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Ayn Rand, Leonardo DiCaprio, Steve McQueen, Babe Ruth, Jerry Rubin, Jazz legend, Art Pepper, Jack Webb (Dragnet), Frank Zappa and Jackson Pollack….

All lived in Echo Park…one of LA county’s most captivating communities.

A community that has quietly evolved over the last few years into the hottest real estate market in Los Angeles County.

There are several reasons for this:

To start, it is a charming community nestled among rolling green foothills and is a five minute drive to downtown LA, without using a freeway (can I get an amen?)

It is in close proximity to the exploding Northern section of downtown. This section of the city has experienced a cultural renaissance in the last decade with the development of the Art District, the Toy District, a transformed Little Tokyo, and vast array of bars, nightclubs and restaurants in the Center of Downtown. But it’s not just the nightlife.

Numerous high profile businesses have relocated their offices and headquarters to downtown: the architectural firm Gensler, Target, and Lucky Brand to name a few.

Sprinkle the landscape with culture – the Dorothy Chandler center for the performing arts, Disney Hall and downtown has come of age…and it’s all within 5 minutes of Echo Park.

Echo Park has the second largest park in L.A. – the 600-acre Elysian Park – within walking distance. Complete with hiking trails, wildlife and picnic grounds, the community was named one of the top 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2008 by the American Planning Association. It was chosen because of “…its historic architecture, breathtaking hillside topography, walkable and pedestrian-friendly streets and engaged residents who have worked hard to protect and preserve their community.”

Following on its history as the site of the original film industry, there has been an extraordinary influx of artists, musicians, writers, actors, animators and production people buying homes in Echo Park, giving the area a creative vibe it hasn’t experienced in decades.

Trendy new restaurants, cafes, clubs and shops have blossomed throughout Echo Park in recent years turning the area into the hippest, new eastside place to live.

Talented contractors and rehabbers have descended on Echo Park updating many of the classic homes in such a way as to maintain their vintage character and charm while bringing them into a 21st century functionality.

Large development and home building companies – some of the largest in the country – have now discovered Echo Park and are creating small townhome developments and other small lot sub-division projects. At the same time, the Echo Park Neighborhood Council is keeping them on a short leash to ensure they not sully or alloy the ambience of Echo Park.

There is no sign of any of this trend letting up anytime in the near future. It hasn’t matured by a long shot. Echo Park is simply the hottest real estate market in Los Angeles County.