Altadena

A hiker’s paradise, thanks to the magnificent Angeles National Forest as its impressive backyard, Altadena is an area adored by outdoor enthusiasts. As a result, this is a neighborhood that can feel a world away from the rest of Los Angeles County. Primarily residential and sometimes considered a bedroom community for commuters, this quiet enclave boasts a wide array of architecture and a few historically significant homes—such as Rand McNally company cofounder Andrew McNally’s Queen Anne-style mansion on East Mariposa Street, part of a section of homes known colloquially as “Millionaire’s Row”—alongside plenty of mid-century, Craftsman, English Tudor and Colonial Revival houses. Shops, restaurants and businesses crowd Lake, Fair Oaks and Lincoln Avenues (don’t miss a stop at local gem Bulgarini Gelato!); for more options, neighboring Pasadena is a quick drive away. And Altadena’s biggest claim to fame? The annual lighting of “Christmas Tree Lane,” where for over a century, 150 lofty cedars along an 8-block stretch of Santa Rosa Avenue are strung with glowing bulbs during a cheerful holiday festival. Altadena homes regularly range from $500,000 up to several million.