The category: Towns that create or resuscitate a downtown, ending the reign of strip malls.The stats: In northeast Orange County, 30 miles south of downtown Los Angeles; population 40,000.
The residents: Christine and Greg Marick (31 and 37) and their 2-year-old daughter. Christine works in municipal bonds at an investment-management company; Greg manages an after-school program and summer science camp business.
How they got here: Christine grew up in a neighborhood of row houses in Washington, D.C., so the couple wanted a pedestrian-friendly community with nearby destinations. “I didn’t want to just walk a loop around a gated community,” she says. By luck they came across Brea’s Ash Street Cottages district, an area that “surprised us even beyond what we were hoping for,” Christine says.
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| Dan Chavkin |
| Brea's public spaces are designed to draw residents together. |
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Why they’re never leaving: A neighborhood of distinctive 1,450- to 1,650-square-foot Cape Cod and Craftsman houses that “pack a lot of functionality into a small area.” Like-minded residents who treasure their small-town sense of community. The Birch Street Promenade, a shopping and entertainment district with urban touches like live outdoor music and an annual jazz festival. The story behind the burb: A onetime oil and citrus town, Brea’s downtown went into a decades-long decline after a regional mall opened. Community workshops identified a desire for a walkable district combining commercial and higher-density residential development (including loft-style apartments) with a blend of architectural styles.
Want in? Brea home prices averaged $651K to $675K in October. Loft apartment rentals on the Birch Street Promenade run between $1,100 and $1,400 a month, while some houses in the adjacent 96-home Ash Street Cottages neighborhood have soared past $700K. www.ci.brea.ca.us
Other bounce-backs we love
• Bellevue, WA, was your basic burb until it created an award-winning 2,700-acre park system. What else? At least a dozen high-tech giants, stellar schools, proximity to Seattle, great mountain views. www.bellevuechamber.org
• South Pasadena, CA, gained new life thanks to a light-rail line and a trendy commercial district. www.ci.south-pasadena.ca.us
• Windsor, CA, has created a town green with storefronts based on historic photos and topped with condos — and avoided treacly nostalgia. www.townofwindsor.com
