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Burbank Rancho
Donna with her horses on Main
Street in the Rancho
neighborhood of Burbank, Calif.,
a more than equestrian-friendly
enclave near Griffith Park.
Los
Angeles County Map
Horse'N Around in the City
Burbank Rancho
is just minutes from downtown LA, studios, freeways
and airports. Almost more important is the fact that it is
just north of Griffith Park with 4,000 acres in which to ride.
Both of these benefits probably make Burbank Rancho the most unique area of all of Los Angeles
to horse around in with the average home size between 1,200-1,400 square feet.
This is a community with a hometown feel that is determined
not to become another Los Angeles. Here horses live in tiny
stables where owners walk quietly on horseback through the
residential streets and onto the Griffith Park trails each
day. Because of its proximity to Griffith Park as well as
the Los Angeles Equestrian Center as well as several movie
studios — which used to board horses back in the heydays of the western — the Rancho is one of the few areas
near urban Los Angeles that is still zoned
for horses.
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In Rancho is where
property values have risen more than most other
areas of Burbank. Here you can saddle up your horse
in your own backyard and take a morning ride and
still be at work at the studios, downtown, or on the
West side for a late breakfast. It also gives plenty
of opportunity to know one’s horsy neighbors, to
walk your dog, jog or fly a kite in Pollywog Field,
and to enjoy the precious open space that most other
neighborhoods are envious of. Even for those
who don't own horses, the sight of riders along Burbank's
urban streets is a key element of the area's flavor. |
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only in a few
towns |
This noted Burbank Equestrian neighborhood is next door to
the
Los Angeles
Equestrian Center. Here you can enjoy the
desired
combination of urban and rural environments. To be sure the
big attraction for Burbank equestrians is the very green Rancho
Equestrian neighborhood, where residents can park their
mounts in their own backyards and be just a short trot from
the studios.
You hear
residents say, "It
doesn't feel like L.A. here, and we want to keep that way. It's the most down-to-earth, unpretentious, relaxed feel we
have here. It's like a small town right in the middle of Los
Angeles."
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Los Angeles
Equestrian Center,
Constructed for the 1984 Olympics |
Sample
Neighborhood Street |
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A resident
spending quality time with the horses he keeps
on his Burbank Rancho Equestrian Property |
One of the
neighborhood homes you may see when you drive
around the Burbank Rancho |
Equestrian Zoning
Equestrian zoning isn't the
only reason home buyers flock to the Rancho. Tree-lined
streets, neighbors who know one another, good schools,
Griffith Park accessibility, and close proximity to Warner
Bros. and Disney studios and two TV-network headquarters
attract entertainment-industry honchos and other media
workers.
Dog walkers and horse lovers bump into each other in this
pedestrian-friendly neighborhood flanked roughly by Griffith
Park to the south, Victory Boulevard to the east, Keystone
Street to the west and Alameda Avenue to the north.
Horse-drawn carriages are as apt to be rolling down Parkside
Avenue as cars on weekends.
Yes, Burbank
Rancho is filled with tree-lined streets. Since many
of these homes are zoned for horses, and there are some
crosswalks that have a raised "horse crossing" button for
use on horseback! Horse enthusiasts living here
appreciate the convenience of close location to the
Los Angeles
Equestrian
Center, as well as other
local boarding, training and rental stables. Locals
also have easy access to the Martinez Arena in Griffith Park, Bette Davis ("Easter") field, and "Polywog"
field for horse activities.
At Christmas
time, Equestrian carolers often gather at Allen Avenue and
Riverside Drive to "stroll" the Rancho, singing holiday
songs.
The Rancho neighborhood also offers bowling, ice skating,
great neighborhood restaurants, tennis and basketball
courts, and local businesses within walking distance.

Fran leading her horse, Temptation, along a trail next to
her Burbank complex, near the L.A. Equestrian Center.
Photo by LATimes
Real Estate
Some of the recent sales have run, in late 2006, approximately $650,000 to $850,000
(in the Spring 2007 they have increased). Burbank Rancho
is where you can find yourself truly "Horse'N Around in the
City." Single-family
homes far out number multifamily units in the Rancho. Many
of the homes come with stables and stalls. There are about
785 single-family homes, 180 condos and town homes and 250
horses. In the greater area there are as many as 1,000
or more horses. The property lots run from 6,750 to about
9,000. You can have as many as 2 horses on a 6,750 sq. ft.
lot. Local Waste Management picks up your horse
droppings weekly.
In Spring 2007, three townhouses were listed for sale,
from $615,000 to $789,000. Smaller townhomes can be found in
"Park Equestrian" for the $520,000 range but the townhome
fees run about $400/month and the boarding fee is about
$275.00 in the neighborhood stable. To board at the
Equestrian Center is closer to $600/month; other boarding
facilities can be in the $375/month range.
There were a number of single-family homes listed, asking
from $789,000 to about $2 million and you can stable your
horse on your own property.
See Shadow Hills (10 minutes away) you can enjoy a little
bigger properties with a little large lots (about 10,000 sq.feet or more and homes closer to 2,000 s.f. and built in
the 70s, not the 40s-50s like Burbank Rancho which has homes
of average size of 1,400 sq.ft. So, overall, the prices are
about the same except you get a little more house and
property in Shadow Hills.
Schools
If schools are a concern, many like the Burbank Schools a
little better than Los Angeles Schools of Shadow Hills
(about 10 minutes away).
Rancho Equestrian students attend one of two elementary
schools, one middle school and one high school, all part of
the Burbank Unified School District. According to the 2005
Academic Performance Index Growth Report, William McKinley
Elementary School scored 778 out of a possible 1,000 points; R.L. Stevenson Elementary School, 824; Jordan Middle School,
791; and Burroughs High School, 758.
Notable News
Remember
Mister Ed, television's talking horse? Mr. Ed lived in a
stall with — yes — double Dutch doors on Sparks Street, and
his owner, Les Hilton, had a house and backyard office there
too, where he could keep an eye on the star.
Back in the olden days, horses were outfitted for Halloween
— some became "camels," and riders in Robin Hood attire
would drape steeds in swags. Present time owners enter their
horses in an annual Easter-bonnet contest.
Email Us for a referral of an
Experienced
Equestrian Property Specialist in
BURBANK RANCHO
to answer your questions and furnish you a list of
properties
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