Featured image credit: City of Upland
JohnHart Real Estate may be best recognized for redefining real estate in the Greater Los Angeles area, but our mission knows no boundaries as the focus of this edition of our Neighborhood Watch column illustrates. Today, we look at a city in San Bernardino County where things always seem to be looking up… the school district, the terrain, and, yes, even the competition to buy a home. If you’re looking for houses for sale in Upland CA, this guide will give you a great springboard for starting your journey. And there’s plenty to love about this Inland Empire gem!
High Times in Upland
The population of Upland was 79,040 at the time of the 2020 census. No doubt that number’s risen considerably in the subsequent four years. What can we say? It’s a popular city! And though it’s been distinctly its own city since 1906 and is firmly located in San Bernardino County, it regularly gets lumped in with the Greater LA area by mistake. This likely has to do with its position right up against the Los Angeles County border.
Upland was built along an old westerly running trail that was frequented by Native Americans and missionaries from Spain, referencing a history that spans well into the days of the American frontier. Today, historians refer to this as the Old Spanish Trail. The city sits at the feet of the San Gabriel Mountains at their highest point. You’ll be treated to their majestic beauty anytime you look to the north. To the south stretches the San Bernardino Valley. Because of this positioning, Upland sits on a gradual grade that ascends to the north up into the mountains.
However, the city’s terrain feels more or less flat when compared to a lot of other Southern California cities. So, if you want to enjoy the SoCal sunshine but hate driving over hills, considering houses for sale in Upland CA might not be a bad idea!
The Top Employers in Upland CA
San Antonio Community Hospital remains the top employer in Upland by a long shot. According to the 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the medical center employed 2,400 residents. Upland Unified School District (UUSD) stood a great distance behind it as the second-highest civic employer with 1,037 residents employed.
Highly rated and with a student-to-teacher ratio of 24:1, positions don’t stay open within the acclaimed UUSD for long. However, if you’re looking forward to sending your children to a UUSD public school, you should note that portions of Upland are actually districted for the nearby Chaffey Joint Union High School District.
Getting Around Upland
Getting around Upland is fairly easy with the east-west Interstate 10 paralleling the city’s Ontario-facing border. The only other freeway that passes through Upland is Interstate 210 to the city’s north; also running from east to west. These freeways allow efficient access to Los Angeles, Pasadena, and San Bernardino.
Rest assured, if you’re interested in houses for sale in Upland CA but don’t have a car, you still have options! Public transit around Upland is provided by Omnitrans buses. Commuters can also take the Metrolink commuter rail which conveniently runs from LA’s Union Station to San Bernardino with a stop in Upland. A 308-space paid park-and-ride lot is located at the station.
When Upland Gives You Lemons…
Though it has a small-town feel, there’s plenty to do around Upland that honors the city’s rich culture. One of the best starting points is the Cooper Regional History Museum. This museum emphasizes Upland’s agricultural history as a major exporter of wine and citrus products. Fittingly, it’s housed within the former headquarters of the Ontario-Cucamonga (O.K.) Fruit Exchange. Other exhibits highlight the cultures of the area’s Indigenous peoples.
We hope you like lemonade! The city’s citrus industry is further celebrated every April with the Upland Lemon Festival, first established in 1997. Featuring fair rides, contests, live music, and even a singing competition dubbed Lemon Idol, it’s a pretty sweet time for such a sour fruit. If you’re looking for houses for sale in Upland CA near the city’s downtown district, the annual lemon festival is pretty much inescapable.
Upland’s first fire station, built in 1915, has been repurposed to serve as the Fontana Fire Museum. Along with antique firefighting tools and historical photographs, the museum offers you a chance to see the city’s original fire truck. If you’re more interested in art, you’ll be interested to know that Upland is the home of the Sasse Museum of Art, formerly the Inland Empire Museum of Art, a nonprofit with a diverse rotation of exhibits spanning as many media as eras.
Skateboarding is Not a Crime (and Other Cultural Points of Note)
Unexpectedly, Upland is also a bastion for skateboarders from all over the world. Known in skating circles as “Badland”, it served as a pivotal spot for vertical skateboarding during the sport’s history. Upland’s relationship with skateboarding is so significant that in 2012, Mayor Ray Musser honored former Pipeline Skatepark owner Stan Hoffman with a lifetime achievement award.
One of the most recognizable icons of Upland is its Madonna of the Trail Statue near the cross street of Foothill Boulevard and Euclid Avenue. Sculpted by artist August Leimbach, the Madonna of the Trail is one of 12 statues commissioned by the Daughters of the Revolution in 1929 and placed along the path of the National Old Trails road. Upland’s Madonna of the Trail is the westernmost of the historical statue set.
At one point, the original Route 66 cut through Upland. Visit Foothill Boulevard today and you’ll still find traces that haven’t been lost to time. It’s one of the few places left where you’ll find a McDonald’s that still has the golden arches of yore.
Dining and Shopping in Upland
If you’re considering homes for sale in Upland CA, you’ll want to know your shopping options. And where that’s concerned, your best bet is the city’s downtown area. There, you’ll find a diversity of services, dining options, and retail shops… not to mention the occasional brewery! But if you’re looking for something a little more quaint, the Upland Farmers Market allows independent vendors to hock their wares every Saturday from 9 am until 2 pm. It’s a great way to support local businesses while enjoying the farm-to-table experience.
Hiking Trails from the Scenic to the Challenging
Upland also offers plenty of opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. Perhaps the best example is a five-mile stretch of Euclid Avenue frequented by joggers, bicyclists, and locals enjoying a natural stroll. This Bridle Path was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. You can even bring your pups!
Though it’s not in Upland, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention nearby Mt. Baldy which is about 10 miles north of the city in the San Gabriel Mountains. It offers a plethora of challenging hiking opportunities in an ascent to its peak 10,064 feet above sea level. It’s the highest point of the San Gabriels… and also the third deadliest mountain in the country. Therefore, prospective hikers should approach with a healthy dose of caution.
How Easy is it to Find Houses for Sale in Upland CA?
So, how hard is it to buy houses for sale in Upland CA? According to JohnHart Real Estate’s monthly absorption rate analysis, it can get pretty competitive. Over the last 12 months, Upland has held an average 35% absorption rate, meaning it falls squarely within the seller’s market. But looking at our last four months of data, we’re averaging around 39 home sales in Upland a month. So, if you like those odds and want to browse through houses for sale in Upland CA, reach out to one of our skilled agents today!
