Grandview, Glendale

Grandview is a middle class neighborhood just south of the El Miradero neighborhood. The neighborhood’s northern blocks to have modest homes with adequate front lawns, whose upkeep varies from home to home—lush green lawns elbowing up to splotchy fronts. At the corner of West Kenneth and Grandview, you come upon Grand View Memorial Park, the local cemetery.

Southwest of Glenview Avenue, the neighborhood is dominated by boxy seventies style apartments, many of them with parking garages in the recessed basement areas and central courtyards with palms as decorations—a look that hasn’t been popular for quite a while. Some newer apartment have also crept into the area but these are only modern versions of the same kind of structures. One benefit of this is that rents are much more affordable here, with the average room going for closer to $800 than the $1,100 of its northern neighbor. You can find a good sample of these prices at Padmapper.com.

Thomas Jefferson Elementary is in this area as well. According to the Great Schools web site it gets a 7 out of 10 in terms of parent satisfaction and test scores—a good score though not as strong as its northern neighbor, Balboa Elementary. On the other hand, its API score is 9 of 10 which is better than Balboa Elementary. There is also an Armenian School to the south east, a testament to the strong Armenian representation for the area.

There are also several churches in the area, with Grandview Presbyterian Church and First United Brethern being just across the street from Thomas Jefferson.

The main commercial arteries are San Fernando Road and Glenoaks Blvd. San Fernando Road is just a series of strip malls and office buildings (think SevenEleven and .99 Cent Stores). It’s an unappealing road but practically useful for getting groceries, getting your car fixed, or buying hardware supplies. Glenoaks Blvd is much more visually appealing with a tree-lined meridian and newer and better maintained store fronts and apartment complexes.

At the far south eastern corner of the neighborhood is Glendale Career College, a private institution that instructs working adults in the medical support field.

There has only been one murder in the Grandview neighborhood since 2007, a lover’s squabble gone wrong. Overall, the neighborhood is relatively safe.