South Whittier, CA

South Whittier is one of the larger unincorporated communities in Los Angeles County, a broad stretch of homes spread south of the Whittier city limit toward Norwalk, with Santa Fe Springs to the west and La Mirada to the east. Most houses are single-story and date from the 1950s onward, on lots that feel generous by county standards, with front lawns and backyard space. Here and there an older block holds a few 1920s Spanish Revival and Craftsman houses, left over from the walnut and orange years. Parks are small and local, the kind with a ballfield and a playground a few blocks from home. For longer walks, the Whittier Greenway Trail runs along a former rail line to the north and crosses La Mirada Creek on its newer extension, and Leffingwell Ranch Park, just over the city line, has lighted tennis courts. Food here comes from long commercial strips instead of a downtown. La Fuente on Leffingwell opens early and runs all day, from chorizo and eggs in the morning to asada burritos and seafood plates later on. Coffee tends to come from the donut counters and panaderias along the same streets. Errands are spread out and made by car. Supermarkets cluster on Mulberry Drive and Telegraph Road, and the South Whittier Library on Colima Road is the civic anchor. Whittier Boulevard runs along the northern side toward the city's shopping, and both the 605 and the 5 sit a short drive off. The tradeoff is summer heat. The appeal of living in South Whittier is the ordinary kind, a single-story house with a real yard, a taqueria down the block and a whole grid of neighbors who picked the same thing.