by Nick Zicig, owner and broker of Prominence Capital Advisors LLC
The San Gabriel Valley has been attracting big and small businesses for a few decades now. Some of the reasons are its Southern California central location, freeway infrastructure, and affordable property values and rent rates.
It is logical that employees should live close to where they work. This is where San Gabriel Valley’s demographic and housing components kick in. The San Gabriel Valley is abundant both in a qualified and diversified workforce, as well as homes in a wide range of prices just miles from each other. The following are the top 5 reasons Corporate Executives and Savvy Business Owners choose to live in the San Gabriel Valley
WEATHER– San Gabriel Valley enjoys a warm, sunny, and Mediterranean-like climate year-round. Rain is sporadic. Light snow is extremely rare in the Valley but can often be viewed on the nearby San Gabriel Mountains. The average temperature high does not exceed 90 degrees in the summer months and 70 in the winter, and the average temperature low does not go below 60 in the summer and 42 in the winter.
ACCESSIBILITY- There are 6 freeways covering the San Gabriel Valley like a chess board. These interstates provide easy access to all of Southern California. Going north to south, the 110 and the 710 start in the Valley and tie it to the Port of Long Beach, the 605 starts in the middle of the Valley and connects it to the central coastline, and the 57 in the east connects it to central Orange County. In the east-west direction, in the very north, the 210 provides that vital transportation corridor that ties in the California Central Valley and the Inland Empire. It merges with the two other parallel arteries that run through it, the 60 and the 10, which connects the San Gabriel Valley with states as far as Florida.
ACCESS TO NATURE– A healthy lifestyle is key to mental balance and business success. Sport activities and hiking are part of that healthy lifestyle, and easy access is the key to utilizing these opportunities. The San Gabriel Mountains provide many amazing hiking trails, many that end with gorgeous waterfalls. It takes only minutes to get out of the urban environment and into wild nature. Bears, mountain lions, deer and coyotes are a common part of the scenery. Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park is a synthetic recreation park in San Dimas, California of Los Angeles County. It is near the Orange Freeway, the Foothill Freeway and the San Bernardino Freeway. This 1,975-acre park offers picnic grounds, hiking trails, horseback riding, bird-watching & a waterpark (Raging Waters).
DEMOGRAPHICS AND ACCESS TO QUALIFIED LOCAL WORKFORCE (AND GREAT SCHOOLS)– The SGV is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the country. Pasadena in the North-west, with its Euro-feel and city-like character caters to a large population of European immigrants, and is a City with one of the largest inventory of mixed use housing inventory. Apartments and condos can be found in the low price ranges, yet a vast number of ultra-luxury condos is available for an extraordinary city lifestyle. Immediately adjacent to the expensive homes of southern Pasadena is San Marino, world renowned for the most exquisite and expensive inventory of homes in the country. San Gabriel Valley’s burgeoning population of Asian Americans has become a dominant cultural force. Several business districts were developed to serve the needs of this population, creating a collection of Southern California “Chinatowns” loosely connected along the Valley Boulevard Corridor. Arcadia caters to a population interested in putting their children through one the most renowned public school districts in California . There are also small pockets of Chinese American businesses that are scattered throughout San Gabriel Valley cities. In Rowland Heights, a handful of Korean American strip malls co-exist with Chinese American businesses. Another ethnic enclave is the Filipino American business district of Little Manila, in West Covina along with an Asian indoor and outdoor shopping center. A large Hispanic populations dominates the central and eastern portions of the Valley. The SGV is also home to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Rio Hondo College, Mt. San Antonio College, Azusa Pacific University, and Citrus College. Additionally, SGV features one of the most unique institutions in the world: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena!
HOUSING INVENTORY AND PRICES– All the previous benefits would not mean much to a business and its top tier executives if there was no appropriate accommodation available near their work location. Californians spend way too much time in traffic to and from work. The SGV provides a diversified and “for every pocket” housing inventory. Whether one is looking for homes to purchase or rent, the inventory is abundant with choices very close to work. Many prefer buying in Arcadia where a large pool of newer multi-million dollar homes is added daily. Bradbury hosts one of the most expensive properties in the nation and was recently ranked “the town with the highest income per capita” in the country. San Marino, and its inventory of $6M+ dollar homes attracts manufacturing moguls, entertainment industry executives, and high net worth professionals.
With thirty-one cities and five unincorporated communities in the San Gabriel Valley, it is easy to pick and choose where to settle based on individual needs and “topographical preferences” such as the valley floor or the hillside (YES, gorgeous hillsides are all around the valley!) With this much variety of housing, excellent schools, access to the region, great weather, and access to outdoor activities, it’s clear why top corporate executives find the San Gabriel Valley a good deal for business.
To read the original article on the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, click on the link below: