Highland Park

 

An artist enclave with hilly neighborhoods and homes with plenty of character, buzzy Highland Park has a diverse mix of professionals, students, creatives, families, long-time residents, and hipsters who appreciate the tight-knit community, public parks, cool festivals, and the Metro Gold Line station. One of Los Angeles’s first suburbs of the city, the historic neighborhood has experienced a major resurgence because of the gentrification of Figueroa Street’s commercial district and York Boulevard (Fig and York, locally), both chock full of cool restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and galleries. Craftsman homes are favored, but you’ll also discover quaint Spanish and Bungalow styles, new construction, and the famed hilltop Victorian, El Mio, a Queen-Anne built in 1887. Get a taste of the area by indulging your sweet tooth at Donut Friend or hit the lanes at the masterfully preserved Highland Park Bowl—LA’s oldest bowling alley.