and media production instruction. The Da Vinci Design school includes tracts in architecture, graphic design and entrepreneurship. Da Vinci’s science school has mechanical engineering, civil engineering and biomedical engineering classes. There’s also the Da Vinci Connect High School, where students can take dual enrollment courses starting in ninth grade, allowing them to earn a two- or even four-year degree while in high school. <br><br>Da Vinci’s campus is right down the road from a neighborhood resource in Del Aire Park, a 7-acre space with a covered playground, a basketball court and plenty of athletic field space, including a baseball and softball diamond. There’s also a community center on site here with an indoor gymnasium. <br><br>Grab some food after an afternoon at the park at one of the variety of options in the area — most along the thoroughfares of Aviation Boulevard and South Inglewood Avenue. Frijoles Mexican Restaurant is one of the local favorites on Aviation Boulevard. Patrons at Frijoles enjoy the shrimp tacos, burritos and enchiladas, and like washing them down with the restaurant’s micheladas. Al-Watan Halal Tandoori Restaurant is a well-liked spot on South Inglewood Avenue, for Pakistani and Indian fare. One of the specialties here is its nihari, a spicy beef curry. <br><br>One of the marks of Del Aire is that, while it’s close to so much, it’s primarily residential nature helps it avoid heavy traffic. “Most people who go into the community are homeowners or people visiting,” Vargas says. “It's close to everything that El Segundo and South Bay have to offer." Del Aire is part of the South Bay region and is just about 3 miles east of El Segundo. Downtown LA is a mere 15 miles north, too. <br><br>Wherever you go, with a home in Del Aire, you get to look forward to returning to the quiet ambiance that helps define this community. It’s a pocket of peace in an advantageous spot of LA County.