How exciting you were at Cerritos, CA during the early 1970s... (Los Angeles: cul-de-sac, Valentine's day)

[waltchan]

Cerritos, CA was California's fastest growing city in early 1970s. Many brand new homes in the beginning were built and sold for an average price of around $25,000 (hard to believe, yes) until early 1980s (when land space was depleted) for $165,000. The city had a great community feel (not anymore today). There was also a new mall built in 1970, along with auto square, schools, and supercenter Fedco store (I miss Fedco). Cerritos, CA in the 1970s was pretty much similar to today's new community housing market. The only problem with today's new homes is land location gets worse every year (now the new homes location is largely focused at the flaming, hot Arizona state).

If any original, 1st owner Cerritos, CA homeowner still out there, please share your early experience, and how exciting you were when you purchased your brand new home in the 1970s. How were the people or neighbors?

[bhcompy]

My family are original owners in what was then unincorporated LA County in the early 70s just south of Cerritos Regional Park(now East Lakewood). They loved the area, but frequent escaped cows were a bit of a problem as they tended to mill about the neighborhood. There are less than a half dozen of the original owners in their neck of the woods, but they're all still friendly with each other.

And yes, we all miss Fedco(and many other great shops and restaurants that have come and gone in the years).

[slocatz]

We grew up in Lakewood right behind Artesia High where I went to school. By the early late 70's & 80s Cerritos was the place to live. Many black families from south central and gang ridden areas of LA moved to Cerritos! My 4th grade teacher Ms. Elizabeth Newcome, lived on the strawberry farm where Cerritos High school sit now. I watch the dairy farms being sold and I seen house build up. By the 78 most of Cerritos was either black or Asian. Most of Lakewood, Cerritos and
Artesia where mostly Dutch owned dairy farms worked by Portagee's. Then after the LA/Compton (1968 or 1970) riot, I honestly don't remember it the families moved into Lakewood n Cerritos to protect their kids. Then again it happen after the Rodney King riots...

[ferretkona]

Back in the 70's I lived in Lakewood and my father was a carpenter on those homes when built. I usually went to those jobs after school to work 4 hours as I got out at noon.
The auto center on Studebaker did not really take off till the 80's, most of the dealers off Lakewood blvd were lured over.
Cerritos broke ground with rules like you would see in a HOA with no working on cars in your driveway and lawn maintaince.

[Dennis P]

My parents were the original owners of a Cerritos house near what is now Cerritos Towne Center in the early 70s. The house had 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and my parents bought the house in 1971 for $30,000! That same house is now worth $528,500. We were all pretty excited and we enjoyed living there, even though there was a dairy down the street and it smelled like cow manure much of the time.

It was really easy to get to know the neighbors back then, unlike now, where just about everyone shuts him/herself inside and doesn't even know the name of the people who live across the street or behind them, even though they've been there for a number of years.

Yes, times do change and not necessarily for the better.

[sll3454]

Originally Posted by ferretkona

Cerritos broke ground with rules like you would see in a HOA with no working on cars in your driveway and lawn maintaince.

Is it true that they wouldn't let ToysRUs have a backward R?

[ggl]

The priceless memories of a world gone away. We lived at the end of a cul-de-sac on 169th Street, Artesia. Behind our house was a cow pasture. There were quite a few of these in the area. I walked to elementary school at John H. Niemes Elementary School, which was right on the Artesia-Norwalk line, on the corner of E. 166th St. and Jersey Ave. I was 5 when we moved there from nearby Bellflower, so it must have been 1965. My parents bought our house for about $22,000... I wonder what it costs today?

Dad worked at Disneyland. Needless to say, me and my brothers were proud of him. Mom worked at North American Rockwell in Downey, as did a few other parents on our block.

They built the on ramp to the Artesia Freeway right behind our house, where the cow pasture was, and that was the beginning of the end for us in California. Behind the big field at Niemes was a horse ranch. It is now all housing (thanks Google Earth!). There were dairy farms on the corner of E. 166th St. and Studebaker Ave. These are long gone.

Me and my brothers and my neighborhood friends learned to swim in the pools at Cerritos College. Our swimming instructor was Mike Kekich, Sr., father of Mike Kekich, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners in parts of nine seasons spanning 1965–1977. We lived on the east end of 169th, the Kekiches lived on the west end. Denise Kekich was in my class in Kindergarten at Niemes.

A big shout out to the Golden Years of my life, which wasn't the entire period I lived in Artesia, because unfortunately we had to stay with an abusive sitter during the day in Bellflower, and I had to go to the school there (Ernie Pyle Elementary, 14500 Woodruff Avenue, Bellflower). But when we finally stopped going to Bellflower, and I was transfered to Niemes at age 9, 4th grade, from that day forward to the day we moved to Massachusetts in February, 1972 (we drove a VW minibus to our new house on a mountain farm during a blizzard on Valentine's Day, 1972, and I never really adjusted well to my new environment), I remember I was walking on air because I could go to the school in my own neighborhood, with my neighborhood friends, and play with them after school.

4th grade teacher: Mrs. Johnson
5th grade teacher: Mr Kratz
6th grade teacher (my lifetime favorite teacher) Mrs. Ashker.

I attended Faye Ross Jr. High over the summer of 1971, and then me and my friend Mitch walked to Faye Ross in the 7th Grade (we moved in '72, so I didn't finish the year). It was quite a culture shock for me going from a junior high school of over 300 students, to a consolidated school in the hills where the entire 1st grade to 8th grade was only about 100 students, total.

Right over the fence from our house at the end of the cul-de-sac was a weedy lot where people kept their trailers and campers. We used to sneak into these and hold "club house meetings", and the owner used to chase us away in a little VW bug. One time he even hopped over the fence and tracked us down to our houses, and gave us a big lecture. Now it's completely paved over, and there is a Quality Inn & Suites, and a Denny's where the camper park was. It's kind of sad because there was a lot of the last vestiges of desert life there, big lizards and snakes in the lot. All gone, I'm sure, not having made a blip on some environmental impact statement before they poured the asphalt.

I was in love with a girl there, who was also in my class in Niemes. I kept it to myself. I never saw her again.