Neighborhood highlights
Hub city: Compton’s location in the geographic center of the Los Angeles region and its proximity to freeways and the Metro Blue Line make it a choice location for commuters.
Farm life: For those looking for a semirural lifestyle in the heart of the city, Compton’s Richland Farms neighborhood offers a rare opportunity to raise crops and horses.
Grassroots: Like their forebears, today’s Compton residents have taken it upon themselves to help improve their city, as epitomized by groups such as the Compton Initiative and Unearth and Empower Communities.
Neighborhood challenge
A long road back: Although Compton has made great strides in recent years, the challenges it faces in terms of bringing investment and opportunity to the city are real, and entrenched.
Expert insight
The city’s consistent home prices have fostered a community of long-term residents. One won’t find many houses selling for more than $500,000 here. It’s helped the city avoid the gentrification that’s plagued other areas.
Many folks who are first-time home buyers have lived in the area most of their lives, and the $300,000-$400,000 price tags make home ownership a possibility for people who’d be stuck renting in other areas.
The City Council is relatively business-friendly, so neighborhood staples can flourish, and new restaurants will pop up every once in a while. She noted that two quintessential spots are Loreto’s Fried Turkey and La Doña Tamalería.
Market snapshot
The majority of Compton fits into three ZIP Codes. On the west side, 90220, based on 33 sales, the median sales price for single-family homes in March was $395,000, up 18.8% year over year, according to CoreLogic.
On the east side, 90221, based on 20 sales, the median single-family home sold for $397,000, up 13.3% year over year. In 90222, the north side, based on 21 sales, the median home sold for $360,000, up 2.6% year over year.
Report card
Compton holds 24 public schools within its boundaries. Of those, Laurel Street Elementary scored the highest on the 2013 Academic Performance Index, at 898. Other bright spots are Tibby Elementary, at 873, and Jefferson Elementary, at 865.
The area’s two largest high schools, Dominguez High and Compton High, scored 613 and 606, respectively.