Altadena is roughly divided by Lake Ave. To the East is the older part of town, established about 90 to 100 years ago. Here are found the older homes, many of them fine examples of the Craftsman style that flourished between 1905 and 1916. To the West is the part of Altadena that was established more in the years just prior to WWII. The West has some fine neighborhoods, particularly in the North, but is plagued by a population with lower cultural expectations, whereas the East side is more upscale. The very Western edge of Altadena is bordered by the Arroyo Seco. The community extends tendrils into the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and the Angeles National Forest to the North. Alatdena abuts Pasadena to the South and East.
There is a nice thumbnail summary of the Real Estate situation in Altadena over at the Arroyo Seco Homes blog, sketching some of the market activity and possible activity in the future, I recommend a look. One of the nice things about Altadena is that it tends to be a very stable community. Folks that come there tend to stay there.
