7.1 out of 10

Encino Ave, Granada Hills

34.2735220675658 -118.51529689752
Great for
  • Internet Access
  • Childcare
  • Clean & Green
  • Gym & Fitness
  • Lack of Traffic
Not great for
  • Eating Out
  • Nightlife
  • Pest Free
  •  
  •  
Who lives here?
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Country Lovers
  •  
  •  

Reviews

4/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 3/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 2/5
  • Peace & Quiet 4/5
  • Eating Out 2/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 4/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 4/5
  • Internet Access 5/5
  • Lack of Traffic 4/5
  • Parking 4/5
  • Cost of Living 3/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 3/5
  • Public Transport 3/5
  • Medical Facilities 4/5
  • Schools 4/5
  • Childcare 4/5
2yrs+

"Solid Family City though Boring"

Granada Hills, south of the Ronald Reagan freeway, is much flatter than its northern half. You don’t get the hiking trails, and historic home architecture that you get in its hilly section either. What you do get are several wide tree-lined streets and avenues. Homes tend to get larger and newer as you approach the freeway to the north, while to the south, the newer structures tend to be leafy apartment complexes that seem an outgrowth of the vast number of such living spaces in Northridge. You will also find some retirement communities mixed in here and there.

The prettiest streets in Granada Hills are the shady ones. Like Sylmar, this tends to be a very sunny, somewhat dusty area of the valley, with some unpaved sidewalks. It is not unusual to see trucks pulling horse-trailers in Granada Hills, and just past the freeway is Zelzah Park where you have good riding trails.

The commercial aspects of Granada Hills South are extensive but old and unremarkable. Granada Hills has a shopping center, but it pales in comparison to the nearby goliath, the Northridge Mall. Storefronts along Chatsworth Blvd., the major east west thoroughfare through Granada Hills tend to be much as they were thirty to forty years ago, with vacuum repair shops and greasy spoons. You have all the usual suspects in Granada Hills when it comes to eateries and shops. You have access to supermarkets and fast food establishments. You can find whatever you need for your home. But if you want more than a burger or pizza and desire to have a memorable night out, you will definitely have to go beyond the city limits. I don’t know of any destinations for anyone who might enter Granada Hills looking for a good time beyond the sort of movie theater you can find in every other San Fernando Valley city.

That said, Granada Hills is just the sort of quiet, stable neighborhood that makes for a great place to raise kids. The urban problems that plague so many areas seem far away in this neighborhood. Granada Hills High School is known as a solid school in academics with a good athletics program. Denver Bronco great John Elway was a student here and lead the school to city championship in the late seventies—but not in football, he was pitcher then (though he also played for the football team, of course). The football stadium has been renamed for him. That same sort of all American spirit that surrounds Elway pervades Granada Hills as well—a bit dull, but solid.
Pros
  • good schools
  • good mall
  • reasonable rents
Cons
  • fast food culture
  • very bland
  • old
Recommended for
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Country Lovers

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Best Streets in Granada Hills

1

Chatsworth St

2.5/5
"An odd assortment of shops and services"
34.2647609489571 -118.500104072444
2

Balboa Blvd

2/5
"Could be worse, could be better"
34.2943258094437 -118.502338575941

Unranked Streets in Granada Hills

"A large, woefully uninteresting street"
34.2574715994265 -118.495370014665

Encino Ave

3.5/5
"Solid Family City though Boring"
34.2735220675658 -118.51529689752

Index St

3/5
"Quiet and Close to Everything You'll Need"
34.2755990469566 -118.497529921004

Lahey St

2.5/5
"Noisy and crowded, esp. when school lets out"
34.2729618762308 -118.498525683926

Louise Ave

3.5/5
"A nice street - nothing fancy"
34.2893436906044 -118.512710487637

Ludlow St

4/5
"Quiet and Friendly"
34.2711017753557 -118.497775051526
"The "IT" Neighborhood, circa 1978"
34.2959291309382 -118.504966126463
"Way too busy for a residential street"
34.2792756687553 -118.500882667239

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