South El Monte

Named for the forest that covered the area 200 years ago — ‘monte’ can mean either mountain or woods in old Spanish — South El Monte has obviously changed a lot in the intervening years, but it still retains some of its original woodsy flavor. While it shares a school district with neighboring El Monte, South El Monte is actually its own city, offering a slightly different living experience than its northern neighbor. A lot of the difference lies in the city’s proximity to the expansive Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, which borders the city to the east and south, and offers locals some of the best outdoor opportunities in all of East LA.

The city’s housing inventory is pretty typical of greater LA. Those on a budget can find manufactured homes for under $200,000, and there are a number of modern condos and townhomes that typically go for somewhere between $450,000 and $800,000. However, the vast majority of homes in the area are mid-century ranch-style homes in the $500,000-$900,000 range, along with a fair few more recently built two-story houses, which usually go for a little over a million. “It’s a very healthy, involved community.” says Ken Rausch, CEO of the El Monte Chamber of Commerce, which also serves South El Monte. “A lot of people have lived here a long time, and they care about their neighborhoods, and the city as a whole.” The city’s residential streets are very walkable, featuring well-maintained sidewalks, and manicured yards full of native plants and trees.

While South El Monte has a lot going for it — convenient location, tons of shopping and dining, solid public schools — the city’s standout feature has to be Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, which provides residents with nearly 1500 acres of outdoor space right in their backyard. The Narrows feature miles of biking and hiking trails (horseback riding is also popular), multiple fishing lakes, and dozens of athletic fields and courts, all offering scenic views of the Puente Hills and San Gabriel Mountains. And that’s without mentioning its popular skeet shooting range and public golf course. On the off chance you ever get tired of the park, you can hop on the 28-mile San Gabriel River Bike Trail, which runs through Whittier Narrows, and ride to the beautiful Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area, or even to Long Beach. The trail connects to the county’s vast network of spillway-adjacent bike trails, which provides cyclists a surprisingly speedy route through Greater LA.

Of course, South El Monte isn’t all greenspace. There’s a large commercial presence in the city, with hundreds of commercial and retail properties lining its major thoroughfares. This doesn’t have much impact on the feel of the city’s residential communities, but it does give residents easy access to a bevy of goods and services, from cabinetry to auto repair. These streets are also where you’ll find most of the local dining options. The city is well-known for its excellent Mexican restaurants, like Los Chilitos — famous for their overflowing Molcajetes, or El Paisano, which has been serving simple, and simply delicious, Mexican staple dishes for over a decade. Meanwhile, Garvey Avenue on the north side of the city offers an almost overwhelming variety of Asian Cuisines.

The city’s public schools are administered by El Monte Unified School District. South El Monte High offers a popular early college dual enrollment program with nearby Rio Hondo College, along with student clubs ranging from Pride to fishing to world travel. Younger students may attend New Temple Elementary or Shively Middle School.

South El Monte offers a lowkey lifestyle and easy access to large outdoor spaces and abundant shopping and dining — all conveniently located just 20 minutes from Downtown LA.

Written By

Tina Davis

Photography Contributed By

Tyler O'Neil

Video By

Celeste Thoms