Rancho Park, Los Angeles

Rancho Park is a diverse middle-class neighborhood. Although it is a majority white neighborhood, there is strong representation from Asian and Hispanic community. Like in many of the neighborhoods in this area many of the residents are Persian and Mexican, although you will also find a fair number of residents whose roots go back to Japan. Despite the mix (which in some LA neighborhoods can lead to friction), Rancho Park is generally recognized by its locals as being an especially friendly neighborhood.

The neighborhood saw a strong infusion of new residents after World War II as one of the Baby Boom neighborhoods in the area. The increasing urbanization of the area in the last twenty years or so has changed the feel of the neighborhood, the small town atmosphere exchanged for a more cosmopolitan feel. Many residents feel that the neighborhoods character will be entirely lost if the plans to lay light rail through the area go through.

The neighborhood is also relatively safe, with only one murder since 2007.

Many of the homes in the area date back to this period of expansion and tend to be smaller and often in the Mission or Ranch Style, with adobe walls and tiled roofs in the first and more of an all-American western feel in the second. The residential streets tend to be leafy and though the front yards are small, the lawns and hedges show obvious signs of care.

The Westside Pavilion gets mixed reviews by the locals. Some love the mall and the Landmark Theater it contains, while others see it as the beginning of the end for their neighborhood.

Ironically, the Rancho Park Golf Course is not inside the borders of Rancho Park.