Westchester

Westchester is a section of Los Angeles whose makeup is largely derived from the area's commercial landmarks. This enclave borders tech industry hub Playa Vista and is home to Los Angeles International Airport. Westchester, in turn, tends to attract people who work at the assortment of close-by companies and who are looking for a family-friendly slice of suburbia.

“Although Playa Vista is a beautiful community, most of that community is built in a condo and townhouse format,” says local Realtor Jessica Heredia of Coldwell Banker Realty. “Westchester is the direct neighborhood nearby with traditional single-family homes with front and backyards.”

Many people with jobs in the area may start in Playa Vista, before shifting to Westchester as their families grow. “It’s very desirable,” Heredia says. “In fact, you have several high-paying workforces that have an interest in Westchester because of its location, such as the tech industry, entertainment and aerospace.” Most of the homes in Westchester were built in the mid-20th century. Some residents who come into this neighborhood choose to remodel or add to the existing structures here, Heredia says, while others even tear down and rebuild anew.

Regardless, a stroll around Westchester’s winding, sidewalk-lined residential blocks reveals a collection of homes with mostly cohesive layouts and design elements. Most of these houses are single-story ramblers and bungalows, with floor plans between 1,000 and 2,000 square feet. These homes often come with lots of roughly between 6,000 and 13,000 square feet — enough for lawn space. Heredia says the lion’s share of houses sell for prices between $1 million and $2 million.

Westchester’s location is an ever-present asset. Adjacent Playa Vista is such a tech hub that it bears the nickname of Silicon Beach. That area is home to offices for companies from Facebook to IMAX and from Google to Microsoft, all just minutes from Westchester. Westchester residents can quickly reach Los Angeles International Airport, too. The airport, also known as LAX, is one of the busiest airports in the world, servicing some 32 million passengers annually.

Still, this neighborhood is far from a bedroom community. Instead, it’s filled with an assortment of amenities that help give it character, from parks to tasty restaurants. One park here is known for its proximity to LAX: Airplane Landing View Point. This grassy area is ideal for plane spotting, as incoming and departing flights dart markedly close.

Ballona Discovery Park is another outdoor spot in the neighborhood that can appeal to the senses. This roughly 2-acre spot is described as a museum without walls, with gardens full of native plants, monuments honoring the Tongva tribe of Native Americans who inhabited the area and also the founders of the park, plus a trail known as the Watershed Walk that traces the movement of water through area habitats — from mountain to ocean.

Ballona Discovery Park is within walking distance of another landmark of the area: Loyola Marymount University. This private school has roughly 10,000 students, including undergraduates, graduates and law students. LMU sits on a 142-acre campus in Westchester and is ranked in the top 10 on Niche’s list of best Catholic colleges nationwide.

Younger students in Westchester have an array of institutions to attend as well. The public schools here are part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Some of the schools a child here may go to can vary depending on their address, but a possible track is to start at Kentwood Elementary for kindergarten to fifth grade, then move on to Katherine Johnson STEM Academy for Grades 6 to 8 and Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets for Grades 9 to 12.

Kentwood offers afterschool programming through the LA-based organizations Got Game Sports and STAR Education. Students at Katherine Johnson STEM Academy get to pick a string of elective courses to take over the course of their three years here focused on one of the areas of STEM. This can help prepare students for Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets, where a gifted and high-ability STEAM tract is one of the three specific magnet programs. This school also includes magnet programs focused on environmental and natural sciences and health and sports medicine.

Westchester residents of all ages can enjoy the neighborhood’s dining options when not at work or school. Thai Talay is among the staples, Heredia says. This spot is known in part for its surf and turf fried rice, which includes diced filet mignon and shrimp. The area also has your pick of chain establishments, and Bristol Farms is a well-liked place to grab groceries for your own concoctions.

Westchester residents get a chance to come together through annual events like a Fourth of July parade along Loyola Boulevard. It’s part of what makes this area so attractive; it’s what residents consider a comfortable place to call home. “It’s a great family neighborhood,” Heredia says. “It has a ‘Wonder Years’ feel to it.”

Photography Contributed By

Josh Cavallo

Video By

Tyler Hall