Welcome to San Marino
San Marino is a quiet and affluent suburb of Los Angeles, nestled in the San Rafael Hills near Pasadena. The city is among the most popular places for home buyers to consider if they are looking for luxury homes and mansions. In fact, it's one of the priciest areas in Los Angeles County - and the entire United States.
San Marino Real Estate
Luxury homes in San Marino are much higher than the L.A. County average. Gorgeous estates and mansions sit on large lots, surrounded by well-manicured landscaping. The streets where home buyers will find these prestigious, custom homes are lined with mature shade trees which create a bucolic charm. Nothing here feels cramped nor ordinary; homes in San Marino either have open front yards or deep setbacks.
Home colors are generally muted, producing a quiet elegance. Indeed, houses in San Marino are well-maintained and beautiful. Through local controls, they will remain that way for future generations; building permits (for new construction, additions, or repairs) are issued only after a multi-step review by various local authorities. All plans are heavily scrutinized by the City's Design Review Committee with a heavy emphasis on maintaining a low-density residential community rich in architectural character. Local zoning emphasizes setbacks, natural slopes, and respect for the existing trees and natural physical attributes of the land.
There are no apartments, condos, or townhomes within the city's borders.
San Marino Architecture
The heyday of home construction in San Marino took place from 1920 to 1950. Given the concentration of wealth in the city, a vast spectrum of architectural styles is represented among the custom-built homes here. Home shoppers will find houses for sale in San Marino in styles like Cape Cod, Colonial, Contemporary, Craftsman, California Spanish, Minimal Traditional, Mediterranean, Italian Renaissance, English, Cottage, French, Tudor, and Georgian. San Marino is one of the few places in Los Angeles County where one can find faux antebellum mansions resembling Southern plantations. From the 1920s to the 1940s, celebrated architects designed many luxury homes in San Marino including Wallace Neff, Roland Choate, George Washington Smith, and Paul Williams.
San Marino Schools
San Marino Unified School District (SMUSD) operates the public schools in the city. The district consistently ranks as the top unified school district in California. In fact, every SMUSD school has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School, an award bestowed by the U.S. Department of Education for academic excellence. There are also two private schools in San Marino.
